I/E: Nervous Communication COPY Flashcards
Stimulus
Any change in the internal or external environment.
Receptors
Detect stimuli.
Can be proteins or cell surface membranes
Effectors
Cells that bring about a response to a stimulus, to produce an effect.
How do receptors communicate?
Using the nervous system or the hormonal system.
Sometimes both.
What are the 3 main types of neurons?
Sensory
Motor
Relay
Sensory neurons
Transmit electrical impulses from receptors to the CNS.
Motor neurons
Transmit electrical impulses from the CNS to effectors.
Relay neurons
Transmit electrical impulses between sensory neurons and motor neurons.
What are electrical impulses also known as?
Nerve impulses or action potentials
Describe a reflex arc:
Stimulus
Receptors
(Sensory neuron)
CNS (relay neuron)
(Motor neuron)
Response
What are the two systems of the nervous system?
CNS - brain and spinal cord
Peripheral - neurons that connect to the rest of the body
What are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
Somatic = controls conscious activities
Autonomic = controls unconscious activities
What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic = fight/flight response
Parasympathetic = rest + digest
Reflex arc
Where the body responds to the stimulus without making a conscious decision to respond.
Give an example of a simple reflex arc, eg. the hand-withdrawal response to heat:
- Thermoreceptors in skin detect stimulus
- Sensory neuron carries impulses to relay neuron
- Relay neuron connects to the motor neuron
- Motor neuron sends impulses to the effector (bicep muscles)
- Muscle contracts to withdraw hand and stop it being damaged