3.1.1 Central Nervous System

Question 1

What is the central nervous system?

Answer 1

A network of neurons that connects the brain and the spinal cord.

Question 2

What is the peripheral nervous system and what are its components?

Answer 2

All of the nerves cells outside of the CNS

Somatic nervous system (voluntary bodily functions)
Autonomic nervous system (involuntary bodily functions)

Question 3

What is the autonomic nervous system made up of?

Answer 3

Sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight that induces an increase in bodily functions)
Parasympathetic (involved with slowing down bodily functions)

Question 4

What is the endocrine system?

Answer 4

A chemical messenger system consisting of hormones that travel via the blood.

Question 5

What is the function of ventricles?

Answer 5

A communicating network of cavities in the brain that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid

Question 6

What is the function of the striatum?

Answer 6

A component in the basal ganglia involved in stimulating voluntary movement.

Question 7

What is the function of the limbic system?

Answer 7

Concerned with emotions and memories
> incl the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala.

Question 8

What are 3 functions of the frontal lobe?

Answer 8

1) Problem solving
2) Personality
3) Impulse control

Question 9

What are 3 functions of the amygdala?

Answer 9

1) Emotions
2) Fight or flight with the survival instincts
3) Memory

Question 10

Describe the function of hypothalamus

Answer 10

It is responsible for the production of essential hormones and temperature regulation.

Question 11

What are 3 functions of the parietal lobe?

Answer 11

1) Process sensory information from all over the body
2) Processing language and maths and speech
3) Processing visual information of spatial awareness

Question 12

What are 3 functions of the temporal lobe?

Answer 12

1) Primary auditory perception
2) Receives sensory info from the ears
3) Processes the info into meaningful speech and words

Question 13

What are 3 functions of the occipital lobe?

Answer 13

1) Visual processing
2) Organises images we can understand them
3) Spatial organisation

Question 14

What is the function of the medial temporal lobe?

Answer 14

Responsible for declarative memory of facts and events that can be consciously recalled.

Question 15

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 15

It coordinates voluntary motor activities to ensure smooth musical activity.

Question 16

What is the function of the hippocampus?

Answer 16

Short term memories being converted into long term memory to get stored here.

Question 17

What is the function of the corpus callosum?

Answer 17

-Largest white matter structure in brain, located between both hemispheres
> Role= communication between hemispheres asw as cereberal cortex, subcortical structures, thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 18

How does the information get to the brain?

Answer 18

Nerves in our body pass messages via spinal cord to the brain

Question 19

What is a neuron?

Answer 19

A chemical messenger that carries messages through the body via electrical impulses

Question 20

What is a synapse?

Answer 20

a small gap at the end of a neuron that allows a signal to pass from one neuron to the next

Question 21

What is the soma?

Answer 21

Cell body

Question 22

What are dendrites?

Answer 22

Branched extensions where neuron recieves NTs

Question 23

What is a nucleus?

Answer 23

Keeps cell alive & controls cell functioning

Question 24

What is the mitochondria?

Answer 24

In charge of cell respiration

Question 25

What is an axon?

Answer 25

Long cable extending from main body where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be recieved by other neurons

Question 26

What is the myelin sheath?

Answer 26

Protective layer of lipids + proteins to cover the axon

Question 27

What are the schwan cells?

Answer 27

peripheral nervous system cell (glia) that forms the myelin sheath around axons.

Question 28

What are the nodes of ranvier?

Answer 28

Gaps between the myelin sheath that allow the signals to be sent faster

Question 29

What is the axon terminal?

Answer 29

End of the axon (branch like)

Question 30

What are the terminal buttons?

Answer 30

Release Nts to synapse and next neuron

Question 31

What are vesicles?

Answer 31

sac-like structures in neurons that store neurotransmitter molecules before releasing them into the synapse

Question 32

What is a pre-synaptic neuron?

Answer 32

The neuron that transmits a signal towards the synapse

Question 33

What is a post-synaptic neuron?

Answer 33

The neuron that recieves a signal from the synapse

Question 34

What are receptors?

Answer 34

the part of a nerve that receives and reads chemical signals from NTs

Question 35

What are transporters?

Answer 35

protein at a synapse that recognizes NTs and collects them to transport them to presynaptic neuron

Question 36

Briefly describe synaptic transmission

Answer 36

When AP (action potential) reaches the end of a neuron (terminal button), triggers release of neurotransmitter from tiny sacs called synaptic vesicles.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that diffuse across synapse to next neuron in the chain. Each neurotransmitter has its own specific receptor siteswhich have a complimentary shape for the neurotransmitter like a lock and key & be absorbed by the postsynaptic neuron.
The chemical signal carried by neurotransmitters is converted back into electrical signal in postsynaptic neuron, may fire another AP.
Reuptake- Neurotransmitter molecules remaining in synapse are reabsorped into presynaptic neuron or destroyed by enzymes in synaptic cleft, means neurotransmitters can be used again.