Question

The topics are located below. For each topic, you will need to write a paragraph in your own words telling me what each one of the parts of the brain is and does. This means that I want to know how and why each one functions and what it is responsible for.

Here is the list of terms to find:

1. Neuron
2. Dendrite
3. Synaptic Gap
4. Axon
5. Neurotransmitter
6. Amygdala
7. Hippocampus
8. Corpus Callosum
9. Cerebral Cortex
10. Dopamine

Answer 1

• Neuron-Neurons, also known as nerve cells, send and receive signals from your brain. While neurons have a lot in common with other types of cells, they’re structurally and functionally unique.Specialized projections called axons allow neurons to transmit electrical and chemical signals to other cells. Neurons can also receive these signals via rootlike extensions known as dendrites.
• Functions of neurons-Neurons send signals using action potentials. An action potential is a shift in the neuron’s electric potential caused by the flow of ions in and out of the neural membrane.Action potentials can trigger both chemical and electrical synapses.
• All neurons have three basic functions. These are to:
• Receive signals (or information).
• Integrate incoming signals (to determine whether or not the information should be passed along).
• Communicate signals to target cells (other neurons or muscles or glands)
• Neurons vary in size, shape, and structure depending on their role and location. However, nearly all neurons have three essential parts: a cell body, an axon, and dendrites.
• Cell body-Also known as a soma, the cell body is the neuron’s core. The cell body carries genetic information, maintains the neuron’s structure, and provides energy to drive activities.Like other cell bodies, a neuron’s soma contains a nucleus and specialized organelles. It’s enclosed by a membrane which both protects it and allows it to interact with its immediate surroundings.
• Axon-An axon is a long, tail-like structure which joins the cell body at a specialized junction called the axon hillock. Many axons are insulated with a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin helps axons to conduct an electrical signal. Neurons generally have one main axon.
• Functions of axon- The function of the axon is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles and glands. In certain sensory neurons (pseudounipolar neurons), such as those for touch and warmth, the electrical impulse travels along an axon from the periphery to the cell body, and from the cell body to the spinal cord along another branch of the same axon. Axon dysfunction causes many inherited and acquired neurological disorders which can affect both the peripheral and central neurons.
• Dendrites-Dendrites are fibrous roots that branch out from the cell body. Like antennae, dendrites receive and process signals from the axons of other neurons. Neurons can have more than one set of dendrites, known as dendritic trees. How many they have generally depends on their role.
• For instance, Purkinje cells are a special type of neuron found in the cerebellum. These cells have highly developed dendritic trees which allow them to receive thousands of signals.
• Functions of Dendrites-The functions of dendrites are to receive signals from other neurons, to process these signals, and to transfer the information to the soma of the neuron.
• The transfer of information from one neuron to another is achieved through chemical signals and electric impulses, that is, electrochemical signals.
• The information transfer is usually received at the dendrites through chemical signals, then it travels to the cell body (soma), continues along the neuronal axon as electric impulses, and it is finally transferred onto the next neuron at the synapse, which is the place where the two neurons exchange information through chemical signals. At the synapse meet the end of one neuron and the beginning—the dendrites—of the other.
• Synaptic gap-In the central nervous system, a synapse is a small gap at the end of a neuron that allows a signal to pass from one neuron to the next. Synapses are found where nerve cells connect with other nerve cells. Synapses are key to the brain's function, especially when it comes to memory.
• The synaptic cleft,also called synaptic gap, is a gap between the pre- and postsynaptic cells that is about 20 nm wide.
• When a nerve signal reaches the end of the neuron, it cannot simply continue to the next cell. Instead, it must trigger the release of neurotransmitters which can then carry the impulse across the synapse to the next neuron.
• Once a nerve impulse has triggered the release of neurotransmitters, these chemical messengers cross the tiny synaptic gap and are taken up by receptors on the surface of the next cell. These receptors act much like a lock, while the neurotransmitters function much like keys. Neurotransmitters may excite the neuron they bind to or inhibit it.
• Synapses are composed of three main parts:
• The presynaptic ending that contains neurotransmitters
• The synaptic cleft between the two nerve cells
• The postsynaptic ending that contains receptor sites
• An electrical impulse travels down the axon of a neuron and then triggers the release of tiny vesicles containing neurotransmitters. These vesicles will then bind to the membrane of the presynaptic cell, releasing the neurotransmitters into the synapse. These chemical messengers cross the synaptic cleft and connect with receptor sites in the next nerve cell, triggering an electrical impulse known as an action potential.
• There are two main types of synapses:
• Chemical Synapse: The first is the chemical synapse in with the electrical activity in the presynaptic neuron triggers the release of chemical messengers, the neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse and bind to the specialized receptors of the postsynaptic cell. The neurotransmitter then either excites or inhibits the postsynaptic neuron. Excitation leads to the firing of an action potential while inhibition prevents the propagation of a signal.
• Electrical Synapses: In this type, two neurons are connected by specialized channels known as gap junctions. Electrical synapses allow electrical signals to travel quickly from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell, rapidly speeding up the transfer of signals. The gap between electrical synapses is much smaller than that of a chemical synapse (about 3.5 nanometers compared to 20 nanometers). The special protein channels that connect the two cells make it possible for the positive current from the presynaptic neuron to flow directly into the postsynaptic cell.
• Due to time limit,remaining can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation