Ted Talk: How do Nerves work?

Ted Talk: How do Nerves work?

Open Ended

Nerves are often compared to the wiring of computers or homes. Why is this a good analogy? Why is it incomplete?

Open Ended

Describe what you think it would be like to live without nerves. Why do you think this would be a good thing? Why would it be bad?

Open Ended

Do you think knowing how nerves work helps cope with pain? Does it diminish pleasure?

Multiple Choice

Light touch can produce pleasure, fear, or pain. One type of neuron can produce sensations that are interpreted differently by the central nervous system.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What are the specialized parts of the nerve called where the electrical impulse originates?

• Neurons

• Nephrons

• Receptors

Multiple Choice

Low threshold mechano-receptors are activated by light touch and carry specific information regarding:

• Pain

• Warning

• Pleasure

• All of them

Multiple Choice

There is an imbalance in the ions on the inside of the nerve and the outside of the nerve resulting in a negative electrical charge of approximately -70 millivolts. This is called the nerve’s:

• Gradient Interval

• Resting potential

• B

  Maximum Negativity

Multiple Choice

When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the nerve, small vesicles containing chemical neurotransmitters are released by the nerve and rapidly interact with the nerve’s target. This process is called:

• the neurotransmission cycle

• Synaptic transmission

• Neromuscular transmission