MOTOR NEURON
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You will be making a motor neuron today
Use the materials in the bag to construct this nerve cell/neuron.
Note that the axon of this cell is drawn short for simplicity but in actual fact axons can be very,
very long indeed. Some axons exceed 1 meter in length.
Axon terminal/synaptic knob
In a motor
neuron the
axon terminal
is also called
the motor end
plate
The soma/cell body contains
the nucleus of the cell.
The motor neuron is found
mainly in the peripheral
nervous system.
The nucleus controls cell
activities in the neuron.
The axon terminal of the
motor neuron “connects” with
(but doesn’t physically touch)
the effector.
The electrical signals(an
impulse) moves along the
axon away from the cell
body, toward the axon
terminal
Chemicals messengers
called neurotransmitters are
made at the axon terminals
Myelin speeds up the rate of The myelin sheath is made of
the electrical signal.
fat.
The axon is between the cell
body/soma and the axon
terminals.
Dendrites are extensions
from the cell body.
Dendrites receive signals
from other neurons.
The axon of a motor neuron
can be very long
SENSORY NEURON
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You will be making a sensory neuron today
Use the materials in the bag to construct this nerve cell/neuron.
Some sensory neurons have very long axons.
Axon terminals/
synaptic knobs
Labelling cards for sensory neuron
The soma/cell body contains
the nucleus of the cell.
The nucleus controls cell
activities in the neuron.
electrical signals(an impulse)
moves along the axon away
from the cell body, toward
the axon terminal
The sensory neuron is found
mainly in the peripheral
nervous system.
The electrical impulse moves
along the axon away from
the cell body, towards the
axon terminal
The axon terminal of the
sensory neuron “connects”
with (but doesn’t physically
touch) the dendrites of an
interneuron.
Chemical messengers called
neurotransmitters are made
at the axon terminals
The axon of a sensory
neuron is sometimes very
long
Myelin speeds up the rate of The myelin sheath is made of
the electrical signal.
fat.
The axon is between the cell
A dendrite/dendron is an
body/soma and the axon
extension from the cell body.
terminals.
A dendrite/dendron receives
signals from receptors and
carry it towards the cell body
Reflex ARC cards
RECEPTOR
DETECTS A STIMULUS
EFFECTOR
RESPONDS TO A STIMULUS
SPINAL CORD
A receptor is always at the start of a reflex arc.
The tiny gap b/w two neurons is called the synaptic gap
The interneuron is located in the spinal cord
The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system
The interneuron is located between two neurons
A reflex arc is made of only two or three neurons
Receptors detect a stimulus, such as light, pain, a
change in temperature or a presence of a chemical.
The electrical signal can only go in one direction along a
neuron within a nerve pathway
The effector is a cell, organ or tissue that responds to a
stimulus
The effector is always at the end of the pathway.