Chapter 2 Nervous System

Question 1

Central Nervous System

Answer 1

Brain and spinal cord
-Receives info from the PNS, sends info to PNS
-Contains interneurons

Question 2

Spinal Cord

Answer 2

column of cable-like nerve fibres that extend from the base of the brain to the lower back.

Question 3

S.A.M.E

Answer 3

Sensory afferent- to brain
Motor efferent- from brain

Question 4

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 4

comprised of all other part of the body such as muscles, organs and glands.
-Sensory/Motor Neurons
-Sends sensory to CNS
-Receives motor from CNS

Question 5

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 5

part of the PNS, a network of neurons that carry info from receptor sites to the CNS, then messages the skeletal muscles to create voluntary movement.

Question 6

Autonomic Nervous system

Answer 6

Part of the PNS, a network of neurons that relay info between the CNS, and organs/glands, regulating them without conscious awareness

Question 7

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 7

is a branch of the ANS that prepares the body for vigorous activity.
-Activates the Flight/Fight/Freeze response

Question 8

Fight/Flight Response

Answer 8

SNS is activated in response to fear

Question 9

Freeze response

Answer 9

a result of both the PNS and SNS clashing, with the PNS overpowering the SNS, therefore voluntary movements are inhibited

Question 10

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 10

a branch of the ANS that regulates homeostasis and calms the body down after vigorous activity

Question 11

Enteric nervous system

Answer 11

part of the ANS that regulates digestive functions by detecting the psychological state of the gastrointestinal tract through neurons and ganglia

Question 12

Sensory neurons

Answer 12

afferent neurons, that transmit sensory info from your body to your brain.

Question 13

motor neurons

Answer 13

efferent neurons, that transmit motor info from your brain to your body

Question 14

interneurons

Answer 14

transmit info between sensory and motor neurons

Question 15

spinal reflex

Answer 15

an unconscious response initiated by neurons in the spinal cord.
-shortens the journey for sensory neurons to travel to the spinal cord instead of the brain, sending back motor neurons

Question 16

polysynaptic reflex

Answer 16

when the sensory and motor sites are different

Question 17

monosynaptic reflex

Answer 17

when both the sensory and motor site are the same

Question 18

terminal buttons

Answer 18

release a chemical substance called a neurotransmitter to a receiving neuron.

Question 19

Neutransmission

Answer 19

1. Neural impulses travel from the dendrite to the axon terminals.
2. The Terminal buttons release a chemical substance.
3. The substance crosses the synapse.
4. The neurotransmitter is picked up by the dendrites of the other neuron.

Question 20

Resting potential

Answer 20

They are negatively charged inside, positive outside
-when neural impulse is initiated by the soma, the negative charges inside turn positive and vice versa.

Question 21

Neurotransmitters

Answer 21

a chemical substance released by the terminal button of a neuron.
-Stored in synaptic vesicles
-Targets a single postsynaptic neuron

Question 22

Excitatory neurotransmitters

Answer 22

increase the chance of an action potential

Question 23

Glutamate

Answer 23

an excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory and learning.

Question 24

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Answer 24

decrease the chance of an action potential

Question 25

GABA

Answer 25

an inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in calming feelings like anxiety

Question 26

Neuromodulator

Answer 26

a chemical messenger that enhances signal transmission
-Effective on a group of neurons.
-Still chemicals.
-Released outside the neuron into neural tissue.
-Slow acting

Question 27

dopamine

Answer 27

is a neuromodulator that is involved with motivation, drive and motor movement.
-Mainly Excitatory, sometimes inhibitory

Question 28

serotonin

Answer 28

is a neuromodulator that is involved with mood stabilisation.
-Inhibitory
-Involved in digestion, metabolism, and stress.
-Modulates behavioural processes including mood.
-Produced mostly in intestines.

Question 29

neuroplasticity

Answer 29

is the brain’s ability to change itself in response to experience.

Question 30

developmental plasticity

Answer 30

neuroplasticity that occurs naturally over your life
-Some stages in life can have greater plasticity

Question 31

adaptive plasticity

Answer 31

occurs due to brain damage or trauma
-When you use critical periods for developmental plasticity, it enables greater adaptive plasticity.

Question 32

memory trace

Answer 32

a physical or chemical change that forms and stores memories

Question 33

synaptic plasticity

Answer 33

when synaptic connections change over time in response to experience.

Question 34

long-term potentiation

Answer 34

the long-lasting and experience-dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly activated
-Glutamate increases, post-synaptic receptors increase and are more efficient.
-Occurs through high-frequency stimulation of the neural pathway.
-Learning and memory improve due to neurons transmitting info better.
-The more we do something, the stronger the post/pre-synaptic neurons wire together

Question 35

long-term depression

Answer 35

is when long-lasting and experience-dependent synaptic connections are weakening
-Glutamate and receptors decrease and become less efficient.
-Occurs from no regular activation.
-Dendrites of postsynaptic neurons decreased

Question 36

neural processes

Answer 36

involve the sprouting, rerouting and pruning of synaptic connections.

Question 37

sprouting

Answer 37

new dendrites appearing over time in response to experience

Question 38

rerouting

Answer 38

involves when a neuron connected to a damaged neuron creates an alternate synaptic connection.

Question 39

pruning

Answer 39

involves the elimination of synaptic connections that are not frequently used.