Biopsychopatholgy Year 1 P2 Flashcards
what does the peripheral nervous system do?
carries messages to and from the CNS
what does the spinal cord do?
connects the brain and peripheral nervous system
what does the somatic nervous system do?
controls voluntary muscles and transmits sensory info to the CNS
what does the autonomic nervous system do?
controls involuntary body functions
what 3 parts of the brain do we need to know?
- the cerebrum
- the cerebellum
- the brain stem
describe the structure and functions of the cerebrum
-made of 4 lobes
-frontal lobes - speech and thinking
optical lobe- processes visual images
what is the cerebellum associated with?
motor kills and balance - coordinates muscles - if abnormalities occur - epilepsy and speech difficulties
what is the brain stem responsible for?
regulates autonomic functions e.g. breathing
what is the main function of the spinal cord?
transit info between brain and rest of body
reflex responses - pair of spinal nerves that branch off spinal cord and connect with different organs and muscles.
what does the somatic nervous system do?
- consists of nerves which have motor and sensors neurons that carry sensory signals all over body
- reflex actions (do not involve brain and CNS)
what does the autonomic nervous system do?
controls bodily processes that we are not consciously aware of e.g. regulation of heart beat and digestion.
also responds to threats and initiates the stress response.
what two divisions does the autonomic nervous system split in to and what do they do?
- sympathetic- deals with threats and brings out fight or flight stress response
- parasympathetic - brings the rest and digest system
what is a neuron? how many are in the nervous system? % in the brain?
a nerve cell
100 billion
80%
what do dendrites do in the neuron?
picks up neurotransmitters and pushes them into the cell body, by a electrical impulse.
what does the cell body do in a neuron?
contains the nucleus - control centre of the neuron.
what does the axon do in the neuron?
carries info away from the cell body and communicate with the next neuron in the chain across the synapse.
what does the myelin sheath do in the neuron?
protects the axon because it is a fatty layer and also enables nerves impulses to travel quickly along the axon
sensory neurons have long…and short…? what do they do?
long dendrites and short axon
carry info from the PNS (sensory receptors - vision, taste) to the CNS
relay neurons have short…and short …? what do they do?
dendrites and axons
connects sensory neurons to motor neurons or other relay neutrons