Neurons and Action Potentials definitions Flashcards

A specialized cell in the nervous system that transmits electrical and chemical signals, featuring a cell body, axon, and dendrites, and communicates via synapses using neurotransmitters.

The network of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that transmits signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body, including sensory and motor neurons.

A long, slender projection of a neuron that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body to transmit information to different neurons, muscles, and glands.

Branch-like extensions of a neuron that receive chemical signals from other neurons and convert them into electrical signals for the cell body.

A cluster of neuron cell bodies located outside the central nervous system, involved in transmitting sensory or motor signals.

The difference in electric potential between two points, resulting from differences in charge, crucial for neuronal signaling and action potentials.

A rapid, temporary change in a neuron's membrane potential, caused by the movement of ions, that propagates an electrical signal along the axon.

A fatty substance produced by glial cells that insulates axons, speeding up the transmission of electrical signals by allowing them to jump between nodes of Ranvier.