Exam 2 Flashcards
What does axon myelination consist of?
Myelin “coat”
What is the myelin sheath?
Intermittent lipid coverings down the axon
What type of cells is the myelin sheath formed by?
Non-neuron support (Glial) cells
- Schwann cells –> PNS
- Oligodendrocytes –> CNS
What are Nodes of Ranvier?
Bare axon surface
Where are Nodes of Ranvier?
Between myelin sheaths
~ 1 mm apart
What does axon myelination = ?
Speed, speed, speed
What does axon myelination = ?
Speed, speed, speed
What is saltatory conduction?
- Action potential “skips” over myelinated areas of axon membrane
- Increases action potential propagation speed
Synapse
Association between axon terminal and target cell
What are the 3 types of target cells?
Another neuron, muscle cell, secretory cell
Synaptic Cleft
Space between synaptic knob and target cell
What is the synaptic knob?
Bell-shaped ending of axon
What does the synaptic knob contain?
Synaptic vesicles that hold packaged neurotransmitters
What does the AP open?
Ca 2+ channels
What does the action potential opening the Ca 2+ channels do?
Causes exocytosis of neurotransmitters
What happens when the nuerotransmitters are released?
They cross the cleft, bind to receptors on target
Steps once action potential is released
- Action potential reaches terminal
- Voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels open
- Calcium enters axon terminal
- Nuerotransmitter is released and diffuses into the cleft
- Nuerotransmitter binds to postsynaptic receptors
- Nuerotransmitters are remobrf from synaptic cleft
Excitatory Post-Synaptic Potentials (EPSPs)
Nuerotransmitter-receptor Ligands open gated channels
- Mostly Na+ channels
- Each brings target closer to “threshold” (-55 mV)
Inhibitory Post-Synaptic Potentials (IPSPs)
Neurotransmitter-Receptor Ligans increase membrane permeability
- K+
- Cl-
Hyper polarizes membrane (Higher Resting Potential)
–> Further away from “threshold” (-55 mV)
Grand Post-Synapic Potential (GPSP)
The “sum” of concurrent EPSPs and IPSPs
Temporal Summation
- From one upstream neuron
- Rapid enough to “build up”
Spatial Summation
“Build up” from multiple upstream neurons
What do neuropeptides act on?
Act on the target cell
- near, but not within the synapse
What do neuropeptides do?
Alter (^ / v ) responsiveness to neurotransmitter
What is pre-synaptic inhibition / potentiation?
- Regulation of the pre-synaptic nueron
- By 3rd party neuron
- Influences amount of neurotransmitter released
What is the central nervous system made of?
Brain and spinal cord
What does the brain do?
- Regulation of body
- Higher thought/memory
- Lower “thought” (reactions, emotions, etc)
What does the spinal cord do?
- Passageway between the brain and body
- Coordination of some basic reflexes
- Source of motor neurons
- Destination of sensory nerves
What is the cerebrum?
- Outermost neural tissue
- Highest complexity
- Highest thought
What is the cerebrum composed of?
- Cerebral cortex
- Hippocampus
- Olfactory bulb
- Basal nuclei
What is gray matter made of?
- Cell bodies/dendrites
- Vasculature
What is white matter made of?
- Bundles of myelinated axon fibers
- “Tracts” for neural pathways
Right hemisphere
- Spatial relationships
- Music, art
- Creativity
Left Hemisphere
- Language
- Fine motor control
- Logic
Where is the occipital lobe? What does it do?
- Back of the cerebral cortex
- Visual processing cortex
Where is the temporal lobe? What does it do?
- Sides of the cerebral cortex
- Hearing
Where are the parietal lobes? What does it do?
- Top of the cerebral cortex
- Touch, pressure. heat/cold, pain, body position
Where is the frontal cortex?
in the front of the cerebral cortex
Primary motor cortex
Voluntary motor control
Supplementary motor cortex
Stores motor programs
- “memorized” specific movements
Premotor cortex
- Works in conjunction with posterior parietal cortex
- Integration of motor programs with incoming sensory information
Limbic association cortex
- Motivation
- Emotion
- Memory
Hippocampus
Coverts short-term memory to long term
Olfactory bulb
Smell
Basal nuclei
- Inhibits unnecessary muscle tone
- Helps maintain posture
Thalamus
- “Relay station”
- Coordinates sensory input from output
- Filters out “useless noise”
Hypothalamus
Regulation of homeostasis
- Body temp
- Thirst / urine output
- Food intake / appetite
Controls anterior pituitary hormone secretion
Coordinates autonomic NS
Emotional & behavioral patterns
Cerebellum
Orb shaped structure located in the back of the brain
Vistibulocerebellum
- adjacent to brain stem
- maintains balance
- controls eye movement
Spinocerebellum
- located at midline
- coordinates w/ cc motor cortex
- predicts body position
~ makes adjustment
Cerebrocerebellum
- majority of cerebellum
- “lower” voluntary action
- some “procedural” memories
What is the brainstem made of (3 components) andwhat level of function does it have?
Medulla, pons, midbrain
- lowest / least conmplex function
~ sleep/awake, alertness, basic touch/pressure
~ systems activity
Medulla
- swallowing/salvation
- vomiting (chemoreceptor trigger zone)
- respiration
- blood pressure
- heart rate
Pons
- Changes in respiratory rate, blood pressure
- Analgesic system, sleep
Midbrain
motivation
What is the spinal cord continuous with?
the brainstem
What is the spinal cord made of?
White & gray matter
Meninges
Cerebrospinal fluid
Lateral grat matter horns
cell bodies of autonomic (involuntary) efferent neurons
Ventral / anterior gray matter horns
Cell bodies of somatic (voluntary) efferent neurons
Dorsal/posterior gray matter horns
- cell bodies of interneurons
- receive signal from afferent / sensory neurons
Withdrawl (spinal reflex)
withdrawing body part from the pain source
Stretch (spinal reflex)
contracting SKM to counteract stretch
Crossed extensor (spinal reflex)
shifts load from injured limb to another
Peripheral nervous system
Nerves carrying info between CNS and body
Sensory neurons - afferent division
- detect specific conditions in body tissues
- alerts central nervous system
Motor neurons - efferent
- Begins in CNS
- Terminate on target tissues
Somatic division
voluntary
Autonomic division
involuntary
Order of spinal nerves (top –> bottom)
cervical > thoracic > lumbar > sacral > coccygeal
Receptor / dendrite
- receptor near dendrite tips
- receptor part of dendrite tips
- affect axon hillock potential
Axon
- connects to dendrites
- carries signal to CNS (via action potential)
Cell body
- axon “offshoot”
- Skeps depolarization during action potential
- groups located in same place
~ dorsal root ganglia
What do sensory neuron receptors respond to?
changes in SPECIFIC sources of energy
Photoreceptors
light
mechanoreceptors
stretch/bending
thermoreceptors
heat/cold
osmoreceptors
ECF molarity
Chemoreceptors
detect certain chemicals
- taste/smell , O2/CO2 in blood, nutrients in GI tract
Nociceptors
pain
What is intensity of sensation determined by?
action potential amount
Frequency code =
frequency of action potentials
Population code =
number of simultaneous action potentials
Receptor adaptation
Become less/non-responsive to stimuli
- often due to “over-stimulation”
Tonic receptors
- NO adaptation / gradual adaptation
- Example: muscle stretch receptors