Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Physiology > Nervous System > Flashcards

Nervous System Flashcards

1
Q

3 Major Levels of CNS Function

A
  1. Spinal Cord Level (walking, withdrawal, reflex, body support, etc.)
  2. Lower brain/subcortical level (subconscious activities, equilibrium, feeding reflexes, emotion)
  3. Higher brain/cortical level (memory storehouse, thought process)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Neurotransmitters

A

chemical substances that function as synaptic transmitters, main communicators between neurons. Release though exocytosis into the cleft, and will then bind to receptor proteins.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is calcium responsible for?

A

Opening the chemically-gated channels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Process: Step 1

A

Action potential reaches axon terminal of presynaptic neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Process: Step 2

A

Calcium enters synaptic knob (presynaptic axon terminal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Process: Step 3

A

Neurotransmitter is released by exocytosis into synaptic cleft

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Process: Step 4

A

Neurotransmitter binds to receptors that are an integral part of chemically gated channels on subsynaptic membrane of postsynaptic neuron

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Process: Step 5

A

Binding of neurotransmitters to receptor opens that specific channel

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Are chemically and voltage-gated channels involved in this process?

A

Yes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Neurotransmitters: small, rapidly acting transmitter examples:

A

Acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, GABA, glycine, glutamate, nitric oxide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Neurotransmitters: neuropeptide, slowly acting transmitter examples:

A 
Hypothalamic releasing hormones (TRH, LHRH)
Pituitary peptides (ACTH, prolactin, vasopressin, etc)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Excitatory neurons:

A

Na influx, spread of action potential

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Inhibited neurons:

A

Cl influx, K efflux, ways of calming down the responses of the nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Are there different neurotransmitters for excitatory and inhibitory responses?

A

Yes!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Properties of Neuronal Activity

A

Presynaptic inhibition (GABA)
Spatial summation
Temporal summation
Facilitation of neurons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Spatial summation:

A

a sum of a number of APs in a certain space

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Temporal summation:

A

a sum of a number of APs in a certain number of time

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Facilitation of neurons:

A

neurons close to each other will help each other out/facilitate each other.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Fatigue

A

fatigue is a protection mechanism for ourselves to stop when we need to. (ex: low calcium, availability of neurotransmitters)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Acidosis

A

depresses neuronal activity, pH change from 7.4 to 7.0… coma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Alkalosis

A

increases neuronal excitability, pH change from 7.4 to 8.0… seizures

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Hypoxia

A

interruption of brain blood flow for 3 to 7 seconds… unconsciousness. Low levels of oxygen in the blood!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Receptor excitation

A

if receptor potential is large enough, then an action potential will be generated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Receptor potentials and action potentials

A

the greater the receptor potential is over the threshold, the higher the frequency of the action potentials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What causes the receptor potential to move over the threshold?

A

the actual stimulus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Adaptation of Receptors

A

when a continuous stimulus is applied, receptors respond rapidly at first, but response declines until all receptors stop firing. This varies depending on the receptor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Slow Adapting (Tonic) Receptors

A

Transmit impulses to the brain for long periods of time, keep brain apprised of the status of the body with respect to its surroundings. Receptors include muscle spindles, golgi tendon apparatus, Ruffini’s endings, Merkel discs, chemo and baro-receptors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Rapidly adapting (phasic) receptors

A

respond only when a change is taking place, rate, strength of the response is related to the rate and intensity of stimulus and are important for balance and movement and predicting the future position or condition of the body. Include: pacinian corpuscle, semicircular canals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Neuronal Pools: discharge zone

A

main site of excitability

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Neuronal Pools: facilitated zone

A

helps to assist the discharge zone if necessary, can facilitate the process

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Pathways for transmission of sensory information

A

enters the spinal cord through the dorsal roots of the spinal nerves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

2 pathways for sensory info:

A
  1. Dorsal column system

2. Anterolateral system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Dorsal column system

A

large myelinated nerve fibers = fast transmission.
high degree of spatial orientation: depth perception, details
touch, vibration, position, fine pressure
fibers are more towards the midline (center, spinal cord, brain)

34
Q

Anterolateral System

A

smaller myelinated and unmyelinated fibers = slow transmission.
low degree of spatial orientation: more gross
pain, thermal sensations, crude touch and pressure, tickle and itch, sexual sensations
fibers are more lateral

35
Q

Primary motor cortex

A

help with sensation as it is gathered from different areas of the body.

36
Q

What does sensation depend on?

A

strength of stimulus

37
Q

Pain

A

occurs whenever tissue is being damaged.
is a protective mechanism for the body.
causes individual to remove painful stimulus

38
Q

2 types of pain

A

fast and slow

39
Q

Pain receptors

A

nocioceptors: free nerve endings that do not adapt to the stimulus (have to end stimulus to stop pain). can be mechanical, thermal or chemical

40
Q

Dual Pain pathways

A

fast pain: transmitted by type A fibers, neospinothalamic tract
slow pain: transmitted by type C fibers, paleospinothalamic

41
Q

Retina

A

nervous system component, the light sensitive portion of the eye. Contains cones for color vision, rods for night vision, neural architecture, and a pigment layer

42
Q

Reflective principles of a lens

A

convex lens focuses light rays

concave lens diverges light rays

43
Q

Fovea

A

center portion of retina that has greatest acuity. the central fovea contains only cones.

