Chapter 10: Nervous system Flashcards
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?
Central nervous system and Peripheral nervous system
What does the Central nervous system consist of?
The brain and spinal cord.
What does the Peripheral nervous system consist of?
Consists of the vast network of nerves throughout the body.
Neurobiology
The study of the nervous system
What are the divisions of the Peripheral nervous system?
Sensory(afferent) and Motor(efferent)
What is the function of the Sensory(afferent) division of the Peripheral nervous system?
Carries signals from the nerve endings to CNS.
Somatic sensory of the Peripheral nervous system
Carries signals from the skin, bones, joints, and muscles
Visceral sensory of the Peripheral nervous system
Carries signals from viscera of heart, lungs, stomach, and bladder
What is the function of the Motor(efferent) division of the Peripheral nervous system?
Transmits information from CNS to rest of body
Somatic motor of the Peripheral nervous system
Allows voluntary movements of skeletal muscles
Autonomic motor of the Peripheral nervous system
Provides “automatic” activities such as control of blood pressure and heart rate.
What are the two divisions of Autonomic motor?
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
Sympathetic division of Autonomic motor
Arouses the body for action
Parasympathetic division of Autonomic motor
Has a calming effect.
What are the two types of cells that make up the nervous system and what do they do?
Neurons: the excitable, impulse-conducting cell
Neuroglia: supportive cells, protect neurons
Types of Glial cells of CNS
Oligodendrocytes
Ependymal
Microglia
Astrocytes
Type of Glial cell of PNS
Schwann
What are the three classes of neurons?
Sensory, Interneuron, Motor
Sensory neurons
detect stimuli–such as touch, pressure, heat, cold, or chemicals and then transmit info about the stimuli to the CNS
Interneurons
(Found only in the CNS) connect the incoming sensory pathways with the outgoing motor pathways. The connections made by this neuron is what makes each of us unique in how we think, feel, and act.
Motor neurons
Relay messages from the brain to the muscle of gland cell
What are the three types of neurons?
Multipolar, Bipolar, and Unipolar
Multipolar neurons
Have one axon and multiple dendrites
Bipolar neurons
Have two processes: an axon and a dendrite with a cell body in between the two processes.
Unipolar neurons
Have one process-an axon- that extends from the cell body before branching into a T shape.
Cell body
Also called soma, is the control center of the neuron
Dendrites
Receive signals from other neurons and conduct the information to the cell body.
Axon
Carries nerve signals away from the cell body.
Myelin sheath
Consisting of mostly lipids, myelin acts to insulate the axon. (found in many but not all neurons)
Nodes of Ranvier
Gaps in the myelin sheath at evenly spaced intervals
Synaptic knob
Axon terminal ending with vesicles containing a neurotransmitter
Fast Fact: what nerve has the longest axon in the body?
The sciatic nerve extending from the base of the spine to the big toe in each foot.
How is the myelin sheath formed in the Peripheral nervous system?
Schwann cells wrap themselves around the axon, laying down multiple layers of cell membrane.
Neurilemma
Is essential for an injured nerve to regenerate.