human antomy Flashcards
Sensory input—gathering information
To monitor changes occurring inside and
outside the body
-Changes = stimuli
Integration
To process and interpret sensory input and
decide if action is needed
Motor output
A response to integrated stimuli
- The response activates muscles or glands
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
- Spinal nerves
- Cranial nerves
Central nervous system (CNS)
Brain
- Spinal cord
Sensory (afferent) division
Nerve fibers that carry information to the
central nervous system
Motor (efferent) division
Nerve fibers that carry impulses away from the
central nervous system
Motor (efferent) division (continued)
Two subdivisions
- Somatic nervous system = voluntary
- Autonomic nervous system = involuntary
Astrocytes
Abundant, star-shaped cells
- Brace neurons
- Form barrier between capillaries and neurons
- Control the chemical environment of
the brain
Support cells in the CNS are grouped together as
“neuroglia”
Function: to support, insulate, and protect
neurons
Microglia
Spiderlike phagocytes
- Dispose of debris
Ependymal cells
Line cavities of the brain and spinal cord
- Circulate cerebrospinal fluid
Nissl substance
Specialized rough endoplasmic reticulum
Cell body
Nucleus
- Large nucleolus
Schwann cells
Form myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous
system
Satellite cells
Protect neuron cell bodies
Oligodendrocytes
Wrap around nerve fibers in the central
nervous system
- Produce myelin sheaths
Myelin sheath
whitish, fatty material covering
axons
Neurons = nerve cells
Cells specialized to transmit messages
Major regions of neurons
Cell body—nucleus and metabolic center
of the cell
- Processes—fibers that extend from the
cell body
Axons end in axonal terminals
Axonal terminals contain vesicles with
neurotransmitters
Neurofibrils
Intermediate cytoskeleton
Maintains cell shape
Nodes of Ranvier
gaps in myelin sheath along
the axon
Processes outside the cell body
Dendrites—conduct impulses toward the cell
body
- Axons—conduct impulses away from the cell
body