Neuroanatomy 1 Flashcards
(40 cards)
What does the nervous system do?
Coordinates voluntary and involuntary actions and transmits signals to and from parts of the body
What are the divisions of the vertebrate nervous system?
- The Central Nervous System (CNS)
- The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
What is the CNS protected by?
- The skull
- The spine
- Meninges
- Blood brain barrier
What are meninges?
- Layers of protective tissue that protect the brain
- Contains a web-like membrane
What is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
- Fills the subarachnoid space beneath the arachnoid membrane, central canal of the spinal cord and cerebral ventricles
- Supports and cushions the brain
What is the blood brain barrier?
- Prevents toxic substances crossing from the blood to the brain
- Has tight junctions to prevent molecules moving from the inside of the capillary to the outside (where the brain cells are)
What is the BSCB?
Blood spinal cord barrier
What is the BNB?
The blood nerve barrier in the PNS periphery
What are the divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
- Somatic nervous system (SNS)
What is the ANS?
- Regulates the internal environment
- Involuntary actions such as your heartbeat or digestion
What is the SNS?
- Interacts with the external environment
- Voluntary actions like walking or clapping, they use somatic nerves
What are the different types of nerves?
- Afferent nerves
- Efferent nerves
What are afferent nerves?
These carry signals to the central nervous system (Advance, Approach, Arrive)
What are efferent nerves?
These carry signals away from the central nervous system (Exit, Embark, Escape)
What nerves are in the SNS?
Efferent and afferent
What nerve fibres are in the SNS?
- Peripheral nerve fibres that send sensory information to the central nervous system
- Motor nerve fibres that project to skeletal muscle
What does the SNS do?
- Controls organs under voluntary control (mainly muscles)
- All our conscious awareness of the external environment and all our motor activity to cope with it operates through this division of the peripheral nervous system
What nerves are in the ANS?
Efferent and afferent
What kind of efferent nerves are in the ANS?
- Sympathetic nerves
- Parasympathetic nerves
What does the ANS do?
- Controls smooth muscle of the viscera (internal organs) and glands
- Regulates individual organ function and homeostasis
- Not subject to voluntary control
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
Stimulate, organise and mobilise energy resources in stressful situations
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
Acts to conserve energy
What input do autonomic target organs receive and how is their activity controlled?
Each autonomic target organ receives opposing sympathetic and parasympathetic input, and the target organs activity is controlled by relative levels of both sympathetic and parasympathetic activity
What are sympathetic changes indicative of?
Psychological arousal
