Anatomy of a Neuron
This is another name for the cell body
Soma
The potential that a neuron must reach for an action potential to be generated
Threshold
This general kind of channel opens in response to the presence of a neurotransmitter
Ligand-gated ion channels
The two types of synapses
Chemical and electrical
The junction between a synaptic terminal and another neuron
Synapse
The type of response an action potential is, because it occurs or it does not
All-or-none
This general kind of channel opens in response to a change in the membrane potential
Voltage gated ion channels
The majority of synapses are this type
Chemical
Conducts impulses away from the cell body to another neuron, muscle, or gland
Closed channels at resting state
ion channels or gated ion channels
This membrane protein uses ATP to restore concentrations of Na+ and K+ to their
“resting” levels
Sodium Potassium Pump
The most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain
Glutamate
Receive stimuli and send signals to the cell body
Dendrites
The process in which the membrane potential returns to its resting state
Repolarization
A voltage-gated Na+ channel propagates the action potential by using this kind of
feedback
Positive Feedback
This causes the release of neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft
Calcium
The insulating cover that axons of many neurons are surrounded by
Myelin Sheath
The level an axon depolarizes to in order to generate an action potential
Threshold
When this ion crosses the membrane through specific channels, the membrane
potential becomes more negative
Potassium
The five major groups of neurotransmitters
Acetylcholine, Amino Acids, Neuropeptides, Gases, Biogenic Amino Acids