SCIENCE – 3rd Quarter

NEURONS
Nervous system - involves all of our activities
Neurons / Nerve cell
- the basic unit of the nervous system
- the longest and oldest cell in the body
- cells that conducts impulses
- have the ability to carry impulses, information, or signals (ex. our thoughts, feelings, emotions, pain, learnings) in the entire body
- send electrochemical signals (which are also impulses) around the body
Impulses or Nerve Impulse
- are being carried by the neurons inside the neuron throughout the entire body
- the combination of electrical charge and chemical reaction (electrochemical signals)
- a progressive wave of electric and chemical activity along a nerve fiber that stimulates or inhibits the action muscle, gland, or other
nerve cell
* Neurons carry impulses in a form of electrochemical signals
Nerve - a cluster of neurons or nerve cells
* Inside a nerve, there’s a cluster of neurons or nerve cells

DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE NEURON

* You can use your hand as a basis, cell body as our palm, dendrites as our fingers, axon as our arm

+ Dendrites
- from the Greek word ‘Dendron’ – tree (dendrites look like branches of a tree)
- receiving information to the cell body
- receive chemical signals of nerve impulses from neighboring cells
- branch-like extensions that receive impulses and carry them toward cell body
+ Cell body
- also called as ‘soma’
- consists of: nucleus, cytoplasm, organelles
- It is in the Cell body wherein most of metabolic activities of the neuron takes place
+ Axon
- itself is a Greek word which means axle
- takes that impulse/information (from the dendrites) away from the cell body
- long extension that carries impulses away from the cell body to another neuron
- single extension of the neuron that carries impulses away from the cell body.
+ Myelin sheath - covers or protects the axon
+ Schwann Cell - gives nutrients to the axon

* Another neuron will connect to the first neuron until the information or impulse reaches the brain
* The axon branches out at ending to send impulses to many different neurons. Dendrites receive impulses from many other axons
* The neuron ended or branches into different strands. Sa dulo it axon ro strand. And each strand of the end of the neuron is swelling and that is
called as synaptic.

Synaptic Knob
- the swelling part of each strand in the end of the neuron

* In the case of having two neurons, dendrites-cell body-axon  dendrites of the 2nd neuron-cell body-axon. They meet but they do not touch.
Although they can connect, there is a gap between them.

Synapse
- the gap between the axon of the first neuron and the dendrite of the next neuron

* The impulse cannot jump from one neuron to another.

* Whenever the impulse that is taken away by the axon reaches the end of the axon, the axon will release a chemical and that chemical is called as
‘neurotransmitter’

Neurotransmitter
- travels on the synapse until it reaches the next dendrite
* And when the neurotransmitter reaches the dendrite of the next neuron, the impulse will again be stimulated and it will be received by the dendrite
of the other neuron.

Stimulus - any factor in the environment that will trigger the impulse
Response - the reaction to the stimulus
Receptor - the organ that will receive that stimulus
Effector - the organ that will give the responsep

Ex. You touched a hot stove, goes to the brain and processes it that the hand should be removed.
Stimulus – hot stove
Receptor – skin of the hand
Effector – hand
Response – remove

3 TYPES OF NEURONS
1. Sensory Neurons
- also called as ‘Afferent Neurons’
- neurons that carry impulses from the different organs of the body to the CNS (brain and spinal cord)
- carry impulses from inside and outside the body to brain and spinal cord

2. Motor Neurons
- also called as ‘Efferent Neurons’
- carry impulses away from the brain and spinal cord toward the other parts of the body

3. Interneurons
- also called as ‘Association Neurons’
- found within the brain that connects Sensory and Motor Neurons
- process incoming impulses and pass them on to motor neurons

Ex. You were tapped by someone in the shoulder

Stimulus – hand of that someone
Receptor – your shoulder
* The stimulus will have the impulse, and that impulse will be carried by the sensory neuron to the brain. The brain will process that impulse and
sugo u to turn back your head.
Response – turn back
Effector – your head
* And that turn back as response in a form of impulse is carried by the motor neurons toward your head.

* The response is based on how well our brain interprets the impulses received
* Our neurons die as we age and as we do things that will make the neurons degenerate
* If the neurons are low in amount, the capacity of the brain to process and the capacity of the sensory and motor neurons lowers
* Alzheimer’s kung mag gulang