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Psychology - CS - Biopsychology > 1 - The Nervous System > Flashcards

1 - The Nervous System Flashcards

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1
Q

Define the nervous system

A

Primary internal communication system in the body, based on electrical and chemical signals, which is split into two parts (CNS + PNS)

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2
Q

What are the two main functions of the nervous system?

A
  • To collect, process + respond to info in the environment

- To coordinate the workings of bodily organs + cells

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3
Q

What two parts is the nervous system split into?

A
  • Central Nervous System (CNS)

- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

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4
Q

What is the CNS split into?

A
  • Brain

- Spinal cord

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5
Q

What is the PNS split into?

A
  • Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which is further split into the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) + Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)
  • Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
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6
Q

What is the role of the CNS?

A
  • To control higher functioning processes e.g. decision making (brain)
  • To deal with reflex actions + relay info between the brain and rest of the body (spinal cord)
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7
Q

How does the brain (in the CNS) process + respond to info?

A
  • Receptor cells take in environmental info
  • Sensory neurones pass this info to spinal cord
  • In spinal cord, relay neurones receive info and pass it to brain
  • Brain decides how to respond + passes this info through relay neurones in the spinal cord to motor neurones in the body
  • Motor neurones send info about response to effector cells, causing them to respond appropriately
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8
Q

What is a reflex action?

A

A quick, involuntary bodily response that bypasses the use of the brain by triggering an unconscious ‘relay arc’

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9
Q

Outline the reflex arc as a quick unconscious means of response

A
  • The reflex arc is triggered when the receptor cells detect environmental stimuli that requires a quick response
  • Sensory neurones transmit the info to the spinal cord
  • Relay neurones in the spinal cord receive the info + coordinate a quick response
  • This info on how to respond is sent to the motor neurones
  • The motor neurones trigger a quick response in the effector cells
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10
Q

Give 2 examples of a reflex action

A
  • Knee jerk reflex

- Touching hot plate and immediately removing hand

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11
Q

What is the role of the PNS?

A
  • Varies in function between the ANS + SNS

- To transmit info to and from the CNS

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12
Q

Outline the function of the Somatic Nervous System (branch on the PNS)

A

To control conscious bodily activities

  • E.g. voluntary muscle movement
  • Mainly controls skeletal muscles
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13
Q

Outline the function of the Autonomic Nervous System (branch on the PNS)

A

To control unconscious bodily activities that are vital for survival

  • E.g. digestion, stress response, breathing, sexual arousal
  • Mainly controls smooth muscles + glands
  • Split into 2
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14
Q

What is the Autonomic Nervous System (branch of PNS) divided into?

A
  • Sympathetic Nervous System

- Parasympathetic Nervous System

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15
Q

What is the function of the Sympathetic Nervous System?

A

ACTIVE

  • Prepares + excites body for action when faced with danger
  • Actions include: increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, decreased saliva flow
  • Involved in the fight or flight response
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16
Q

What is the function of the Parasympathetic Nervous System?

A

CALM

  • Calms body after being faced with danger to return it to resting state
  • Actions include: slows heart rate, slows breathing rate, stimulates saliva flow
  • Involved in ‘rest and digest’
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17
Q

Which neurones are predominant in the Autonomic Nervous System?

A

Motor neurones (responding to info from CNS unconsciously)

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18
Q

Which neurones are predominant in the Somatic Nervous System?

A

Sensory + motor neurones (taking in and responding to info consciously)

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19
Q

List 2 similarities between the autonomic + somatic branches of the PNS

A
  • Both part of PNS

- Both conduct nerve impulses from CNS to other parts of body

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20
Q

List 2 differences between the autonomic + somatic branches of the PNS

A
  • ANS controls unconscious activities + CNS conscious

- ANS uses mainly motor neurones + CNS motor and sensory

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21
Q

Define neurones

A

Nerve cells that are the basic building blocs of the nervous system, processing + transmitting messages through the body

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22
Q

What are the three types of neurone?

A
  • Sensory
  • Relay
  • Motor
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23
Q

What is the role of sensory neurones?

A

Carry messages from the PNS to the CNS

24
Q

What is the role of relay neurones?

A

Carry messages through the CNS (brain + spinal cord), as the connection between sensory neurones + motor neurones

25
Q

What is the role of motor neurones?

A

Carry messages from the CNS to effector muscles + glands, which can respond

26
Q

Briefly describe the structure of sensory neurones

A
  • Long dendrite

- Short axon

27
Q

Briefly describe the structure of relay neurones

A
  • Short dendrites

- Short axon

28
Q

Briefly describe the structure of motor neurones

A
  • Short dendrites

- Long axon

29
Q

Where are sensory neurones located?

A

In the PNS (in clusters: ‘ganglia’)

30
Q

Where are relay neurones located?

A

In the CNS (brain + spinal cord)

31
Q

Where are motor neurones located?

A

Cell body in the the CNS, with long axon stretching into the PNS towards effector cells and organs

32
Q

How big are neurones?

A

Vary in size (less than mm - m)

33
Q

List the basic components all neurones share

A
  • Cell body
  • Nucleus
  • Dendrites
  • Axon
  • Myelin sheath
  • Nodes of Ranvier
  • Terminal buttons
34
Q

What makes the three types of neurones different?

A

Their: structure (size of basic components), function + location

35
Q

What is a cell body?

A

The metabolic centre of the cell, containing the nucleus + intercellular structures

36
Q

What is a nucleus?

A

Control centre of cell, containing its genetic info (chromosomal DNA)

37
Q

What are dendrites?

A

Branchlike structures that carry nerve impulses from neighbouring neurones TOWARDS the cell body

38
Q

What is an axon?

A

Branchlike structure that carries nerve impulses AWAY from the cell body

39
Q

What is a myelin sheath?

A

Fatty layer that covers the axon to protect it + speed up electrical transmission of the impulse

40
Q

What are Nodes of Ranvier?

A

Gaps that segment the myelin sheath to speed up the electrical impulse transmission by forcing it to ‘jump’ along the axon

41
Q

What would happen if the myelin sheath was continuous (no Nodes of Ranvier)?

A

Electrical impulse transmission along the axon would be slower

42
Q

What are terminal buttons?

A

End of axon where signal is sent to adjacent neurone across the synapse

43
Q

What is action potential?

A

Explosion of electrical activity in an impulse which travels down the axon towards the end of the neurone (terminal button + synapse)

44
Q

In resting state, what charge does the inside of a neurone have?

A

Negative

45
Q

When activated, what charge does the inside of a neurone have?

A

Positive

46
Q

What is a synapse?

A

Three components that make up the area connecting neurones

  • Presynaptic terminal (end of one neurone)
  • Postsynaptic terminal (end of next neurone)
  • Synaptic cleft (gap between the terminals)
47
Q

Define synaptic transmission

A

The process by which neighbouring neurones communicate by sending chemical messages across the synapse between them

48
Q

How are signals transmitted within neurones?

A

Electrically

49
Q

How are signals transmitted between neurones (across the synapse)?

A

Chemically

50
Q

Outline the process of synaptic transmission

A
  • Action potential (electrical explosion) travels along neurone’s axon until it reaches the end: presynaptic terminal
  • The AP triggers the release of neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles
  • The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft (down the conc. gradient) as a chemical signal
  • The neurotransmitters fit into specifically shaped postsynaptic receptor sites on the dendrite of the next neurone
  • Any neurotransmitters that don’t fit into these sites are either: reuptaken into the presynaptic terminal OR broken down by enzymes
  • At the postsynaptic terminal, the signal is converted back to electrical
  • If the summation is positive, the postsynaptic terminal fires, passing this electrical impulse down the neurone
51
Q

Define neurotransmitters

A

Brain chemicals released from synaptic vesicles that relay signals between neurones across the synapse

52
Q

What is different between different types of neurotransmitters?

A
  • Specialist function
  • Specialist molecular shape
  • Either classified as excitatory or inhibitory
53
Q

What model can be used to describe how neurotransmitters fit into receptor sites?

A

Lock and key model

54
Q

What are excitatory neurotransmitters? Give an example?

A

Increase the positive charge of the postsynaptic neurone, increasing the likelihood it will fire + pass on action potential

  • Nervous systems’ “on switch”
  • E.g. Adrenaline
55
Q

What are inhibitory neurotransmitters? Give an example

A

Increase the negative charge of the postsynaptic neurone, decreasing the likelihood it will fire + pass on action potential

  • Nervous systems’ “off switch”
  • E.g. Serotonin
56
Q

What is summation?

A

The net calculation of excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) and inhibitory post synaptic potential (IPSP)

57
Q

What must summation be for a neurone to fire?

A

Net positive

Psychology - CS - Biopsychology (5 decks)

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