BIO304H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Neuron, Retina, Ganglion Cell
Document Summary
And so what is a nerve cell: a cell that can generate electrical impulses? (e. g. action potentials, even bacteria and plant cells can generate electrical impulses. 1. the nervous system is made up of a network cells that can sense information: about the "outside" world (light, chemicals, temperature, touch, about the "inside" world (internal states, signals from other cells) 2. cells (neurons) are able to propagate informationin the form of electrical impulses: graded potentials, action potentials. 3. cells convey informationto each other via chemical and/or electrical synapses. Before we get there, lets look at the vertebrate visual system to review how information flows through neural circuits: Receptor cells in the retina have special proteins (photoreceptors) that detect light to trigger a change in voltage across the cell membrane. Electrical signals travels to the synapse, where they trigger the release of chemicals (neurotransmitters) that bind neurotransmitter receptorson post- synaptic bipolar cells.
