Lecture 2 Flashcards
What are the two primary divisions of the nervous system?
Central nervous system (CNS) and Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What are the two primary divisions of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)? Describe each.
1) Afferent: Sensory and organ systems transmit into TO the CNS
2) Efferent: Communication FROM the CNS to organs/motor function
What 3 things do neurons consist of? Describe each
1) Cell body/soma
2) Dendrites: project from cell body to receive signals
3) Axon: the nerve fiber that carries action potentials away from cell body
1) How long are axons?
2) What is the axon trigger zone?
3) What are the final branches of an axon called?
1) Can very in length, 1 mm to longer than 1 meter
2) Axon hillock (initial segment)
3) Axon terminals
1) What is myelination formed from in the PNS?
2) What about in the CNS?
1) By Schwann cells in the PNS
2) Oligodendrocytes in the CNS
1) What is myelinated conduction also called?
2) How fast is it compared to unmyelinated?
3) What are the nodes of ranvier?
1) Saltatory conduction
2) 50 times faster
3) The gaps between myelinated sections
What are the 3 morphological classifications of neurons? Briefly describe each
1) Unipolar: Usually afferent
2) Bipolar: Rare, found in retina
3) Multipolar: Most common
1) What is neuronal transport mediated by?
2) Define anterograde transport
3) Define retrograde transport
1) Cytoskeletal components
2) Anterograde: From soma to processes
3) Retrograde: From the process to the soma
1) List the 3 cytoskeletal components
2) Which is made of actin/ myosin?
3) Which is also in organelle transport?
1) Neurofilaments, microfilaments, and microtubules
2) Microfilaments
3) Microtubules
What two proteins aid microtubules?
Kinesin and dynein
List and describe the 3 primary cytoskeletal components (involved in the mediation of neuronal transport)
1) Neurofilaments: Structural rigidity to the axon
2) Microfilaments: Extension of dendrites and axon, structural support and organelle transport
Composed of actin/myosin
3) Microtubules: Largest in diameter, also in organelle transport. Aided by proteins kinesin and dynein.
1) What fibers conduct at .7 meters/ sec?
2) What fibers conduct at 120 meters/ sec?
1) Small unmyelinated fibers of digestive tract
2) Large myelinated skeletal muscle fibers
1) Name a disease in which myelin is destroyed, and what kind of disease it is.
2) What else does the damage from this disease do?
3) What 4 observable effects does this disease have on the body?
1) Multiple sclerosis; an autoimmune disease
2) Also leaves scars which further interfere with transmission
3) Affects muscle weakness, balance, coordination, sensation
1) What two things do Schwann cells do? Where are they found?
2) What stabilizes the complex structure of the CNS? When does this happen?
3) Can the brain and spinal cord regenerate?
1) Repair and regulate; only in the PNS
2) Growth inhibiting proteins of the CNS; activated late in fetal development
3) No, brain and spinal cord don’t regenerate
1) What do neurons regulate? What does this result in?
2) What 3 things are needed for neuronal excitability?
1) The transport of specific ions across neuronal membranes resulting in an electrochemical gradient
2) Na+, K+ and Cl-
1) What are the two types of ion channels?
2) What creates an electrical gradient?
3) What is most cells RMP (resting membrane potential) dominated by? Why?
1) Voltage gated and ligand gated
2) Different concentrations of ions
3) K+; due to the permeable plasma membrane
True or false: Action potentials (APs) always have the same phases
False; APs have different phases depending on the permeability
1) How do voltage gated channels work?
2) Regarding these channels, what happens at threshold potential?
3) Is the ECF or ICF more positive after this happens?
1) The surrounding electrical environment changes their shape
2) Na+ becomes 600x more permeable than K+ and this sets off positive feedback of Na+ voltage gated channels opening
3) ICF becomes more positive than ECF
Define absolute and relative refractory periods
1) Absolute: another AP cannot be generated
2) Relative: follows the absolute refractory period; an AP can only be generated by stronger than usual trigger during hyperpolarization
Explain the “all-or-none” rule
A triggering event that is stronger than what is required for threshold potential does not create a “stronger” action potential, and a trigger event that “comes close” to threshold potential does not active an action potential at all
1) What two things affect the speed of an action potential
2) What type of conduction occurs in unmyelinated fibers?
