Physiology Flashcards
(133 cards)
The nervous system includes
- Sensory components
- Motor components
- Integrative components
Functions of Sensory components
detect changes in environmental stimuli
Motor components functions
generate movement, contraction of cardiac and smooth muscle, and glandular secretions
Functions of Integrative components
receive, store, and process sensory information and then orchestrate the appropriate motor responses.
The nervous system is composed of two divisions
The central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and the spinal cord.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes sensory receptors, sensory nerves, and ganglia outside the CNS.
afferent division
sensory
efferent division
motor
Steps and organization of the nervous system
The sensory or afferent division brings information into the nervous system
This afferent information is then transmitted to progressively higher levels of the nervous system up to cerebral cortex
The motor or efferent division carries information out of the nervous system to the periphery.
This efferent information results in reaction.
The afferent information is transmitted to higher levels of the nervous System until it reaches
Cerebral cortex
Examples of sensory receptors of the pns
visual receptors, auditory receptors, chemoreceptors, and somatosensory (touch) receptors
What is the result of the efferent division carrying information out of the nervous system to the periphery?
contraction of skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle or secretion by endocrine and exocrine glands.
Most activities of the nervous system are initiated by
sensory experiences that excite sensory receptors.
These sensory experiences can either cause
immediate reactions from the brain
memories of the experiences can be stored in the brain for minutes, weeks, or years and determine bodily reactions at some future date.
Information from the sensory receptors enters the CNS through …… and is conducted immediately to …….
peripheral nerves
multiple sensory areas
Information from the sensory receptors enters the CNS through peripheral nerves and is conducted to multiple sensory areas in
- (1) the spinal cord at all levels;
- (2) the reticular substance of the medulla, pons, and mesencephalon of the brain;
- (3) the cerebellum;
- (4) the thalamus;
- (5) areas of the cerebral cortex.
The most important eventual role of the nervous system is to control the various bodily activities.
This task is achieved by controlling
- (1) contraction of appropriate skeletal muscles throughout the body,
- (2) contraction of smooth muscle in the internal organs, and
- (3) secretion of active chemical substances by both exocrine and endocrine glands in many parts of the body.
muscles and glands are called….. and why?
effectors
because they are the actual anatomical structures that perform the functions dictated by the nerve signals.
skeletal” motor nerve axis of the nervous system function
controlling skeletal muscle contraction
Operating parallel to skeletal” motor nerve axis
autonomic nervous system
autonomic nervous system functions
controlling smooth muscles, glands, and other internal bodily systems.
skeletal muscles can be controlled from many levels of the central nervous system, including
- (1) the spinal cord;
- (2) the reticular substance of the medulla, pons, and mesencephalon;
- (3) the basal ganglia;
- (4) the cerebellum; and
- (5) the motor cortex.
The lower regions of CNS Aare concerned primarily with
automatic, instantaneous muscle responses to sensory stimuli
The higher regions of CNS Aare concerned primarily with
deliberate complex muscle movements controlled by the thought processes of the brain.
What is the INTEGRATIVE (combination of 2) FUNCTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
PROCESSING OF INFORMATION