What is the fundamental building block of the nervous system?
the fundamental building block of the nervous system Dendrites the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body Soma This is where the signals from the dendrites are joined and passed on
What is Chapter 4 of the nervous system?
Chapter 4. Brains, Bodies, and Behaviour Describe the structure and functions of the neuron. Draw a diagram of the pathways of communication within and between neurons. List three of the major neurotransmitters and describe their functions. The nervous system is composed of more than 100 billion cells known as neurons.
How many cells are in the nervous system?
The nervous system is composed of more than 100 billion cells known as neurons. A neuron is a cell in the nervous system whose function it is to receive and transmit information.
What are the components of neurons?
Neurons contain a dendrite, a soma, and an axon. Some axons are covered with a fatty substance known as the myelin sheath, which surrounds the axon, acting as an insulator and allowing faster transmission of the electrical signal
What is the fundamental building block of the nervous system?
The basic building block of the nervous system is a nerve cell, or neurone. Neurones are shaped differently depending on where they are in the body and what role they play. All neurones have finger-like projections called dendrites and a long fibre called an axon.
Which of the following is considered the fundamental building block of the nervous system quizlet?
Neurons. --The building blocks of the nervous system that transmit electrical and chemical signals in the body.
Which of the following is considered the fundamental building block?
The basic building blocks that make up matter are called atoms.
Which of the following is the fundamental building block of the nervous system for which we have approximately 100 billion in the brain?
Neurons - basic building blocks The basic building blocks of the nervous system are nerve cells or neurons. We are born with about 100 billion neurons. Neurons are connected by synapses which carry electrical signals and chemical neurotransmitters.
Which of the following are the cellular building blocks of the brain?
The Neuron – Building Block of the Brain.
What is the basic unit of nervous system?
The basic unit of communication in the nervous system is the nerve cell (neuron). Each nerve cell consists of the cell body, a major branching fiber (axon) and numerous smaller branching fibers (dendrites).
Which of the following is considered as the building blocks of protein?
The building blocks of proteins are amino acids, which are small organic molecules that consist of an alpha (central) carbon atom linked to an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable component called a side chain (see below).
What is the basic building block of matter quizlet?
♠ Atoms are the basic building blocks of ordinary matter. Atoms can join together to form molecules, which in turn form most of the objects around you.
What are the fundamental structures and processes within the brain?
The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem. Cerebrum: is the largest part of the brain and is composed of right and left hemispheres. It performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement.
What is myelin sheath?
Myelin is an insulating layer, or sheath that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of protein and fatty substances. This myelin sheath allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells. If myelin is damaged, these impulses slow down.
Which of the following organs is made up the central nervous system?
The brain and spinal cord are the organs of the central nervous system.
How does the nervous system work?
The nervous system operates using an electrochemical process (see Note 3.12 “Video Clip: The Electrochemical Action of the Neuron” ). An electrical charge moves through the neuron itself and chemicals are used to transmit information between neurons. Within the neuron, when a signal is received by the dendrites, is it transmitted to the soma in the form of an electrical signal, and, if the signal is strong enough, it may then be passed on to the axon and then to the terminal buttons. If the signal reaches the terminal buttons, they are signaled to emit chemicals known as neurotransmitters, which communicate with other neurons across the spaces between the cells, known as synapses.
What is the layer of fatty tissue that surrounds the axon of a neuron?
The myelin sheath is a layer of fatty tissue surrounding the axon of a neuron that both acts as an insulator and allows faster transmission of the electrical signal. Axons branch out toward their ends, and at the tip of each branch is a terminal button.
How do neurons communicate?
Not only do the neural signals travel via electrical charges within the neuron, but they also travel via chemical transmission between the neurons. Neurons are separated by junction areas known as synapses, areas where the terminal buttons at the end of the axon of one neuron nearly, but don’t quite, touch the dendrites of another. The synapses provide a remarkable function because they allow each axon to communicate with many dendrites in neighboring cells. Because a neuron may have synaptic connections with thousands of other neurons, the communication links among the neurons in the nervous system allow for a highly sophisticated communication system.
What is the function of neurotransmitters?
A neurotransmitter is a chemical that relays signals across the synapses between neurons. Neurotransmitters travel across the synaptic space between the terminal button of one neuron and the dendrites of other neurons, where they bind to the dendrites in the neighboring neurons.
Why can't a neuron fire again?
Furthermore, the neuron is prevented from repeated firing by the presence of a refractory period —a brief time after the firing of the axon in which the axon cannot fire again because the neuron has not yet returned to its resting potential.
How fast is the response along the length of the axon?
The entire response along the length of the axon is very fast—it can happen up to 1,000 times each second. Figure 3.4 The Myelin Sheath and the Nodes of Ranvier. The myelin sheath wraps around the axon but also leaves small gaps called the nodes of Ranvier.
What is the function of a neuron?
A neuron is a cell in the nervous system whose function it is to receive and transmit information. As you can see in Figure 3.2 “Components of the Neuron”, neurons are made up of three major parts: a cell body, or soma, which contains the nucleus of the cell and keeps the cell alive; a branching treelike fiber known as the dendrite, ...
Neurons Communicate Using Electricity and Chemicals
The nervous system operates using an electrochemical process. An electrical charge moves through the neuron itself, and chemicals are used to transmit information between neurons.
Key Takeaways
The central nervous system (CNS) is the collection of neurons that make up the brain and the spinal cord.

Neurons Communicate Using Electricity and Chemicals
Neurotransmitters: The Body’S Chemical Messengers
- Not only do the neural signals travel via electrical charges within the neuron, but they also travel via chemical transmission between the neurons. Neurons are separated by junction areas known as synapses, areas where the terminal buttons at the end of the axon of one neuron nearly, but don’t quite, touch the dendrites of another. The synapses pro...
Image Attributions
- Figure 4.2: “Confocal microscopy of mouse brain, cortex” by ZEISS Microscopy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zeissmicro/10799674936/in/photostream/) used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en_CA) license.