3) What about in myelinated fibers?
1) Diameter and myelination of the fiber
2) Contiguous conduction
3) Saltatory conduction
What are the two ways neurons communicate?
By electrical and chemical synapses
1) How do electrical synapses occur?
2) What do chemical synapses rely on?
3) What are the 3 ways in which a chemical synapse can be terminated?
1) Occurs via gap junctions
2) The release of neurotransmitters
3) Via diffusion, degradation, or cellular uptake
1) Where is acetylcholine released from?
2) What 3 non-CNS things is norepinephrine involved in?
3) What 6 CNS pathways is norepinephrine involved in?
1) From nerves that supply muscle and exocrine glands
2) Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, exocrine glands
3) Pathways for memory, mood, emotion, behavior, perception, sleep
1) What pathways is dopamine involved in?
2) What 5 pathways is serotonin involved in?
1) Similar CNS pathways to norepinephrine; “Pleasure” pathways.
2) CNS pathways for mood, behavior, stress, consciousness, muscles
What do SSRIs do?
Block the reuptake of serotonin in the presynaptic axon terminals, prolonging its action
1) What are neuromodulators involved in?
2) Give 4 examples
1) Long-lasting events like learning and motivation
2) Neuropeptides, ATP, nitrous oxide, and endocannabinoids (similar to the active ingredient of marijuana)
What are the two types of postsynaptic potentials? What does each do, and what does this cause to happen?
1) Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs): bind to receptor-channels that permit Na+ and K+, and bring the postsynaptic membrane closer to threshold potential
2) Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs): Increase permeability of K+ (efflux) or Cl-, causing small hyperpolarization
1) Define direct communication and give 3 examples
2) What type of communication is indirect?
1) Physical contact between cells. Exs: Gap junctions, tunneling nanotubes, and surface markers
2) Chemical messengers
1) What are the 4 types of signal molecules?
2) What type of communication are they involved in?
1) Paracrines/autocrines, neurotransmitters, hormones, and neurohormones
2) Indirect (chemical) communication
The sequence in which incoming signals from extracellular chemical messengers are conveyed to a target cell to elicit a specific cellular response is called what?
Signal transduction
1) What do paracrines act on?
2) What do autocrines act on?
3) What do neurotransmitters act on?
1) Act on cells near area of secretion.
2) Act only on the cells that secreted it.
3) Act across the synaptic cleft
1) What are hormones? What do they affect?
5) What are neurohormones released by? What do they affect?
1) Long-range chemicals carried by the blood to affect specific target cells
2) Released by neurosecretory neurons into the blood to act on distant cells
Define signal transduction
Sequence in which incoming signals from extracellular chemical messengers are conveyed to a target cell to elicit a specific cellular response
Most paracrines belong to what two categories?
Cytokines or eicosanoids
1) Cytokines or eicosanoids are two types of what?
2) What is that category a type of?
1) Paracrines
2) Signaling molecules
1) Describe cytokines
2) What 3 things are cytokines involved in?
1) Immune-mediators that enhance antibody-producing cells
2) Growth, cell differentiation, and healing
1) Define eicosanoids
2) What are its 3 classes?
1) Lipid signal molecules involved in many functions
2) Prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes
1) What did we initially think was the sole function of prostaglandins? What else are they actually involved in?
2) What two things do thromboxanes promote?
3) What are leukotrienes involved in?
1) Initially thought to only be involved in reproduction, but are involved in many body systems including respiratory, digestive, urinary, etc
2) Platelet aggregation and vasoconstriction
3) Inflammatory responses
What are the two main types of hormones?
Hydrophilic and lipophilic
1) What are hydrophilic hormones made of? What are the two types?
2) What are catecholamines secreted by?
3) What are indoleamines secreted by?
1) