Ch. 49 - Nervous System

Question 1

what is the function of dendrites?

Answer 1

to receive incoming signals from other neurons

Question 2

what is the function of the cell body?

Answer 2

to keep the neuron alive and to transmit incoming signals to the axon

Question 3

what is the function of the axon?

Answer 3

to transmit signals down the axon to the axon terminal, where messages are sent to other neurons

Question 4

what is gray matter?

Answer 4

brain tissue composed of neuron cell bodies and unmyelinated axons

Question 5

what is white matter?

Answer 5

brain tissue composed of axons covered with myelin

Question 6

what is the function of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 6

to bring incoming information to the brain for processing

Question 7

what type of neurons are used in the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 7

sensory / afferent neurons

Question 8

what is the function of the central nervous system?

Answer 8

to receive incoming information, process it, and send a motor response to the body

Question 9

what type of neurons are used in the central nervous system?

Answer 9

motor / efferent neurons

Question 10

what is the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 10

the branch of the nervous system responsible for controlling unconscious processes: heart rate, blood pressure, etc

Question 11

what are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 11

the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems

Question 12

what is the overall impact of the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 12

fight or flight

Question 13

how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the circulatory system?

Answer 13

it increases heart rate and blood pressure

Question 14

how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the digestive system?

Answer 14

it decreases motility and secretion, and decrease blood flow to digestive tissues (to send blood where it is actually needed)

Question 15

how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the pupils?

Answer 15

it dilates the pupils, allowing more light into the eye

Question 16

how does the sympathetic nervous system affect breathing rate?

Answer 16

breathing rate increases by dilating the bronchioles

Question 17

how does the sympathetic nervous system affect the rate of sweating?

Answer 17

it increases the rate of sweating

Question 18

what is the overall impact of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 18

“rest and digest” - body activities get reduced or relaxed

Question 19

how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the circulatory system?

Answer 19

breathing rate and blood pressure are both decreased

Question 20

how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the digestive system?

Answer 20

motility, secretion, and blood flow are all increased, resulting in urination/excretion/peristalsis movements

Question 21

how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the pupils?

Answer 21

the pupils constrict, letting less light in

Question 22

how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the breathing rate?

Answer 22

breathing rate is reduced due to constriction of the bronchioles

Question 23

how does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the rate of sweating?

Answer 23

rate of sweating is reduced to baseline levels - still going on, but not noticable

Question 24

what structures are included in the forebrain?

Answer 24

the cerebral cortex, basal nuclei, and diencephalon (aka thalamus & hypothalamus)

Question 25

what is the function of the forebrain?

Answer 25

motor function, memories, perception, emotion, all “higher up” processes

Question 26

what is the function of the midbrain?

Answer 26

coordinates sensory input and controls reflexes

Question 27

what type of information does the midbrain regulate?

Answer 27

regulates sensory information going IN, and motor information going OUT

Question 28

what structures are found in the hindbrain?

Answer 28

medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum

Question 29

what are the functions of the hindbrain?

Answer 29

controls unconscious processes: heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure

Question 30

what is the reticular formation?

Answer 30

a “clump” of many nuclei (clusters of neurons) which send electrical projections to all parts of the brain

Question 31

what is the function of the reticular formation?

Answer 31

to control the brain’s level of consciousness and attention

Question 32

what is the suprachiasmatic nucleus / SCN?

Answer 32

a cluster of nuclei in the hypothalamus which receive sensory info relating to light levels

Question 33

what is the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus?

Answer 33

to regulate the circadian rhythm / sleep wake cycles

Question 34

what brain structures regulate emotions?

Answer 34

the prefrontal cortex and amygdala

Question 35

what is the function of the amygdala?

Answer 35

-to process emotionally intensive and “biologically relevant” stimuli
-to recognize what an object is and what it’s for

Question 36

what is the function of the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 36

to regulate social inhibition and attention

Question 37

what is a positron emission topography / PET scan?

Answer 37

a scan that gives a picture of the amount of activity in a brain area by using radioactive tracers

Question 38

what is a functional magnetic resonance imaging / fMRI scan?

Answer 38

a scan that uses magnets to record oxygen levels in the brain, useful for measuring brain activity levels during cognitive tasks

Question 39

what are the 2 primary ways sensory information is separated in the cerebrum?

Answer 39

1. primary processing centers receive basic info, and…
2. association areas pair this info with previous “examples” of that same thing to figure out what it is

Question 40

what is the function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 40

to do the highest level integration and processing: judgement, goal setting movement coordination, and language formation [broca’s area]

Question 41

what is the function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 41

-to integrate skin & muscle sensory info
-to process taste and language comprehension [wernicke’s area]

Question 42

what is the function of the temporal lobe?

Answer 42

to process auditory information, olfactory information, and form memories (hippocampus). contains many emotional centers

Question 43

what is the function of the occipital lobe?

Answer 43

to perceive incoming visual stimuli

Question 44

what is the function of wernicke’s area?

Answer 44

to RECOGNIZE language, such as reading a flashcard or understanding speech

Question 45

what disorder occurs from damage to wernicke’s area?

Answer 45

fluent aphasia: a person can speak just fine, but nothing they say will make any sense

Question 46

what is the function of broca’s area?

Answer 46

to FORM language, such as speaking or writing the answer to a flashcard

Question 47

what disorder occurs from damage to broca’s area?

Answer 47

non-fluent aphasia: a person can “know” what they want to say, but can’t form the words to say them

Question 48

what is the overall function of the brain?

Answer 48

-to RECEIVE information from throughout the body
-to INTEGRATE and understand that information
-to DETERMINE the necessary output