14 Questions
What is the main function of dendrites in a nerve cell?
Carry nerve impulses into the cell body
Which part of a nerve cell is responsible for controlling the functioning of the cell?
Cell body
What is the function of the myelin sheath on axons?
Protects axon from damage
In a nerve cell, what does the term 'neurilemma' refer to?
Outermost coil formed by Schwann cells around myelin sheath
Which cells are responsible for forming the myelin sheath outside the brain and spinal cord?
Schwann cells
What is the function of nodes of Ranvier in nerve cells?
Speed up movement of nerve impulses
What gives myelinated fibers their white color?
Fatty nature of myelin sheath
Describe the structural components of a nerve cell.
Cell body, dendrites, axon
Explain the role of dendrites in nerve cells.
Carry nerve impulses into the cell body
What is the function of the myelin sheath on axons?
Acts as an insulator, protects axon from damage, speeds up movement of nerve impulses
Differentiate between myelinated and unmyelinated fibers.
Myelinated fibers have myelin sheath, unmyelinated fibers do not
Explain the significance of Schwann cells in the nervous system.
Form myelin sheath around axons, help repair injured fibers
What are the nodes of Ranvier and what is their function?
Gaps in myelin sheath across axon, allow rapid transmission of nerve impulses
Explain how the myelin sheath contributes to the color of myelinated fibers.
Fatty nature gives white color
Study Notes
- Nerve cells are the basic structural and functional units of the nervous system, varying in size and shape but all containing a cell body, dendrites, and axon.
- Neurons can be classified based on function or structure, with the cell body containing the nucleus and controlling cell functioning, surrounded by cytoplasm that contains organelles.
- Dendrites are short extensions of the cell body's cytoplasm that carry nerve impulses into the cell body.
- The axon is a single, long extension of the cytoplasm that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body, branching into smaller branches at its end that terminate at the axon terminal.
- Most axons are covered by a myelin sheath, a fatty material that acts as an insulator, protects the axon, and speeds up the movement of nerve impulses. Schwann cells outside the brain and spinal cord form the myelin sheath, with gaps in the sheath called nodes of Ranvier.
Explore the basic structural and functional units of the nervous system known as nerve cells. Learn about the components such as cell body, dendrites, and axon, and how neurons can be classified based on function or structure.
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