BIOL273 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Postganglionic Nerve Fibers, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential, Efferent Nerve Fiber

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL273
• Professor: Heidi Engelhardt

Document Summary

Pathways (paths along which these signals travel) are not necessarily linear sometimes a signal influences multiple neurons, or many neurons affect one single neuron. Sensory receptors monitor conditions in the internal and external environments of the body, and send this information through afferent (or sensory) neurons to the central nervous system. The central nervous system (or cns) is the integrating center for neural reflexes it receives these afferent signals and then decides what to do with it. Autonomic neurons are further divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic branches: the afferent and efferent neurons form the peripheral nervous system. The nervous system is composed primarily of two cell types: glial cells ( support cells ) and nerve cells/neurons (the basic signaling units of the nervous system) Neurons are excitable cells that generate and carry electrical signals. The cell body of the nerve is just like a typical cell body.