Chapter 33-1 The Nervous

System
NWRC BIO 30
 Neurons
Watch Video Dendrites –
receive signals
and conduct
impulses

Cell body – contains

Axon – carries the nerve nucleus and other cell
impulse from the cell body to organelles
other neurons and muscles
 The cell body

• Contains the cell’s Nucleus

– Round, centrally
located structure
– Contains DNA
– No role in neural
signaling
 Dendrites
• Information
collectors
• Receive inputs
from neighboring
neurons
• Inputs may
number in
thousands
 Dendritic Growth
• Mature neurons
generally can’t divide
• But new dendrites
can grow
• Provides room for
more connections to
other neurons
• New connections are
basis for learning
 Axon

• The cell’s output

structure
• One axon per cell,
2 distinct parts
– tubelike structure
branches at end that
connect to dendrites
of other cells
 Neurons

Types of Neurons

Sensory Motor Interneurons

Sensory (incoming) Motor
(outgoing)
 Sensory Neurons
• INPUT From
sensory organs to
the brain and
Sensory
Neuron
spinal cord.
• Some sensory neurons
respond to tactile
stimuli and can activate
motor neurons in order
to achieve muscle
contraction.
 Sensory Neurons
• Such connections
between sensory and
motor neurons underlie
motor reflex loops and
Sensory several forms of
Neuron
involuntary behavior,
including pain
avoidance.
• In humans, such reflex
circuits are commonly
located in the spinal
cord..
 Motor Neurons
Brain
• OUTPUT From the
Sensory
Neuron brain and spinal cord
To the muscles and
Spin
glands which results
al in a response. These
C transmit impulses from the
ord central nervous system to the
• muscles and glands
• that carry out the response.
Most motor neurons are
Motor stimulated by interneurons,
Neuron although some are stimulated
directly by sensory neurons.
 Interneurons
• Interneurons carry Sensory Brain

information between Neuron

other neurons. These Spinal

Cord
are found exclusively within
the spinal cord and brain.
They are stimulated by
Motor
signals reaching them from Neuron

• sensory neurons
• other interneurons or
• both.
• Watch clip on reflex arc
How do neurons conduct electrical imp
(watch clip)

• Neurons conduct electrical impulses by

using the Action Potential. This
phenomenon is generated through the
flow of positively charged ions across the
neuronal membrane.
 Begin Notes Here
• A Neuron at rest is polarized- this means
that the fluids outside the cell membranes
have an electrical charge that is
different than the charge inside
the cell
 Notes
• The difference in electrical charge is
potential energy that is released when
the neuron receives stimulus.

• Polarization is caused by the

concentration of Na+ outside the cell
and K+ inside the cell
 Notes
• The Na+ /K+ pump is
made of proteins in the
cell membrane
• These pumps move Na+
and K+ in and out of the
cell by Active
Transport
• (remember from
chapter 7 that this
requires energy- see
pg. 206)
 Notes
• When the pump is
open to the inside K+
no longer binds
and Na+ becomes
active
 Notes
• When the pump is
open to the outside
Na+ no longer
binds and K+
becomes active
 Notes
• The cell membrane is slightly permeable
to K+ so K+ can diffuse out of the cell.
The loss of potassium ions by diffusion
adds to the more positive charge outside
the cell membrane
• The difference btw the inside and the
outside of a resting neuron is called a
resting potential
 Notes
• The word potential means voltage (which
is a measure of electrical energy)
Notes
• When a neuron is
excited by a stimulus
(such as light ,
heat, pressure,
pain etc) changes in
the resting potential
take place.
 notes
• The Stimulus alters the
permeability of the cell
membrane
K+
• The change is K+
permeability is what K+
allows impulses to Na+
Na+
move along the neuron ,
carrying messages Na+
Na+
through the nervous Na+

system Na+
 notes
• In an action potential first
the membrane becomes
highly permeable to Na+
K
• When a neuron is +
excited by a +
stimulus gates
permeable to Na+
are opened and ions
rush into the cell
Notes

The inward rush of

Na+ reverses the
polarity of the cell.
Now the inside has
a greater positive
charge than the
outside
Notes
Once again this reversal of
polarity takes place, the
sodium gates close and the
potassium gates open
K+ rush out of he cell
because there is now a less
positive charge outside the
cell and they are attracted.
Polarity is reversed again.
 Notes
• The flow of ions and the changes in the
polarity caused by the stimulus creates an
electrical current called the action
potential
• A series of action potentials
sweeping down an axon is a nerve
impulse
 Notes
• Restoring resting potential
• After an action potential has swept along
the neuron some of the Na+ that were
originally outside the cell are now inside it
and some of the K+ moved from outside
to inside
• BUT there are still more K+ inside than
outside and more Na+ outside than
inside
 Notes
• As the action potential continues to move
along the neuron a point is reached where
there is balance of K+ and Na+ inside and
out.
• At this point the sodium potassium pump
operates to once again create a resting
potential Na+ ions move into the cell and
K+ move out
 End of Notes
• For every 2 K+ ions pumped in 3 Na+ ions
are pumped out. His results in a positive
charge outside the neuron and a negative
charge inside the cytoplasm
Action Potential
• Website I am going to
go through this online
tutorial quickly so
please return to it on
your own and work
through it
The synapseWhen the wave of
Action Potentials
reach the end of
the axon the
electrical signal is
converted into a
chemical signal.
This chemical or
neurotransmitter
crosses the space
(Synapse)
between adjacent
neurons and
initiates an Action
Potential on
another neuron.
The Synapse
Assessment questions
• 1. Both are Vast
networks capable of
sending and receiving
vast amounts of
information
Assessment
• 2. The ions would
naturally move from
an area of high
concentration to an
area of low
concentration but
forcing ions to
concentrate on one
side of the cell
membrane takes
energy
Assessment
• 3. No. If the sensory
neurons do not send
impulses to the brain
the person would not
feel pain.

• The end
 For further study
• View this tutorial with animations