Human Nervous System Flashcards
Name the two parts the nervous system is made up of.
central and peripheral.
Name nervous system’s different functions.
sensory
integrative
motor
What are meninges?
tissue membranes that protect the brain and the spinal cord cerebra.
Biggest part of the brain.
Cerebrum.
What does the pituitary gland do?
It secretes hormones.
Name the two parts that the peripheral nervous system is comprised of.
somatic
automatic
What is a synapse?
The places where neurons connect and communicate with each other
What is a reflex arc.
A neural pathway that controls a reflex.
What are neurotransmitters?
Their job is to carry chemical signals (“messages”) from one neuron (nerve cell) to the next target cell.
The clear fluid that fills the cerebral ventricles: the space between the membranes surrounding the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord
Cerebrospinal fluid
Outgrowths (fibres) which conduct impulses away from the cell body
Axons
The part of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for rest
Parasympathetic
A collection of nerve cell bodies outside the central nervous system
Ganglion
Nodes in a neuron that allow for faster transmission of impulses along an axon
Nodes of ranvier
the part of the central nervous system where nerve fibres between the brain and the spinal cord cross
medulla oblangata
The part of the brain that acts as an important reflex centre
Medulla oblongata
The membranes that enclose and protect the central nervous system
Meninges
An automatic reaction to a stimulus that is not under the control of the will
Reflex action
The structure that allows the conduction of impulses in one direction only
Synapse
Outgrowths (fibres) which conduct impulses towards the cell body
Dendrites
The functional unit of the nervous system
Neuron
A chemical substance released at a synapse to either stimulate or inhibit the post synaptic membrane
Neurotransmitter
Sensory neurons
carry impulses from receptors to the CNS
A motor neuron
transmits impulses to muscles and glands
An impulse is carried across a synapse as
a chemical process
performed by the cerebrum
consciousness and controlling voluntary movements
The spinal nerves are made up of
motor and sensory‑ nerves
Which of the following are functions of the autonomic system?
peristalsis, blushing and control of many glands
The principle function of the synaptic gap is to
ensure that impulses travel in one direction only
