Syllabus concepts to know

• C2.2.1 Neurons as cells within the nervous system that carry electrical impulses
• C2.2.2 Generation of the resting potential by pumping to establish and maintain concentration gradients of sodium and potassium ions
• C2.2.3 Nerve impulses as action potentials that are propagated along nerve fibres
• C2.2.4 Variation in the speed of nerve impulses
• C2.2.5 Synapses as junctions between neurons and between neurons and effector cells
• C2.2.6 Release of neurotransmitters from a presynaptic membrane
• C2.2.7 Generation of an excitatory postsynaptic potential
• C2.2.8 Depolarization and repolarization during action potentials (HL)
• C2.2.9 Propagation of an action potential along a nerve fibre/axon as a result of local currents (HL)
• C2.2.10 Oscilloscope traces showing resting potentials and action potentials (HL)
• C2.2.11 Saltatory conduction in myelinated fibres to achieve faster impulses (HL)
• C2.2.12 Effects of exogenous chemicals on synaptic transmission (HL)
• C2.2.13 Inhibitory neurotransmitters and generation of inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (HL)
• C2.2.14 Summation of the effects of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in a postsynaptic neuron (HL)
• C2.2.15 Perception of pain by neurons with free nerve endings in the skin (HL)
• C2.2.16 Consciousness as a property that emerges from the interaction of individual neurons in the brain (HL)