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Exercise Physiology > The Brain > Flashcards

The Brain Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the central nervous system

A

The spine and skull

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2
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system

A

Everything outside the spine and skull
Contains nerves and ganglion
Can regrow after damage

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3
Q

Afferent information (PNS)

A

Input from the sensory division

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4
Q

Efferent information (PNS)

A

Output from the motor division

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5
Q

What are neurones

A

Nerve cells that are electrically excitable communicate with other cells via specialises connections called synapses.
They make up the majority of nervous tissue

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6
Q

What are glial cells

A

Non-neuronal cells in the nervous system that maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurones

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7
Q

What does the dendritic pattern indicate

A

The number of inputs (and the information) received by a neurone

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8
Q

Information passed within neurones is…

A

Electrical

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9
Q

Information passed between neurones is…

A

Chemical

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10
Q

Role of oligodendrocytes

A
  • Form the myelin sheath on axons in the CNS
  • Each oligodendrocyte can myelinated up to 50 axons
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11
Q

Role of Schwann cells

A
  • Form myelin in PNS
  • Assist in regeneration and re-growth of axons
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12
Q

Role of microglia

A
  • The brains immune system
  • Scavenge the CNS for plaques, damaged cells and infectious agents
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13
Q

Role of ependymal cells

A
  • Make up a membrane called the ependyma which is a thin membrane lining the central canal of the spinal cord and the ventricles
  • Produce cerebrospinal fluid
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14
Q

Role of atrocytes

A
  • Regulate chemicals around neurones (glucose, ion concentration, neurotransmitter uptake)
  • Regulate blood flow around the brain (vasomodulation)
  • Nervous system repair (fill spaces in the NS creating glial scars)
  • Maintenance of the blood-brain barrier
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15
Q

What are the 5 types of glial cells

A
  1. Oligodendrocytes
  2. Schwann cells
  3. Astrocytes
  4. Microglia
  5. Ependymal cells
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16
Q

What is the role of myelin

A

Allows axon potentials to propagate quicker
Unmyelinated speeds = 0.5-10m/s
Myelinated = 150m/s

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17
Q

Brain stem

A

Sits at the top of the spinal cord and is made up of 3 parts;
- medulla
- pons
- cerebellum

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18
Q

What is the role of the medulla

A

Controls basic motor functions (cardiac, respiration and reflexes)

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19
Q

What is the role of the pons

A

Contains nuclei that relay signals from the forebrain to the cerebellum
The nuclei deal primarily with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, posture etc.

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20
Q

What is the role of the cerebellum

A

Maintenance of balance and posture
Coordination of movements
Motor learning

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21
Q

Role of midbrain

A
  • Tectum controls rapid orientation of head and neck
  • Also associated with sleep wake cycles, alertness and temp regulation
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22
Q

Role of thalamus

A

Takes information from the periphery and passes it onto the cortex

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23
Q

Role of basal ganglia

A
  • Movement regulation
  • Skill learning
  • Habit formation
  • Reward systems
  • Selection of appropriate behaviours
  • Self-inhibition of behaviours
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24
Q

Role of the cerebral cortex

A
  • Movement
  • Attention
  • Perception
  • Awareness
  • Thought
  • Memory
  • Language
  • Conciousness
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25
What is the cortical sheet
Has 6 layers that are highly folded with folds (gyri) and grooves (sulci)
26
How do you count brain cells
Brain cells can be measured by dissolving the cells and surrounding structure but leaving each cell nuclei whole These nuclei are an isotropic suspension
27
How much energy does the human brain consume
20% of the total energy generated in the body
28
What percentage of body weight is the brain
2%
29
How much cardiac output is directed to the brain
15-20%
30
What is the marker for the tissue uptake of glucose
Flurodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)
31
What is the middle of the spinal cord made of
Neurones and other cells (grey matter)
32
What is the outside of the spinal cord made of
Fibres (white matter) that carry information up and down the cord
33
Where does sensory information come from
Sensory information comes into the spinal cord at the dorsal horn
34
Where are motor neurones located
In the ventral spinal cord
35
What are the 2 major descending systems
Lateral descending system Medial descending system
36
What is the lateral descending system
The corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts
37
Where are the fibres of the lateral system located
In the dorso-lateral part of the spinal cord They connect to motor neurones in the lateral part of the ventral horn
38
What is the medial descending system
The vestibulospinal and reticospinal tracts
39
Where are the fibres of the medial system located
In the ventro-medial part of white matter They connect to motor neurones in the medial part of the ventral horn
40
Role of the dorsal column pathway
Carries sensory information from the joint and skin
41
Role of the spinothalamic pathway
The lateral spinothomatic tract conveys crude touch, pain and temperature
42
What are the dorsal root ganglion
The cell bodies of incoming sensory neurones lie outside the spine in a series of ganglion
43
How many pairs of spinal nerves are there
31
44
What are dermatomes
An area of the skin supplied by nerves from a single spinal root
45
What is rate coding in the motor system
Motor neurones use a rate code to signal the amount of force to be exerted by a muscle
46
What is the vestibulospinal system
The sensory system that provides the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance
47
What is the vestibulospinal tract
Originates in the vestibular nuclei They send most of their output to the spinal cord and to the muscles that move the eyes
48
What is the reticular formation
A set of interconnected nuclei located at the bottom of the brain stem
49
What is the reticulospinal tract
Originates in reticular formation These tracts function in maintaining tone, balance and posture
50
What volume of the brain does the cerebellum take up
10%
51
What is the input : output connections ratio in the cerebellum
40:1
52
How many neurones are in the cerebellum
69B
53
Superior cerebellar penduncle
Efferent (out) pathway to the red nucleus and the cortex (via the thalamus) and sup colliculus
54
Middle cerebellar penduncle
Most fibres originate in the pons Input from sensory, visual, vestibular and motor systems Largest input is from the cortex
55
Inferior cerebellar peduncle
Carries information to and from the spinal cord (and the body) and vestibular nuclei
56
What is the red nucleus
A roughly spherical collection of cell bodies in the midbrain It is extremely vascular It receives a very large input from the cerebellum and from the primary motor cortex
57
Role of basal ganglia
- movement regulation - skill learning - habit formation - reward systems - selection of appropriate behaviours - self-initiation of behaviours
58
Direct pathway through the basal ganglia
Short loop Has excitatory effect on cortex Net effect is pro-movement
59
Indirect pathway through basal ganglia
Long loop Has inhibitory effect Net effect is anti-movement
60
Primary motor cortex
Neurones in the primary motor cortex have a simple relationship to movement They fire around 5-100ms before movement onset and can code for the basic parameters of movement ie, force, direction, extent, speed
61
Non-primary motor cortex
Neurones in the non-primary motor cortex have a more complex relationship to movement They code more complex aspects like pre-motor cortex and supplementary motor cortex
62
Pre-motor cortex
- planning movement - spatial guidance of movement - sensory guidance of movement
63
Supplementary motor cortex
- coordinating temporal sequences of actions - bimanual coordination - initiation of internally generated as opposed to stimulus driven movement
64
Primary sensory cortex
Touch - vibration, pain, heat, pressure Proprioception - afferent information eg, joint position sense, kinaesthesia, sensation of resistance
65
Posterior parietal cortex
Integration of sensory and visual information to execute complex movement in the environment
66
What is the corticospinal tract
The most important tract in the human for precise control of the limbs
67
Origin of the corticospinal tract
Primary motor cortex (30%) Premotor, supplementary (30%) Somatosensory, parietal, cingulate (40%)
68
How many fibres are in the corticospinal tract
1 million 90% cross at lower medulla

Exercise Physiology (10 decks)

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