PS101 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Resting Potential, Axon Terminal, Neurotransmitter Receptor
Document Summary
Neurons: specialized cells that carry messages throughout the nervous system. Electrochemical exchange both electrical and chemical. Afferent neurons (sensory): relay information from the senses to the brain and spinal chord. Efferent neurons (motor): send information from the central nervous system to the glands and muscles, enabling the body to move. Receive information from other neurons and sensory receptors. Receives information from dendrites, and if enough stimulation is received, the message is passed onto the axon. Carries the neuron"s message to the terminal buttons. At the end of the axon (the axon terminal) are many synapses where information is passed from one neuron to another. When electrical impulses (action potential) reaches the axon terminal, it causes fluid- filled sacs called vesicles (filled with neurotransmitters) to fuse with the neuronal membrane and then to release neurotransmitters into the synapse. Axons can be highly branched (called collaterals)
