Neurons and Neurotransmitters

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display. Central Nervous System (CNS) Brain Spinal Cord Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Sensory Neurons Motor Neurons Responsible for movement in the body such as moving arms, legs, digestion in your body, etc. Responsible for movement in the body such as moving arms, legs, digestion in your body, etc. Responsible for senses: taste, smell, etc. The Nervous System

Nervous System –Central nervous system (CNS): Brain Spinal cord –Peripheral nervous system (PNS): Sensory neurons – responsible for your senses Motor neurons - responsible for movement

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display. How things work in your body

 Basic units of the nervous system  Receive and send messages from the brain and to each other  Signals are electrical to communicate Neurons

Anatomy of a Nerve Cell

Neurons Axon of another neuron Cell Body Dendrites Axon Myelin Sheath Dendrites of another neuron

Anatomy of a Nerve Cell  Dendrite  The small branches of the nerve cell  Axon  The long branch of the nerve cell to connect to other nerve cells  Myelin Sheath  Insulates the cell so electrical signals can be passed  Cell Body –  The “brain” of the nerve cell

How nerves communicate  The cell body receives an electrical signal and passes it through the axon to the dendrites.  The dendrites of one cell connect to other nerve cells and send the signal.  The signal originates from the brain, down the spinal cord, to all nerve cells in that area and back!