The nervous systems

Question 1

Briefly list and describe 3 functions of the nervous system

Answer 1

1. Monitor sensory input: respond to stimuli (changes) occurring inside and outside the body
   Job performed by SENSORY NEURONS
2. Integration: process sensory information and initiate responses
   Job performed by INTERNEURONS
3. Motor output: send messages to muscles/glands to respond to original stimuli
   Job performed by MOTOR NEURON

Question 2

Somatic refers to?

Answer 2

controls skeletal muscle contractions.

Question 3

Autonomic refers to?

Answer 3

provides automatic regulation of smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, glands, and adipose tissue.

Question 4

What is the meaning of afferent

Answer 4

Carry signals to the CNS

Question 5

What is the meaning of efferent?

Answer 5

Carry signals away from the CNS

Question 6

What is the difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 6

1, Sympathetic Nervous System(Fight-or-flight)
Get an orrganism to get away from danger. Places us on high alert.
2, Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and Digest)
Keep energy use low
Associated with relaxed state, digestion, reading book, etc.

Question 7

Which structures comprise the central nervous system?

Answer 7

Brain, Spinal cord

Question 8

What is the role of the central nervous system?

Answer 8

Integrating, processing, coordinating sensory data and motor commands.

Question 9

What comprises the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 9

All the neural tissue outside the CNS

Question 10

What is the role of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 10

connect the CNS to the limbs and organs, essentially serving as a relay between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body

Question 11

Name three sources of protection for the brain?

Answer 11

1 Bone
2 Connective tissue
3 Fluid

Question 12

Name the three layers of the meninges starting with the deepest and ending with the most superficial?

Answer 12

Pia mater - Arachnoid mater - Dura mater (deepest to superficial)

Question 13

What does CSF stand for?

Answer 13

CSF = Cerebrospinal Fluid

Question 14

What is the main function of CSF?

Answer 14

CSF protects brain and spinal cord from trauma.
CSF supplies nutrients to nervous system tissue.
CSF removes waste products from cerebral metabolism.

Question 15

Describe what a concussion is?

Answer 15

A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging brain cells.

Question 16

Where does the brain obtain its energy from?

Answer 16

Glucose

Question 17

Describe what the main function/s of the cerebral cortex is/are?

Answer 17

Enables sensation, communication, memory, understanding, and voluntary movements

Question 18

What is the function of the following areas:

Motor, Sensory, Association

Answer 18

Motor: control voluntary movement
Sensory: conscious awareness of sensation
Association: integrate information

Question 19

You are a scientist and would like to determine the function of certain areas in the brain but you do not have access to PET scans or MRIs. Describe what alternative ways you could use to accomplish your goal.

Answer 19

Autopsy results in individuals with brain injury
Electrical stimulation and observe outcome
Electrical recording of controlled actions

Question 20

What does olfactory refer to?

What does gustatory refer to?

Answer 20

Sense different odours

taste

Question 21

What is the main difference between gray and white matter?

Answer 21

1, Gray matter: 40% of CNS, Inteneurons (nonmyelinated), Synapses
2, White matter: 60% of CNS, Myelinated axons

Question 22

Why are reflex arcs important?

Answer 22

Autonomic response to a stimulus
Always predictable (the same)
No conscious intergration required by the brain
Bc: It prevents the body from being damaged

Question 23

What are 5 components of a reflex arc?

Answer 23

The receptor at the end of a sensory neuron reacts to a stimulus.
The sensory neuron conducts nerve impulses along an afferent pathway towards the CNS.
The integration center consists of one or more synapses in the CNS.
A motor neuron conducts a nerve impulse along an efferent pathway from the integration center to an effector.
An effector responds to the efferent impulses by contracting (if the effector is a muscle fiber) or secreting a product (if the
effector is a gland).

Question 24

Why is the blood brain barrier important?

Answer 24

Is a protective mechanism that helps maintain a stable environment for the brain
Formed by tight junctions between the endothelial cells of the capillaries in the brain.
Many drugs can not pass the blood brain barrier, thus they may not have an effect on the CNS.