chapter 2

Question 1

central nervous system

Answer 1

brain and spinal cord

Question 2

the brain

Answer 2

brain receives and processes information from the rest of
the body and generates responses to it.

Question 3

the spinal cord

Answer 3

cable of nerve fibres stretching from the base of the brain to the lower back.
receives sensory information from the PNS and transmits it up to the brain along the ascending tracts for processing and interpretation. Motor information from the brain is by the descending tracts carried to our muscles, organs and glands so they can react.

Question 3

divisions of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Answer 3

consists of all the nerves outside the CNS. Consists of the somatic and autonomic nervous system.

Question 4

Role of The Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 4

convey sensory information from the body’s internal and external environments to the CNS and transmit motor commands from the CNS to the rest of the body.

Question 5

ascending tracts

Answer 5

sensory information from the PNS is transmitted up the spinal cord to the brain

Question 6

descending tracts

Answer 6

carries motor information from the brain back to
the PNS

Question 7

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 7

the subdivision of the PNS that is responsible for sensing stimuli and controlling voluntary responses.
sensory neurons receive sensory information from receptor cells located around the body. and transmits this information to the CNS. the motor neurons receive commands from the CNS and the information is transferred to the skeletal muscles to enable appropriate responses.

Question 8

sensory neurons

Answer 8

Specialised afferent neurons located in sense organs that detect and respond to information from the environment and transmit it to the central nervous system

Question 9

motor neurons

Answer 9

receive commands from the CNS and then the information is transferred to the skeletal muscles located throughout the body

Question 9

divisions of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Answer 9

the sympathetic nervous system, the parasympathetic nervous
system and the enteric nervous system

Question 10

role of the Autonomic Nervous System

Answer 10

automatically controls our internal organs and glands

Question 11

Sympathetic Nervous System

Answer 11

dominates when we experience
heightened emotions, during times of vigorous physical activity, or when we perceive a threat.

Question 12

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 12

calms and lowers arousal levels, maintains a level of homeostasis. maintains heart rate breathing rate and blood pressure. once high arousal is over the parasympathetic nervous system dominates

Question 12

SAME

Answer 12

Sensory nerves are Afferent, Motor nerves are Efferent

Question 13

enteric nervous system (ENS)

Answer 13

controls the activity of the digestive system

Question 14

conscious response

Answer 14

occur in response to sensory stimuli that involves awareness. eg walking

Question 15

spinal reflex

Answer 15

occurs automatically and only involve the spinal cord and the somatic nervous system (operate independently from the brain). they are quick responses essential for survival. involve an interneuron making a connection between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron

Question 16

unconscious response

Answer 16

sensory stimuli is received by the brain and unconscious responses are controlled by the ANS. operate constantly and involuntary eg breathing and perspiration

Question 17

neurons

Answer 17

individual nerve cells that are specialised to receive, process and transmit electrochemical information

Question 18

neurotransmitters (key)

Answer 18

chemicals that allow neurons to communicate with each other, they are specific to the receptor site. (glutamate and GABA)

Question 19

glutamate

Answer 19

excitatory neurotransmitter, responsible for fast transmission of neural messages, involved in cognitive functions

Question 20

GABA

Answer 20

inhibitory neurotransmitter, calms and slows down neural transmission

Question 21

Neuromodulators

Answer 21

a type of neurotransmitters that can affect large numbers of neurons at he same time, they have slow and far reaching effects (dopamine and serotonin)

Question 22

dopamine

Answer 22

responsible for signalling that a reward is available, involved in motivation

Question 23

serotonin

Answer 23

a neuromodulator that is involved in pain, sleep and mood regulation (low levels are associated with depression)

Question 24

axon terminal (synaptic buttons)

Answer 24

the end of a pre synaptic neurons axon, containing the synaptic vesicles where neurotransmitters are released from to form a synapse with the dendrite of the postsynaptic neuron

Question 25

axon

Answer 25

long this fibre of the neuron through which messages are transmitted, coved in myelin sheath

Question 26

dendrites

Answer 26

the thread like branches that extend from the soma and receive signals form the presynaptic neuron

Question 27

receptor site (lock)

Answer 27

some neurotransmitters (key) will bind to certain receptor sites (lock) on the posts synaptic neuron

Question 28

synaptic vesicles

Answer 28

small sacs within the axon terminals of the presynaptic neurons that contain neurotransmitters, they release them into the synaptic cleft

Question 29

synapse

Answer 29

the junction between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neuron, separated by a gap called the synaptic cleft.

Question 30

agonists

Answer 30

drugs that are known to increase the release of certain neurotransmitters or imitate them by binding to their receptor sites and causing the postsynaptic neuron to respond the same way as it would to the neurotransmitter eg pain killer

Question 30

antagonists

Answer 30

drugs known to either inhibit the release of neurotransmitters or block the receptor sites for these neurotransmitters