intro to nervous system Flashcards

1
Q

what two systems make up the nervous system?

A

the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system.

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2
Q

The CNS comprises of?

A

The brain and spinal chord

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3
Q

The PNS comprises of?

A

The nerves that extend from the CNS into the body. (12 cranial nerves and the 31 spinal nerves).

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4
Q

What are afferent nerve fibres?

A

They bring sensory information to the CNS from the periphery for processing.

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5
Q

What are efferent nerve fibres?

A

They take motor information from the CNS to the periphery.

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6
Q

Cranial nerve 1- the olfactory nerve? sensory

A

Located in the olfactory bulb of the nose, responsible for our sense of smell.

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7
Q

Cranial nerve 2- the optic nerve? sensory

A

responsible for our sight

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8
Q

Cranial nerve 3- the oculomotor nerve? motor, mixed

A

responsible for control certain eye muscles, focusing of the lens and proprioception- moving our eyes with our head automatically.

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9
Q

cranial nerve 4- the trochlear nerve? motor, mixed

A

responsible for the control of most eye muscles and proprioception.

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10
Q

cranial nerve 5- the trigeminal nerve? mixed

A

motor to chewing muscles (buccinator, temporalis and masseter).
3 branches: (all sensory)- to the mouth
opthalmic- sensory to cornea, skin of nose and scalp
maxillary-sensory to upper teeth, lips and upper gums
mandibular- sensory from teeth, lips and lower gums

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11
Q

cranial nerve 6- the abducens nerve? motor

A

Responsible for eye muscles and proprioception

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12
Q

cranial nerve 7- the facial nerve? mixed

A

sensory to the taste buds

motor to the muscles of facial expression/saliva excretion

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13
Q

cranial nerve 8- the vestibulocochlear nerve? sensory

A

innervates the ampulla, vestibule and cochlear to allow hearing and also balance and position.

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14
Q

cranial nerve 9- the glossopharyngeal nerve? mixed

A

motor to pharynx muscles (swallowing)

sensory to pharynx, middle ear and carotid sinus-(needed for BP reflex).

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15
Q

cranial nerve 10- the vagus nerve? mixed

A

parasympathetic headquarters
motor to the muscles of the pharynx and larynx
sensory impulses from taste buds

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16
Q

cranial nerve 11- the spinal accessory nerve? mixed

A

motor to the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles (enables neck and head turning)
sensory to skin over these muscles
proprioception

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17
Q

cranial nerve 12- the hypoglossal nerve? mixed

A

motor to tongue muscles and proprioception

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18
Q

What are the main parts of a neuron?

A

Cell body:(processing)

axon: propagating action potentials
dendrites: exchange of action potentials between neurons

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19
Q

Explain the reflex arc, with afferent, efferent and interneurons.

A

A message from the periphery, sensory nerves is sent via the afferent neurons.
The interneurons relay the mesasge within the brain.
Then the efferent neurons transport the new message back to the periphery to control the muscle.

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20
Q

Grey matter consists of….

A

cell bodies and dendrites

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21
Q

white matter consists of…

A

myelinated axon bodies

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22
Q

What are astrocytes?

A

Astrocytes:
star-shaped cells that hold the neurons together for structural support.
They also make up the blood brain barrier, and carry out general neuronal maintenance in the brain.

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23
Q

What are oligodendrocytes?

A

Oligodendrocytes:

they wrap themselves around the axon bodies and form the myelin sheaths.

24
Q

what are ependymal cells?

A

These cells line all the fluid filled cavitities of the brain.
They also produce the CSF, and have cilia to facilitate its movement.

25
Q

What are microglia?

A

They are the immune defense cells of the brain.

They are usually inactive, but phagocytotic when triggered. They clean away dead cells and debris.

26
Q

What are Schwann cells?

A

These cells produce the myelin itself, for the myelin sheath on the axons.

27
Q

What are satellite cells?

A

They support the nerve cells in the peripheral nervous system.

28
Q

What is the purpose of having myelinated axons?

A

Myelinated axons increase the speed of signal propagation by insulating the neuron.
This causes the signal to jump from one node of ranvier to the next, speeding up conduction time.

29
Q

What is the synapse?

A

The gap between the dendrites of one neuron and those of another neuron, where the neurotransmitters are released.

30
Q

Cardiac cells don’t have synapses. What do they have instead?

A

They have gap junctions instead.

31
Q

Name 3 key neurotransmitters

A

Dopamine, Serotonin and Acetylcholine

32
Q

What is the role of acetylcholine?

A

It is needed for all skeletal muscle movement (neurovascular junctions).

33
Q

what is the role of the catecholamines, noradrenaline and adrenaline and dopamine (as neurotransmitters)?

A

They are found in the brain region’s responsible for behaviour,learning, mood, emotions, motor control, appetite, body’s clock etc.

