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Basics of the CNS Flashcards

1
Q

What did Aristotle believe about nerves in the 4th century B.C.?

A

He believed they originated in the heart.

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2
Q

Who identified the brain as the primary organ in the 2nd century?

A

Galen.

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3
Q

Who described nerves as soft, pliant tissues in the 11th century?

A

Avicenna.

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4
Q

Who coined the term ‘neurologie’ in 1681?

A

Thomas Willis.

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5
Q

Who demonstrated electricity in animal tissues in the 18th century?

A

Luigi Galvani.

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6
Q

Who recorded action potentials in the 19th century?

A

Bernstein and du Bois-Reymond.

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7
Q

Who explained ionic mechanisms of action potentials in 1952?

A

Hodgkin and Huxley.

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8
Q

Who introduced the term ‘synapse’?

A

Charles Sherrington.

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9
Q

What is the focus of physiology?

A

Understanding normal system functions.

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10
Q

What does pathophysiology study?

A

Disease progression and physiological failures.

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11
Q

What does pharmacology study?

A

Drug effects on physiological systems.

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12
Q

When does the nervous system develop in embryogenesis?

A

During the 3rd week.

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13
Q

From which embryonic layer does the nervous system develop?

A

The ectoderm.

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14
Q

What are the main components of the CNS?

A

Brain and spinal cord.

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15
Q

How many cranial and spinal nerves are in the PNS?

A

12 cranial and 31 pairs of spinal nerves.

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16
Q

What does the somatic nervous system control?

A

Voluntary control of skeletal muscles.

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17
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

A

Unconscious/homeostatic functions like smooth muscle and glands.

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18
Q

What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic and parasympathetic.

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19
Q

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

A

Fight or flight response.

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20
Q

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

A

Rest and digest.

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21
Q

What are the three parts of a neuron?

A

Cell body, dendrites, and axons.

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22
Q

What do glial cells do?

A

Support, nourish, and protect neurons.

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23
Q

What is white matter composed of?

A

Myelinated processes.

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24
Q

What is grey matter composed of?

A

Cell bodies, dendrites, and unmyelinated axons.

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25
What are unipolar neurons used for?
Detecting touch.
26
Where are bipolar neurons found?
In sensory systems like vision, hearing, and vestibular.
27
What is the most common neuron type in the CNS?
Multipolar.
28
What is a pseudo-unipolar neuron?
A neuron that initially forms as bipolar but becomes unipolar, common in pain detection.
29
What is the role of astrocytes?
Forming the blood-brain barrier and ultrafiltering blood.
30
What do oligodendrocytes produce?
Myelin sheath in the CNS.
31
What do microglia do?
Act as immune cells or macrophages in the CNS.
32
What do ependymal cells do?
Line brain ventricles and support CSF circulation.
33
What are microtubules composed of?
Alpha and beta tubulin heterodimer subunits assembled into linear protofilaments forming a 25 nm cylinder.
34
What are the main functions of microtubules?
Maintaining cell shape, motility, mitosis, and intracellular transport.
35
What protein stabilizes microtubules in axons?
Tau protein.
36
What protein stabilizes microtubules in dendrites?
MAP2 (microtubule-associated protein 2).
37
What do gamma tubulins do?
Ensure and accelerate the correct assembly of microtubules, mainly at the minus end.
38
How are microtubules oriented in axons?
Uniformly: all plus ends point one way, minus ends the other.
39
How are microtubules oriented in dendrites?
Randomly oriented plus and minus ends.
40
What happens when tau protein is dissociated from microtubules?
Kinesin and dynein can transport vesicles; if tau remains dissociated too long due to hyperphosphorylation, microtubules collapse.
41
What pathology is associated with tau hyperphosphorylation?
Alzheimer’s disease.
42
How fast do action potentials travel in myelinated nerves?
70–120 m/s.
43
How fast do they travel in unmyelinated nerves?
0.5–2.0 m/s.
44
What produces myelin in the CNS?
Oligodendrocytes.
45
What produces myelin in the PNS?
Schwann cells.
46
What condition is associated with loss of myelin?
Multiple sclerosis.
47
What initiates an action potential?
Excitatory neurotransmitters binding to postsynaptic receptors causing depolarisation.
48
What ion influx triggers neurotransmitter release?
Calcium (Ca²⁺) influx.
49
What follows calcium influx?
Neurotransmitter release.
50
What causes repolarization?
Potassium (K⁺) efflux.
51
What restores ionic balance after an action potential?
Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump.
52
What is the refractory period?
Time when neuron cannot fire another action potential.
53
Name five key neurotransmitters.
Glutamate, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin.
54
What is Paired-Pulse Facilitation?
A stronger second signal due to residual calcium boosting neurotransmitter release.
55
What timing window favors PPF?
Within ~20 ms between action potentials.
56
What is Paired-Pulse Depression?
A weaker second signal due to vesicle depletion.
57
What timing window favors PPD?
Longer than ~200 ms between action potentials.
58
Name the three meninges covering the CNS.
Dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater.
59
What produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
The choroid plexus.
60
What are functions of CSF?
Cushioning, homeostasis, buoyancy, shock absorption.
61
What arteries supply the CNS with blood?
Internal carotid and vertebral arteries.
62
Why is blood supply crucial to neurons?
Due to their high metabolic activity and need for oxygen/glucose.
63
What condition results from basilar artery occlusion?
Locked-in syndrome.
64
What kind of capillaries does the CNS have?
Continuous endothelium with no pores.
65
What cell type helps maintain the blood-brain barrier?
Astrocytes.
66
What does the medulla oblongata control?
Autonomic functions like respiration, heart rate, and digestion.
67
What does the pons regulate?
Sleep, breathing, and relaying information to the cerebellum.
68
What does the midbrain manage?
Sensory and motor functions, including eye movement and reflexes.
69
What does the thalamus do?
Processes information going to the cerebral cortex.
70
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Regulates autonomic, endocrine, and visceral functions.
71
What brain structure is key for memory?
The hippocampus.
72
What brain structure is involved in emotion and hormonal responses?
The amygdala.
73
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital.
74
What is the neocortex?
The six-layered surface of the cerebral hemispheres with specific neuronal arrangements.
75
What are sulci and gyri?
Sulci are grooves; gyri are ridges of the cerebral cortex.
76
What is contralateral action?
One hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body.
77
What connects sensory neurons to motor neurons?
Interneurons.
78
What is the function of afferent nerves?
Send sensory signals to the CNS.
79
What do efferent nerves do?
Send motor signals from the CNS to muscles/glands.
80
What does the spinal cord do?
Connects the brain to the body, processes sensory info, and coordinates reflexes.

PY412 (14 decks)

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