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Nervous system Flashcards

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1
Q

CNS structure

A

brain + spinal cord

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2
Q

PNS structure

A

cranial, peripheral, spinal nerves, dermatomes

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3
Q

somatic nervous system

A

voluntary skeletal muscle movement

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4
Q

autonomic nervous system

A

involuntary muscle movement to maintain homeostasis

controls cardiac and smooth muscle, exocrine and endocrine glands

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5
Q

systems within autonomic nervous system

A

sympathetic (fight/flight)

parasympathetic (rest+digest) for homeostasis

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6
Q

neuron types

A

Sensory afferent neurons send signals from receptors to CNS

Motor efferent neurons send signals from the CNS to the effectors

Interneurons connect sensory afferent with motor efferent neurons in the CNS

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7
Q

forebrain/cerebrum (outer layer) structrues

A

cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia

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8
Q

cerebral cortex (grey matter) function

A

responsible for consciousness, thinking, personality, memory, learning, attention, language, perception and movement

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9
Q

3 blocks of cerebral cortex

A

The back block (60% of the cortex) processes sensory information –> awareness of the world

The middle block (20%) controls directed and planned movements, including overcoming obstacles in the way.

The front block (20%), controls our executive functions, which determine our personality, consciousness and thinking

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10
Q

thalamus function

A

processes and relays sensory information.

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11
Q

hypothalamus function

A

Major control centre of the autonomic motor system.

Involved in some hormonal activity

Connects the hormonal and nervous systems.

Helps regulate homeostasis

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12
Q

Pineal gland function

A

Produces the hormone melatonin, which regulates our sleep-wake cycles.

involved in regulating hormonal functions.

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13
Q

Limbic system function

A

Regulates emotional responses
Its most important regions are the cingulate lobe and the amygdala.

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14
Q

Hippocampus function

A

learning, memory, and regulating emotions

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15
Q

Basal ganglia function

A

Involved in the control of voluntary movements, habit learning, eye movements, cognition and emotion

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16
Q

hindbrain structural components

A

braintstem and cerebellum

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17
Q

brainstem function

A

Connects the forebrain to the spinal cord and cerebellum

Responsible for many vital functions of life, such as breathing, consciousness, blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep

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18
Q

brainstem structure
[hint: MPM, M for middle, french pont = bridge, medulla oblongata - oblong shape]

A

midbrain, pons and the medulla oblongata.

Midbrain: connects the rest of the brainstem to the cerebral cortex.

Pons: the “bridge” between the midbrain and medulla

Medulla oblongata: where the brain transitions to the spinal cord. Contains the respiratory and cardiovascular control centres

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19
Q

cerebellum function

A

Coordinates gait and maintains posture

Controls muscle tone and voluntary muscle activity BUT is unable to initiate muscle contraction.

Receives information about:
Voluntary muscle movements from the cerebral cortex and from the muscles, tendons, and joints.
Balance from the vestibular nuclei.

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20
Q

result of cerebellum damage

A

loss in the ability to control fine movements, maintain posture, and motor learning.

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21
Q

cerebellum regions
[hint: VILF]

A

Vermis: proximal limb and truncal coordination

Intermediate zone: distal limb coordination

Lateral hemisphere: motor planning for extremities

Flocculonodular lobe: balance and vestibulo-ocular reflexes

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22
Q

what connects left and right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex

A

corpus callosum

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23
Q

4 lobes of cerebral cortex hemispheres
[hint: front top (FTOP)]

A

frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital

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24
Q

frontal lobe of cerebral cortex function

A

executive functions including emotional regulation, planning, reasoning and problem solving