44
Q

Mechanism of accomodation

A

change in the shape of the lens in order to see something appropriately. The muscles do this!
rely on ciliary muscles

45
Q

Errors of Refraction

A

emmetropia: normal vision
hyperopia: far sightedness
myopia: near sightedness

46
Q

In retina, the stimulus is ______ and the receptors are the _______ and ________.

A

light

cones and rods

47
Q

Cones and rods

A

photoreceptors, located in the retina

48
Q

Pigment layer

A

melanin in eye prevents the light from bouncing around within the eye (think absorbing the light). Responsible for dark part of eye.

49
Q

Optic nerve

A

between the eye and the visual cortex

50
Q

Ear anatomy: stapes

A

door to the cochlea, with muscles around that control the movement.

51
Q

Ear anatomy: cochlea

A

where we perceive the stimulus that we send to the brain (sound)

52
Q

Attenuation of sound by muscle contraction

A

a loud noise initiates reflex contraction, attenuates (controls) vibration going to the cochlea, and serves to protect cochlea and damps low frequency sounds.

53
Q

Organ of Corti

A

hair like cells within it are responsible for sound. Sound coming in causes a movement of fluid in cochlea, which causes the hair cells to move, depolarize, and send it on!

54
Q

Organ of Corti (more specific)

A

fluid within the cochlea moves the basilar membrane causing the cilia on the hair cells to move back and forth on tectorial membrane, which activates the mechanoreceptors. The hair cells are thus activated by the fluid movement within the ear, not the sound itself.

55
Q

Taste

A

transmitted to thalamus to cortex. chemical receptor

56
Q

Smell

A

stimulus is odorant, that binds to receptor cells in the node at the olfactory bulb. Once depolarized, those signals will transmit along the olfactory tract to the brain.

57
Q

Motor organization of the spinal cord

A

motor neurons are located in the anterior portion of the cord

58
Q

2 types of Anterior motor neurons

A

alpha motor neurons

gamma motor neurons

59
Q

Alpha motor neurons

A

large type A alpha fibers, excites extrafusal (skeletal) muscle fibers

60
Q

gamma motor neurons

A

smaller, type A gamma fibers, excites intrafusal fibers (ex: muscle spindles)

61
Q

Interneurons

A

small and excitable, comprise neural circuitry for motor reflexes

62
Q

propriospinal fibers

A

provide pathways for multisegmental reflexes

63
Q

sensory receptors of the muscle: muscle spindle

A

sense muscle length and change in length, stabilize body position

64
Q

sensory receptors of the muscle: golgi tendon organ

A

sense tendon tension and change in tension, helps control muscle tension

65
Q

Neuronal circuits for reflexes

A

ex: activate R elbow flexors to move hand away from painful stimulus. Excite biceps, inhibit triceps.

66
Q

Motor cortex

A

responsible fore movement! Consists of:
primary motor cortex
premotor area
supplemental motor area

67
Q

Primary motor cortex

A

fine motor movement

68
Q

Premotor area

A

movement of muscle groups to perform a specific task

69
Q

supplemental motor area

A

bilateral movements, fixation or positional movement, fine motor control

70
Q

Corticospinal tract

A

giant pyramidal cells (very specific to this tract)

71
Q

Brain stem components and function

A

consists of: medulla, pons, mesencephalon

function: performs motor and sensory functions for the face and head

72
Q

Cerebellum (little brain) functions:

A

responsible for coordinating muscle activity, sequences the motor activities

73
Q

Clinical abnormalities of cerebellum

A

Dysmetria and ataxia: uncoordinated movements specific to under/overshooting a target movement (touching your finger to a spot). ex: ALS, Parkinson’s, MD…

74
Q

Basal Ganglia

A

control of complex patterns of motor activity (ex: throwing a baseball, golf swing, etc…)

75
Q

Excitatory area of the brain is:

A 
bulboreticular area (excitatory area)
inhibitory area (medulla)
76
Q

Hypothalmus

A

major out pathway of the limbic (emotions), and also plays role in endocrine gland secretion.

77
Q

Functions of hypothalamus

A
  1. lateral hypothalamus (eating, general level of activity, rage)
  2. ventromedial nucleus (satiety, tranquility)
  3. Periventricuar nucleus (fear, punishment)
  4. Anterior and posterior hypothalamus (sex drive)
78
Q

Autonomic Nervous system

A

activated by: spinal cord, brain stem, hypothalamus

79
Q

Efferent autonomic signals are transmitted to the body via:

A

sympathetic nervous system: release norepinephrine (fight or flight)
parasympathetic nervous system: release acetylcholine (rest or digest)

80
Q

What is the brain highly dependent on?

A

blood flow

81
Q

hypotension

A

not enough if a pressure gradient to push blood to vein

82
Q

Brain metabolism:

A

highly metabolic organ, mostly glucose dependent (whatever glucose we have, typically shunt it back to brain)

Physiology (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions