B3 - organism level systems Flashcards
what is accommodation?
changing the lens shape to fine focus the image of an object regardless of its distance from the eye
what is the central nervous system?
CNS, the brain and the spinal cord
what is the cerebellum?
the region of the brain that controls unconscious functions such as posture, balance and muscular movement
what is the cerebral cortex?
the outer layer of the cerebrum
what is the cerebrum?
the highly folded region of the brain that is responsible for controlling voluntary actions such as learning, personality and memory; it is divided into the right and left hemispheres
what is the ciliary body?
an extension of the iris, it contains the ciliary muscle which can contract or relax allowing the eye to focus
what is colour blindness?
a condition where a person has a defect in the receptors or a lack of receptors in the retina
what is coordination?
the ability to use different parts of the body together smoothly and efficiently
what is the cornea?
the part of the eye that refracts light as it enters, focusing it onto the retina
what is the effector?
a gland or muscle that produces a response to the stimulus to restore optimum conditions
what is the iris?
the part of the eye that contracts or relaxes to control the amount of light entering the eye
what is the lens?
a part of the eye that further refracts light to focus it onto the retina
what is long-sightedness?
hyperopia; a defect of the eye where distant objects appear out of focus due to the convergence of light rays in front of the retina
what is the medulla?
the part of the brain responsible for non-voluntary movement such as breathing rate and heart rate
what is the motor neurone?
the neurone that transmits impulses from the relay neurone to the effector to produce a response
what is the optic nerve?
the nerve that carries impulses between the brain and the eye
what is the pituitary gland?
the gland that stores and releases hormones which regulate many bodily functions
what is the pupil?
a hole in the centre of the iris, it is controlled by the muscles of the iris and changes size depending on the brightness of the light
what is the receptor?
a cell or organ that recognises the stimulus
what is the reflex arc?
the pathway of neurones involved in a reflex action
what is the relay neurone?
the neurone that transmits electrical impulses from the sensory neurone to the motor neurone
what is the retina?
the layer at the back of the eye that contains light receptors and is sensitive to light
what is the sensory neurone?
the neurone that detects the stimulus. and transmits the electrical impulse to the rely neurone located in the spinal cord
what is short-sightedness?
myopia; a defect of the eye where distant objects appear out of focus due to the convergence of light rays in front of the retina
what are suspensory ligaments?
attach the lens to the ciliary muscle
what is the synapse?
the junction between two neurones (nerve cells)
what are the two divisions of the nervous system?
- central nervous system
- peripheral nervous system
what does the nervous system enable humans to do?
- react to their surroundings
- coordinate their behaviour
what are some examples of using the nervous system?
- avoiding danger
- finding a mate
- finding food
what are neurones (nerve cells)?
specialised to rapidly carry nerve impulses (electrical) from one part of the body to another
what is the function of a cell body?
contains nucleus, which controls the cell, also produces neurotransmitters
what is the function of an axon terminal?
to transmit neurotransmitters (we meet these soon) from the presynaptic neurone into the synapse
what is the function of the myelin sheath?
insulates neurone, speeding up impulse
what is the function of the nodes of Ranvier?
the “gaps” between the Schwann cells; allow speed of transmission to be further increased by allowing impulse to “jump” from node to node in a process called saltatory conduction
what is the function of dendrites?
branched endings - connect with other neurones and carry nerve impulses towards cell body
what is the function of Schwann cells?
forms the myelin sheath
what is the function of an axon?
single long fibre that carries nerve impulses away from cell body towards nerve endings
how do reflexes work?
- receptors detect changes in the environment (e.g. retina cells detect changes in light or skin cells detect changes in temperature/pressure)
- when a stimulus (change) is detected by receptors, the information is sent as electrical impulses along sensory neurones to the CNS
- the CNS coordinates a response (“decides” what to do about the change)
- the CNS then sends electrical impulses to an effector organ (muscle or gland) along a motor neurone
- the effector then responds accordingly, this could be causing a muscle to contract or a gland may secrete (release) a hormone
why is a reflex reaction quicker than the coordinated responses?
- automatic so are quicker than normal responses
- conscious brain isn’t involved
- sensory neurone connects to a relay neurone which links directly to the correct motor neurone (no time wasted thinking about the right response)
- these reactions often have a projective role
*reflex reactions do not require cognitive thought
what is the order from stimulus to response?
stimulus, receptor, sensory neurone, relay neurone, motor neurone, effector, response
what happens to the pupil when it’s dark?
when it’s dark, the pupils will dilate to let in as much light as possible
(pupil is dilated)
what happens to the pupil when it’s light?
when it’s very bright, the pupils constrict so that less light is let into the eye
(pupil has constricted/not dilated)
how does the lens change shape to look at distant objects?
- ciliary muscle is relaxed so it’s long and thin
- suspensory ligaments are pulled outwards
- they pull the lens flatter
how does the lens change shape to look at near objects?
- ciliary muscle contracted so short and fat
- suspensory ligaments slacken off
- lens becomes more convex (rounded)
what type of lens is used to correct short-sightedness?
concave
- this makes the light refract more before it enters the eye
what type of lens is used to correct long-sightedness?
convex
what is the alternative to corrective lenses?
laser eye surgery
what are the pros to laser eye surgery?
- it is a quick, simple procedure; it is outpatient so there are no overnight hospital stays, you do not go under general anaesthesia and the whole thing takes only 20 minutes on average
- vision improvement begins quickly, within a few hours after surgery; most people report noticing a huge difference the next day
what are the cons to laser eye surgery?
- you may physically not be eligible; for example, if you are younger than 20 or older than 40, your risk of changes to your cornea is higher, so LASIK is a much more temporary vision fix as your eyes change
- some side effects may be permanent, and they can be uncomfortable
what is the function of rods?
respond to light and allow you to see in low light levels, they are not responsive to different colours
what is the function of cones?
respond to different colours, different cells respond to red, blue and green light
what is the most common type of colour blindness?
red-green (protanopia)
why can investigating brain function be problematic?
- patients must give consent
- many studies need to be analysed to draw any reliable conclusions
- several areas of the brain may be involved in a specific function
- many people believe animal testing is unethical
how can the brain be investigated?
- CT scans
- MRI scans
- fMRI scans
- case studies
- post mortems
how can the brain be investigated using CT scans?
- use x-rays to create images
- quicker, quieter and cheaper than MRI
- don’t show up soft tissues as well
- cannot be used regularly (exposure to radiation)
how can the brain be investigated using MRI scans?
- use powerful magnets to identify abnormalities
- very expensive
how can the brain be investigated using fMRI scans?
- like an MRI but in real time
- increased blood flow shows up while the patient carries out specific activities
- allows doctors to work out which parts of the brain are responsible for different functions
- non-invasive and easy to use
- it cannot be known that the same pattern of activity would occur when not in machine
- very expensive
how can the brain be investigated using case studies?
- detailed, in-depth investigations of one individual or a small group; in this particular case it would be someone or a group with abnormal brain function
- if part of the brain has been damaged, the effect this has on the patient can tell you a lot about what the damaged part of the brain does
how can the brain be investigated using post mortems?
- involves the analysis of a person’s brain following their death
- areas of damage are examined to find out what caused the death
- this may also involve comparison with a neurological (normal) brain to look at the extent of the differences
what can damage to the nervous system be caused by?
- injury
- disease
- genetic condition
- ingesting toxic substances
how does the damage affect the nervous system?
damage prevents impulses from being passed effectively through the nervous system
what can damage to the PNS affect?
both motor and sensory neurones
what are the impacts of damage to the PNS?
- inability to detect pain
- numbness
- loss of coordination
what treatments are there for damage to the PNS?
- minor: self-heals with rest and support
- more severe: surgery
e.g. sections of nervous tissue can be grafted over damaged tissue, restoring the electrical conduction path for an impulse
what can damage to the CNS lead to?
- loss of control of body systems
- partial or complete paralysis
- memory loss or processing difficulties
can the CNS regenerate?
no, damage is permanent unless it can be corrected by surgery
what treatments are there for damage to the CNS?
- craniotomy
- radiotherapy and chemotherapy
- deep brain stimulation
how do craniotomies work?
- surgery to remove damaged brain tissue
- to access the brain, a surgeon peels back the scalp and removes a section of skull
what do radiotherapy and chemotherapy work?
- to treat a brain tumour
- MRI images may be used to build up an image of the damage site
-radiotherapy: beams of gamma radiation are fired at the tumour - chemotherapy: drugs that target fast-growing or fast-dividing cells, the drugs travel in the bloodstream
how does deep brain stimulation work?
- inserting an electrode to stimulate brain function
why is it so difficult to repair the CNS?
- 31 pairs of nerves
- each nerve consists of many nerve fibres (neurones)
- spinal cord is around 1.5 cm in diameter
- identifying and repairing damage to an individual nerve fibre, without damaging others, is extremely difficult
what is adrenaline?
a hormone released by the adrenal gland which increases heart rate and breathing rate (involved in fight/flight); it also raises blood sugar levels by increasing the conversion of glycogen into glucose
what is auxin?
a plant hormone responsible for cell elongation
what is contraception?
methods that are used to prevent pregnancy
what is dormancy?
a period of time in which seeds ‘hibernate’; this stops then they germinate
what are the endocrine glands?
a group of cells that are specialised in secreting chemicals (hormones) directly into the bloodstream
what is the endocrine system?
a chemical messenger system that releases hormones directly inti the bloodstream to control metabolism, development, growth and reproduction
what is ethene?
a plant hormone that promotes fruit ripening
what is FSH?
follicle stimulating hormone; a female reproductive hormone that is released by the pituitary gland and is responsible for the maturation of an egg in the ovary
what is gravitropism?
the growth response of a plant to gravity
what is germination?
the process by which seeds develop into plants
what is gibberellins?
plant hormones that initiate germination and flowering
what is herbicide?
a type of pesticide used to kill unwanted plants (weeds)
what is a hormone?
a chemical messenger secreted by the endocrine glands into the bloodstream and transported to receptors or target organs
what is infertility?
the inability to reproduce after 12 months or more of unprotective sex
what is a menstrual cycle?
the monthly cycle in biological women that involves the development of the uterus lining, ovulation, maintenance of the uterus lining and its shedding
what is IVF?
in vitro fertilisation; the fertilisation of an egg using sperm outside of the body
what is LH?
luteinising hormone; a female reproductive hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates the release of an egg
what is negative feedback?
a system that works to reverse the initial stimulus
what is a parthenocarpic fruit?
seedless fruit
what is oestrogen?
a female sex hormone produced in the ovaries that regulates the menstrual cycle and controls the development of secondary sexual characteristics
what is a pituitary gland?
the gland that stores and releases hormones which regulate many bodily functions
what is phototropism?
the growth response of a plant to unilateral light
what is progesterone?
the hormone that maintains the uterus lining during the later stages of the menstrual cycle and pregnancy
what are root cuttings?
a method of cloning plants in which a root is cut from a parent plant and replanted in compost
what is rooting powder?
a powder that contains auxins, the cut root is dipped into this before being replants (during root cuttings)
what is thyroxine?
a hormone released by the thyroid gland that controls the metabolic rate and the rate of glucose uptake during respiration; it also promotes growth
what is testosterone?
the male reproductive hormone that controls sperm production and the development of secondary sexual characteristics
what are some parts of the endocrine system?
- pituitary
- thymus
- pancreas
- ovaries
- testes
- adrenal
- parathyroid
- thyroid
what are hormones made from?
proteins
where are hormones produced?
they’re produced by endocrine glands which make up your endocrine system
how are hormones transported around the body?
they’re released directly into the bloodstream to be transported around the body
where do hormones have their effect?
they will only affect “target cells/organs”
- they have the correct “receptors” to respond to that hormone
what are the differences between the nervous system and the endocrine system?
nervous:
- transmission via electric impulses
- route of transmission = neurones
- fast
- short acting
endocrine:
- transmission via hormones
- route = bloodstream
- slow
- long acting
what is the body adapted to in a threatening situation?
- fight or flight
- some well camouflaged organisms might freeze
what is the effect of adrenaline on the body?
- adrenaline binds to receptors in the heart which then contracts more frequently and with more force
- heart rate and blood pressure increase
- also binds to receptors in liver which breaks down glycogen stores to release glucose
- this causes blood glucose levels to increase so more glucose can be transported to cells for increased respiration