Topic 1: Introduction to the Nervous System Flashcards
(46 cards)
The _______ ______ _______ is known as the “second brain” or the brain in the gut because it can operate independently of the CNS.
Enteric Nervous System
T/F: the enteric nervous system has also been called the “first brain” based on evidence suggesting that the ENS evolved before the CNS.
True!
Despite the known role of the ENS in generating motor activity in the ______, observing ENS neurons in action has been a challenge.
Colon
All cells can be grouped into 4 main types of ________ (a group of similar cells).
Tissues
More complex structures known as _______, consist of several tissue types. ________ that share a common purpose are grouped into systems.
Organs
Nervous tissue is composed of ______ cells and ______ cells. Nerve cells are also known as neurons.
Nerve cells and glial cells
Nerve cells are the functional units of the nervous system. They are able to conduct electrical impulses (signals) a.k.a. ______ _________.
action potentials
______ cells or ______ assist the propagation of the nerve impulse, provide nutrients to the neurons, and protect them.
Glial cells, or glia.
A multipolar neuron has many “poles” or processes (_______ and _______) and a cell body (_____).
“poles” or processes (dendrites and axons) cell body (soma).
The soma connects to the __________, which bring information into the neuron.
Dendrites
The cell body tapers to become the _____, which sends information to other neurons, muscles, or glands.
Axon
Axon _________ are branches of an axon that make synaptic connections with another nerve cell or with an effector cell (e.g., muscle cell or gland cell).
Terminals
Unipolar neurons have one “pole” coming off the cell body. They are always attached to a _________ ________ at their distal end (farthest from the CNS).
Sensory receptor
A sensory receptor converts stimuli, for example touch, into electrical impulses that are carrying incoming (_______) signals into the central nervous system (CNS).
Afferent
T/F: Bipolar neurons are by far the most common
False: They are the least common. One notable example is the Von Economo Neuron.
___ ______ _______s are a specific class of mammalian neurons found in the brain. They are large cells that allow rapid communication across the relatively large brains of great apes, elephants, and cetaceans. These fast- processing neurons evolved in relation to emerging social behaviors in highly intelligent mammals.
Von Economo Neurons
____________ is the perception of sensations from inside the body and includes heartbeat, respiration, satiety, as well as the ANS activity related to emotions.
Interoception
The ________ is a neural hub for processing visceral and interoceptive information.
Insula
Soft touch refers to the stimulation of _ _______ ________ and activates the insula. Soft touch utilizes a separate neural pathway, allowing the body to separate the “noise” of outward stimuli from stimuli that evokes an affective feeling.
C tactile afferents
The _______ ______ _______ (ACC) plays a significant role in motivation and the creation of an emotion. Many interoceptive tasks activate the insula and ACC together, specifically tasks that elicit strong aversive feeling states like physical and emotional pain.
The anterior cingulate cortex
The ________ is the site of communication between two neurons.
Synapse
The synaptic cleft is the gap between 2 neurons that the neurotransmitters have to cross in order to continue the propagation of the ______ ________.
Action potential
A ____________ is the chemical molecule that moves from one neuron to the next at the synapse.
Neurotransmitter
______________ is a neurotransmitter that plays several important roles in the brain and body. The brain includes several distinct ___________ pathways, one of which plays a major role in the motivational component of reward-motivated behavior.
Dopamine