Chapter 49: Nervous system Flashcards
Nerve net
The nervous system for more simple animals, allows for reactions to their environments
Grey matter
Part of the brain that makes the decisions, non-myelinated
White matter
Part of the brain that communicates the decisions, myelinated
What is a reflex? Why is it so rapid?
A rapid reaction to stimuli, it is so rapid because the spinal chord is responsible for it, so the information does not even have to reach the brain
What are the components involved in the reflex response and how are they arranged?
Sensory neurons: notices the stimuli and brings it to spinal interneuron
Integration center: analyzes the stimulus and decides on a reaction to it.
Motor neurons: Carry out whatever the spinal cord said to do
What is the function of ependymal cells?
Produces and controls the flow of cerebrospinal fluid
What are astrocytes and what is their function?
They are modified glial cells, keep neurons where they are supposed to be, maintain the cellular environment around the neuron, and form the blood-brain barrier
What is the function of the blood-brain barrier?
Separates blood from brain, controls what comes in and out for better pathogen defenses
How do afferent and efferent neurons differ?
Afferent bring in information, efferent bring out information for the body to act on
What are the two components of the efferent branch of the peripheral nervous system?
Motor division and autonomic branch
What are the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic division: “fight or flight”
Parasympathetic division: “rest and digest”
Enteric division: handles the digestive system and associated glands
What are the major functions of the brain stem and what are its three parts?
Midbrain: Receives information about sudden movement and reacts
Pons: Coordinate flow of information through the cerebrum and cerebellum
Medulla oblongata: Controls breathing
What is an adaptation present in Bottlenose dolphins that permits substantial activity during sleep? How does this help the dolphin survive?
They can make one side of the brain sleep at a time, this makes it so that they do not sink to the bottom of the ocean or forget to breathe at the top of the water
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Remembers motor skills
What are the three regions in the adult brain that develop from the diencephalon?
Thalamus: Filters out useless information
Pineal gland: Releases melatonin which makes you sleepy
Pituitary gland: Releases a wide range of hormones
What is the function of the cerebrum?
Does most of the thinking, divided into three:
Cerebral cortex, makes sense of the world, left side controls right and vice versa
Basal nuclei, plans out movement sequences
Limbic system, regulates how to react to emotions
What is the function of the corpus collosum?
It connects the right and left side of the brain and shares information amongst them
Specific types of sensory input are directed to the primary sensory areas of the cortex via which brain structure?
Thalamus, which shares information throughout the brain
What is meant by the term lateralization?
The left side of the brain handles language, math, and logics
The right side of the brain handles emotions, nonverbal communication, and pattern recognition
What is the limbic system and what happens there?
It is one of the innermost parts of the brain, it decides how much to react to an emotion
What is the function of the amygdala?
It processes emotions
What changes in the brain are involved in learning?
New neuron creation and neuron strengthening
Which brain structure is involved in accessing short-term memory?
Hippocampus
What is long-term potentiation and what is the process?
Learning that involves the strengthening of the existing neurons.
1. At the start NMDA glutamate receptors are blocked by magnesium
2. Post-synaptic neuron becomes depolarized releasing the magnesium
3. Unblocked NMDA glutamate receptors let in sodium and calcium
4. Calcium causes AMDA receptors in storage to come out to the cell surface
5. This means that there are more receptors which can let in more ions, meaning that it is easier to cause an action potential
