Name:__________________________

NEURONS
the basic building blocks of the nervous system, responsible for receiving and
transmitting information

Dendrites: increase the surface area of the cell body; covered with synapses;
receive information from other neurons and transmit electrical

Soma: where the signals from the dendrites are joined and passed on; maintains the
cell and keep the neuron functional.

Axon: transmits the neural signal; the larger the axon, the faster it transmits
information; covered with a fatty substance called myelin that acts as an insulator;
myelinated axons transmit information much faster than other neurons.

Myelin sheath: insulating envelope of myelin that surrounds the core of a nerve
fiber or axon and facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses; covers the axon of
some neurons and helps speed neural impulses