INTRODUCTION TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Question 1

what is the somatic nervous system?

Answer 1

the PNS associated with voluntary control

Question 2

what is the visceral nervous system?

Answer 2

the PNS and CNS associated with involuntary control

Question 3

where do somatic sensory nerves carry information from? what about visceral sensory nerves?

Answer 3

somatic- external stimuli

visceral- internal stimuli

Question 4

what are the functions of sensory nerves?

Answer 4

to bring information from a stimuli to the CNS, to asses interpret and integrate the information

Question 5

what are the functions of motor nerves?

Answer 5

to produce a response to stimuli and regulate the internal environment in response to that stimuli

Question 6

what are neurons?

Answer 6

the functional unit of the nervous system

Question 7

what is a bipolar neuron?

Answer 7

a neutron with 2 extensions and the cell body in the middle of the axon

Question 8

what is a pseudounipolar neuron?

Answer 8

a neuron with no dendrites and the cell body off to 1 side

Question 9

what are multipolar neurones?

Answer 9

a neuron with a single axon and many dendrites and the cell body is at one end

Question 10

in the CNS where are cell bodies and axons found?

Answer 10

cell bodies- grey matter

axons- white matter

Question 11

in the PNS where are cell bodies and axons found?

Answer 11

cell bodies- ganglia

axons- bundle together to form nerves

Question 12

describe the distribution of white matter and grey matter in the brain and spinal cord?

Answer 12

brain- white matter on the inside and grey matter on the outside
spinal cord- white matter on the outside and grey matter on the inside

Question 13

what is a gyrus? what is a sulcus?

Answer 13

gyrus- a ridge on the surface of the brain

sulcus- a groove in the cerebral cortex

Question 14

what is the central sulcus? describe the gyrus either side?

Answer 14

divides the frontal and parietal lobes

pre-central gyrus in front and post-central gyrus behind

Question 15

what is the pre-central gyrus?

Answer 15

the motor cortex

Question 16

what is the post-central gyrus?

Answer 16

the sensory cortex

Question 17

what is the lateral fissure?

Answer 17

separates the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes

Question 18

where is the thalamus?

what is its function?

Answer 18

a small structure within the brain located just above the brain stem between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain.
 function of the thalamus is to relay motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex.

Question 19

what makes up the forebrain?

Answer 19

the cerebrum and the diencephalon

Question 20

what makes up the diencephalon?

Answer 20

the thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 21

what makes up the hindgut?

Answer 21

cerebellum

Question 22

what makes up the brainstem?

Answer 22

the midbrain, pons and medulla

Question 23

what is the PNS?

what are the 2 types of nerves within it?

Answer 23

everything outside the brain and spinal cord

cranial nerves and spinal nerves

Question 24

what is a ganglion?

Answer 24

a group of neuron cell bodies in the PNS

Question 25

what are rootlets? what do they join to make?

Answer 25

the initial segments of nerves leaving the CNS. they join to form a root

Question 26

what do anterior and posterior roots join to make?

Answer 26

spinal nerves

Question 27

what are the anterior and posterior ramus?

what do they supply?

Answer 27

they are the divisions of the spinal nerve.
posterior- supplies somatic sensory and motor fibres towards the intrinsic muscles of the back (smaller division)
anterior- supplies everything else

Question 28

where do sensory and motor information pass out of the grey matter?

Answer 28

sensory- the dorsal horn

motor- the ventral horn

Question 29

where do the sensory and motor nerve fibres come together?

Answer 29

in the spinal nerve

Question 30

what is a plexus?

Answer 30

a branching network of intersecting nerves

Question 31

why do we have plexuses?

Answer 31

they are efficient at distributing axons around the body

if one nerve gets damaged then we can still get nerve supply to the same place/close by

Question 32

what is a dermatome?

Answer 32

an area of skin supplied by one spinal segment

Question 33

what is a myotome?

Answer 33

an area of muscle supplied by one spinal segment

Question 34

what is a lesion?

Answer 34

a region in an organ or tissue which has suffered damage through injury or disease, such as a wound, ulcer, abscess, or tumour

Question 35

what is being impacted if a lesion is focal?

Answer 35

the PNS

Question 36

what is being impacted if the lesion is systemic?

Answer 36

the CNS

Question 37

what are somatotropic maps?

Answer 37

the projection of the body surface onto a brain area that is responsible for our sense of touch and that is called the somatosensory cortex