Ch. 49 - Nervous System Flashcards
big ideas: neuron structure, types of nervous systems, brain lobe, types of brain scans, broca & wernicke areas
what is the function of dendrites?
to receive incoming signals from other neurons
what is the function of the cell body?
to keep the neuron alive and to transmit incoming signals to the axon
what is the function of the axon?
to transmit signals down the axon to the axon terminal, where messages are sent to other neurons
what is gray matter?
brain tissue composed of neuron cell bodies and unmyelinated axons
what is white matter?
brain tissue composed of axons covered with myelin
what is the function of the peripheral nervous system?
to bring incoming information to the brain for processing
what type of neurons are used in the peripheral nervous system?
sensory / afferent neurons
what is the function of the central nervous system?
to receive incoming information, process it, and send a motor response to the body
what type of neurons are used in the central nervous system?
motor / efferent neurons
what is the autonomic nervous system?
the branch of the nervous system responsible for controlling unconscious processes: heart rate, blood pressure, etc
what are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?
the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
what is the overall impact of the sympathetic nervous system?
fight or flight
how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the circulatory system?
it increases heart rate and blood pressure
how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the digestive system?
it decreases motility and secretion, and decrease blood flow to digestive tissues (to send blood where it is actually needed)
how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the pupils?
it dilates the pupils, allowing more light into the eye
how does the sympathetic nervous system affect breathing rate?
breathing rate increases by dilating the bronchioles
how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the rate of sweating?
it increases the rate of sweating
what is the overall impact of the parasympathetic nervous system?
“rest and digest” - body activities get reduced or relaxed
how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the circulatory system?
breathing rate and blood pressure are both decreased
how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the digestive system?
motility, secretion, and blood flow are all increased, resulting in urination/excretion/peristalsis movements
how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the pupils?
the pupils constrict, letting less light in
how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the breathing rate?
breathing rate is reduced due to constriction of the bronchioles
how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the rate of sweating?
rate of sweating is reduced to baseline levels - still going on, but not noticable
what structures are included in the forebrain?
the cerebral cortex, basal nuclei, and diencephalon (aka thalamus & hypothalamus)
what is the function of the forebrain?
motor function, memories, perception, emotion, all “higher up” processes
what is the function of the midbrain?
coordinates sensory input and controls reflexes
what type of information does the midbrain regulate?
regulates sensory information going IN, and motor information going OUT
what structures are found in the hindbrain?
medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum
what are the functions of the hindbrain?
controls unconscious processes: heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure
what is the reticular formation?
a “clump” of many nuclei (clusters of neurons) which send electrical projections to all parts of the brain
what is the function of the reticular formation?
to control the brain’s level of consciousness and attention
what is the suprachiasmatic nucleus / SCN?
a cluster of nuclei in the hypothalamus which receive sensory info relating to light levels
what is the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus?
to regulate the circadian rhythm / sleep wake cycles
what brain structures regulate emotions?
the prefrontal cortex and amygdala
what is the function of the amygdala?
-to process emotionally intensive and “biologically relevant” stimuli
-to recognize what an object is and what it’s for
what is the function of the prefrontal cortex?
to regulate social inhibition and attention
what is a positron emission topography / PET scan?
a scan that gives a picture of the amount of activity in a brain area by using radioactive tracers
what is a functional magnetic resonance imaging / fMRI scan?
a scan that uses magnets to record oxygen levels in the brain, useful for measuring brain activity levels during cognitive tasks
what are the 2 primary ways sensory information is separated in the cerebrum?
- primary processing centers receive basic info, and…
- association areas pair this info with previous “examples” of that same thing to figure out what it is
what is the function of the frontal lobe?
to do the highest level integration and processing: judgement, goal setting movement coordination, and language formation [broca’s area]
what is the function of the parietal lobe?
-to integrate skin & muscle sensory info
-to process taste and language comprehension [wernicke’s area]
what is the function of the temporal lobe?
to process auditory information, olfactory information, and form memories (hippocampus). contains many emotional centers
what is the function of the occipital lobe?
to perceive incoming visual stimuli
what is the function of wernicke’s area?
to RECOGNIZE language, such as reading a flashcard or understanding speech
what disorder occurs from damage to wernicke’s area?
fluent aphasia: a person can speak just fine, but nothing they say will make any sense
what is the function of broca’s area?
to FORM language, such as speaking or writing the answer to a flashcard
what disorder occurs from damage to broca’s area?
non-fluent aphasia: a person can “know” what they want to say, but can’t form the words to say them
what is the overall function of the brain?
-to RECEIVE information from throughout the body
-to INTEGRATE and understand that information
-to DETERMINE the necessary output
