Ch 12 Flashcards
What are the three overlapping functions of the nervous system?
Sensory receptors monitor changes
Processes and interprets inputs
Dictates a motor response
What are the two basic divisions in the nervous system?
The CNS
The PNS
What is included in the CNS?
The brain and spinal cord
Integrating and command center
What is included in the PNS?
Linking all regions of the body to the CNS
- Cranial & spinal nerves
- Ganglia
- Clusters of neural cells
What is afferent input?
Sensory input -Picked up by sensor receptors -PNS>CNS
What is efferent output?
Motor output -CNS>PNS -Innervate muscles and glands
What are the two types of afferent functions?
Somatic sensory
Visceral sensory
What are the two types of efferent functions?
Somatic motor
Visceral motor
What does the somatic sensory functions do?
Touch
Pain
Temperature
Pressure
Hearing
Equilibrium and vision
What does the visceral sensory functions do?
Stretch
Pain
Temperature
Nausea and hunger
Taste and smell
What do the somatic motor functions do?
Voluntary motor innervation of skeletal musles
What do the visceral motor functions do?
Involuntary motor innervation of smooth and cardiac muscle
Glands
Autonomic Nervous System
What are the two types of nervous tissue?
Neurons
Neurogial (Support cells)
- Non-excitable
- Surround and wrap neurons
How many neurons are there?
Billons
What is the basic unit of the nervous system?
The neuron
What cells conduct the electrical impulses?
Neurons conduct signals along the plasma membrane
What triggers nerve impulses?
Action potential
What are dendrites?
Receptor cells conducting signals toward the cell body
What are axons?
Transmit electrical signals away from the cell body
What are multiple branches of axons called?
Axon terminals
What is the axon hillock?
The axon hillock is the last site in the soma where membrane potentials propagated from synaptic inputs are summated before being transmitted to the axon.
What is the synapse?
The site at which neurons communicate
Presynaptic neuron-synapse-postsynaptic neuron
What is the synaptic cleft?
Separates the plasma membrane of the two neurons
What is the direction signals pass?
Presynaptic neuron>postsynaptic neuron
What is a synaptic vesicle?
A small secretory vesicle that contains a neurotransmitter, is found inside an axon near the presynaptic membrane, and releases its contents into the synaptic cleft
What is inside axon terminals?
Mitochondria
What are the five types of synapses?
Axodendritic, most common, between a neuron & another
Axosomatic, between axons & neuronsal cells
Uncommon: Axoaxonic, Dendrodendritic, & Dendrosomatic
What are the structural classifications of neurons?
Uniploar (pseudonipolar)
Bipolar, found in the eye
Multipolar, numerous dendrites & one axon
Functional classifications of neurons?
According to the direction the impulse travels
- Afferent (sensory)
- Efferent (motor)
- Interneurons (association neurons)
What do afferent neurons do?
Transmit impulses towards CNS, and towards cell bodies in ganglia
What do efferent neurons do?
Carry impulses away from CNS to effector organs
Most motor neurons are multipolar
Cell bodies within the CNS
What do interneurons do?
Lie between motor and sensory neurons
Confined to CNS
Multipolar
Most multipolar neurons are interneurons
What do supporting cells do?
Provide supportive functions for neurons
Cover nonsynaptic regions of the neurons
What undesirable thing can glial cells do?
Can divide and create brain tumors
What cell type makes up half the brain?
Gilal cells
What is the least abundant glial cell type?
Microglia, smallest and least abundant
Where do glial cells obtain blood?
Monocytes white blood cells
What do ependymal cells do?
Circulate cerebral spinal fluid
Utilize bear cilia
Where are oligodendrocytes located?
Around axons
What do oligodendrocytes do?
Product myelin sheaths in white matter