Neurons & Synapses
What is the main cell of the nervous system?
Neuron
What part of the brain helps you balance?
Cerebellum
What is the fast action your body does without thinking?
Reflex
What chemical carries a message between neurons?
Neurotransmitter
What disease causes memory loss in old age?
Alzheimer’s disease
What part of the neuron carries messages away from the cell body?
Axon
What part of the brain controls breathing and heartbeat?
Brainstem (medulla)
Which organ controls reflexes?
Spinal cord
Which ion goes into the neuron to start a signal?
Sodium (Na⁺)
What disease happens when myelin is damaged?
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
What covers some axons to make messages go faster?
Myelin sheath
Which lobe of the brain helps you see?
Occipital lobe
What muscle action happens in the knee-jerk reflex?
Leg kicks forward
Which neurotransmitter helps muscles move?
Acetylcholine
What disease causes seizures?
Epilepsy
What part of the neuron receives messages?
Dendrites
Which lobe of the brain helps you make decisions?
Frontal lobe
Why are reflexes important?
They protect the body from harm
What happens to a signal after it crosses the synapse?
It starts a new impulse in the next neuron
What disease happens when the brain makes less dopamine?
Parkinson’s disease
What is the space between two neurons called?
Synapse
What connects the left and right sides of the brain?
Corpus callosum
What is the path of a reflex called?
Reflex arc
What is it called when the message goes back into the first neuron?
Reuptake
What is it called when blood flow to the brain is blocked or bleeding happens?
Stroke