Lec 10 - Nervous system

Question 1

Example of nervous system dysfunction?

Answer 1

Dementia
Parkinsons disease
Bipolar disorder
Alcoholism

Question 2

What is the nervous system?

Answer 2

Regulatory communication network that allows organisms to respond to environmental stimuli.
Regulator of metabolism and activity in response to changes in its circumstance.

Question 3

Outline the classification of the nervous system

Answer 3

1) CNS > Brain/Spinal cord

2) Peripheral nervous system > Somatic/Autonomic > Sympathetic/parasympathetic

Question 4

What is the CNS?

Answer 4

Central nervous system, comprised of brain and spinal cord.

Question 5

What is the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 5

Communication intermediate for CNS

Subdivided to:
Somatic- skeletal muscle control
Autonomic - smooth muscles (internal organs/glands)

Autonomic has 3 divisions: enteric/sympathetic/parasympathetic

Question 6

What are the main parts of the brain?

Answer 6

Cerebral cortex
Diencephalon
brainstem
cerebellum

net: 100billion nerve cells in brain

Question 7

What is the function of spinal cord?

Answer 7

Contain neurones that receive sensory information from the skin and viscera.
Contains axons that convey sesory information up the cord to the brain (ascending pathway) and receive information from the brain (descending pathway)

Question 8

What is the peripheral nerves?

Answer 8

Made up of many axons, travelling to and from the spinal cord or brainstem.
Encased in connective tissue and blood supply

Question 9

How is sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system distinguished?

Answer 9

Sympathetic : Fight or flight e.g pupil dilation, heart accel.

Parasympathetic: rest and digest e.g pupil constriction

Usually act on the same organs but with opposing function

Question 10

What is the nervous system made out of and classes?

Answer 10

Glial cells

It secretes neural transmitters (glutamate,ATP)
Carry nutrients, support blood/brain barrier
cell regeneration

Glial cells are classed into:
Oligodenroglia
Microglia
Ependyma
Astrocytes

Question 11

What is a neuron?

Answer 11

Unit of the nervous system

Question 12

What is myelin?

Answer 12

Lipid covering axon of neurones

Aid conduction speed

Question 13

What are the effects of demyelination?

Answer 13

Multiple schlerosis

Question 14

How does the nervous system work?

Answer 14

Electrochemical activity

Cells communicate by neural action potentials

Question 15

what is action potential (40mV)?

Answer 15

The currency of which neurones cells communicate.

Requires to be continous re-amplificatino by voltage gates sodium channels

Question 16

What is the fundamental role of nerve cells?

Answer 16

Recieve > conduct > transmit signals

Question 17

Outline parkinsons disease (PD)

Features > Diagnosis > How > Causes > Treatments

Answer 17

A neurodegradation

Features abnormal motor and non-motor disorders

Diagnosed by PET neuroimaging
confirmed by immunochemistry post-mortem

How?
Loss of dopamine producing cells in mid-brain neurones of substantia nigra

Causes:
Accumilation of lewy bodies
Deah of astrocytes
increases microglia

Treatments: 
Dopamine replacement (levodopa)
Dopamine agonist
Monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors (rasagiline)
Deep brain stimulation
Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Neurotophic agents (GDNF)

Question 18

What are the 3 cell replacement strategies?

Answer 18

1) Human VM derived dopamine neurones
2) Human ES cell derived dopamine neurones (hESC)
3) iPS cell derived dopamine neurones (non human)

Question 19

What is the significance of Ghrelin?

Answer 19

Hormone from stomach in absence of food

Protects against MPTP (cause PD)