34
Q

Name the three layers of the meninges

A
  1. the tough, fibrous dura mater
  2. the arachnoid mater, a network of tiny fibres and mesh suspended within CSF fluid.
  3. the pia mater, a thin layer of cells that coats the surface of the brain.
35
Q

Which part of the brain is CSF produced in?

A

The choroid plexus-about 500 mls is produced per day

36
Q

What is the role of the brainstem?

A
the brain stem supports vital functions like:
Cardiac centre – HR & BP
Respiratory centre - breathing
—Chemoreceptor trigger zone, emetic
or vomiting centre, coughing
37
Q

what are the three regions of the brainstem?

A

the pons, he medulla oblangata and the midbrain

38
Q

Where is the cerebellum located and what is its function?

A

The cerebellum or ‘little brain’ is located behind the brainstem.
The cerebellum is responsible for:
maintaining upright posture and equilibrium
planning and coordination of motor activity.

39
Q

What two brain areas are under the diancephalon?

A

The hypothalamus and the thalamus

40
Q

What is the function and location of the thalamus?

A

The thalamus is located under the corpus callosum.
The thalamus is a relay station for afferent, incoming sensory information (except olfactory) pass on their way to the cerebral cortex.

41
Q

What is the function and location of the hypothalamus?

A

The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus.
The hypothalamus is a neuronal headquarters for;
-hunger and thirst
-body temperature
- water balance (via ADH stimulation in posterior pituitary)
- LH and FSH (gonadotrophin) production with GnRH in anterior pituitary.

42
Q

What four brain areas make up the cerebrum?

A

The right cortex, the left cortex and the corpus callosum relay point in the middle and the basal ganglia.

43
Q

The cerebral cortex is composed of which two types of matter and where?

A

The white matter (myelinated axons) is inside and is covered by a layer of grey matter (cell bodies and dendrites).

44
Q

What are the five lobes within each cerebral cortex?

A

The frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal and the insular lobes.

45
Q

What is the function and location of the frontal lobe?

A
The frontal lobe is located directly behind the forehead.
It is responsible for:
-voluntary motor activity
-speaking
-thought
46
Q

Which specific region in the frontal lobe is responsible for speaking?

A

Broca’s area. Damage to this region results in aphasia and impaired word formation.

47
Q

What is the function and location of the parietal lobe?

A

The parietal lobe is located directly behind the frontal lobe and is separated from it by the central sulcus.
It is responsible for:
- interpretation and processing of sensory information
(e.g. heat, cold, touch, pain and pressure).
-proprioception (the awareness of body position in space)
-this happens in the somatosensory cortex.

48
Q

What is the function and location of the temporal lobe?

A

The temporal lobe is located laterally, on the side of parietal and occipital lobes where the ear is.
It is responsible for:
- hearing (primary auditory cortex)
- emotion behind speaking (limbic association cortex and wernicke’s area).

49
Q

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

A

This is when damage to wernicke’s area in the temporal lobe results in the inability to understand words or speak words that make sense.

50
Q

What is the location and function of the occipital lobe?

A

The occipital lobe is the most posterior lobe, at the back of the head. It is responsible for;

  • the integration of the all visual input from the eyes (primary visual cortex).
  • general sensory integration
51
Q

What are the three components that make up the limbic system and what does it do?

A

The limbic system is responsible for:
-emotion, mood and memory
it is made up of the:
-hippocampus (part of temporal lobe involved in memory formation)
- amygdala (almond sized region of temporal lobe involved in regulation of emotions).
- cingulate gyrus (a gyrus of cortex directly over the corpus callosum, involved in adding emotional response to sensory input).

52
Q

What is the concept of cerebral dominance?

A

This is the concept that whilst both sides of the brain are used, that one is dominant over the other. Cerebral dominance is based on which hand you use. Left handed people are right side dominant and left handed people are left side dominant.

53
Q

Name some major arteries that supply the brain.

A

The internal carotid arteries on either side of the neck and the vertebral arteries that run over the C1 and C2 vertebrae.

54
Q

Where does the spinal cord start and finish?

A

The spinal cord starts from the foramen magnum (the hole at the base of the skull) and terminates at the L1 vertebra, where it becomes a network of fine fibres called the cauda equinae.

55
Q

Where are the grey and white matter positioned inside the spinal cord?

A

The core of the spinal cord is made up of the grey matter, with white matter on the outside.

56
Q

What are spinal tracts?

A

These are like freeways of neurons that are designated for certain types of neuronal input, speeding up their movement between the CNS and PNS.
There are ascending and descending spinal tracts.
Ascending spinal tracts are the freeway for sensory information to get back to the brain.
Descending tracts are the freeway for efferent, motor information going out to the periphery.