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25
parietal lobe of cerebral cortex function
integration of sensory information, including touch, temperature, pressure and pain
26
temporal lobe of cerebral cortex function
processes sensory information – particularly important for hearing, recognising language, and forming memories
27
occipital lobe of cerebral cortex function
major visual processing centre
28
CNS pathways
cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, basal ganglia connected brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, basal ganglia are interconnected brainstem and spinal cord connected
29
spinal cord function
Carries motor and sensory signals between the brain and periphery and coordinates reflexes
30
spinal cord organisation
organised into segments, with pairs of spinal nerves emerging from each segment
31
cervical spinal nerve number of pairs
8
32
thoraic spinal nerve number of pairs
12
33
lumbar spinal nerve number of pairs
5
34
sacral spinal nerve number of pairs
5
35
coccygeal spinal nerve number of pairs
1
36
spinal cord composition (grey and white)
grey inside white The white matter is composed of fibre tracts of myelinated (fatty) sensory and motor axons.
37
what neurons are part of the descending tracts of spinal cord?
motor neurons
38
what neurons are part of the ascending tracts of spinal cord?
sensory neurons
39
what is decussation and what happens during it?
Sensory AND motor pathways decussate (cross-over) from one side of the CNS to the other Each cerebral hemisphere receives sensory information from the opposite side of the body and controls the opposite side of the body
40
what are peripheral nerves
Large anatomical nerves formed when spinal nerves coalesce
41
types of nerve fibres in peripheral nerves
motor and sensory
42
what are dermatomes?
areas of skin that connect to a specific nerve root on your spine
43
why can dendrites change their spine's shape
presence of actin, a protein that can contract and elongate
44
what are dendrite 'learning spines'?
thins spines of dendrites that grow when learning a new task
45
what are dendrite 'memory spines'?
larger spines formed from learning spines when remembering learned tasks
46
nerve cell body/soma function
The cell body, or soma, contains the nucleus and other organelles, used for synthesis and/or processing of proteins, lipids, etc. dendrite and electrical input convergence
47
axon hillock function
Collects all the information it receives and determines whether there is sufficient information to relay that excitatory information to the conducting region
48
cytoskeleton of nerve cell structural function
made up of a latticework of microfilaments and neurofilaments to provide a framework and for structural rigidity
49
nerve cell microtubule function
Microtubules allow faster transport, including transporting nutrients and waste products and the chemical neurotransmitters used to transmit information from the neuron’s terminals to the next cell(s) in the chain. Packages of nutrients or wastes are carried along like they are on a conveyor belt along the outside of the microtubule.
50
what are nodes of ranvier?
areas of high concentrations of voltage-gated Na+ channels betewen myelin sheaths during an action potential, signals jump from one node of ranvier to the next, speeding up nerve impulse transmission in myelinated xons
51
what are neurotransmitters and how are they produced?
chemical signals between neurons they are synthesised in the cell body, transported to the end of the axon, and stored at the end of presynaptic nerve terminal in packages called ‘vesicles’
52
when are neurotransmitters released?
released when an action potential reaches the end of the axon and Ca2+ moves in
53
what happens when neurotransmitters are released?
Neurotransmitters released diffuse across the synaptic cleft, and bind to receptors on the membrane of the receiving cell (postsynaptic membrane) This binding opens ion channels in the membrane of the receiving cell. Neurotransmitters undergo reuptake into the presynaptic neuron or are broken down by enzymes
54
what is the synaptic cleft?
space between two neurons
55
what do action potentials use?
Na-K ATPase
56
movement of ions in Na-K ATPase
3 Na+ out, 2 K+ in
57
resting membrane potential
-70mV positive on outside and negative on inside
58
describe depolarisation
Na+ channels open and Na+ ions flow into the cell, increasing the membrane potential to +40mV
59
threshold potential definition and value
minimum membrane depolarization that must be reached to trigger an action potential -55mV
60
what are failed action potentials that do not reach threshold potential called?
graded potentials
61
what occurs at peak of action potential
membrane potential is +40mV Potassium channels open at the peak, enabling K+ ions to leave and restore the negative charge
62
what happens during repolarisation?
sodium channel closes and the potassium channels open potassium leaves the cell
63
what causes hyperpolarisation?
Too much K+ leaves the cell
64
what is saltatory conduction?
where the signal "jumps" from one node of Ranvier to the next (in myelinated axons only)
65
what is multiple sclerosis?
autoimmune disease of the central nervous system where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering (myelin) of nerve fibers
66
effects of multiple sclerosis
disrupting signals between the brain and body --> variety of symptoms
67
are all action potentials the same?
yes
68
stronger stimuli produces more or larger action potentials?
more
69
what type of neuron fibre types (A, B, C) are myelinated?
A and B
70
glutamate neurotrasmitter function
Major excitatory neurotransmitter Opens Na+ channels in postsynaptic membrane which cause excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) The influx of positive ions depolarizes the membrane potential, increasing action potential likelihood but does not trigger it alone
71
GABA neurotransmitter function
Major inhibitory neurotransmitter Opens Cl- channels in postsynaptic membrane which cause inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) The influx of negative ions makes the membrane potential even lower
72
Acetylcholine neurotransmitter function
Can be excitatory OR inhibitory in the brain Excitatory in the muscle
73
Action potential stimuli
summation of multiple EPSPs - excitatory postsynaptic potential
74
what is an EPSP?
excitatory postsynaptic potential a graded depolarization, caused by a neurotransmitter arriving at the postsynaptic membrane
75
what is summation?
Multiple EPSPs can combine to either reach a threshold and trigger an action potential or not reach threshold.
76
temporal summation [hint: temporal - one person is temporary]
Temporal summation involves EPSPs from a single presynaptic neuron arriving in quick succession
77
spatial summation [hint: spatial - many neurons take up space]
spatial summation involves EPSPs from multiple presynaptic neurons arriving simultaneously

Human bio (9 decks)

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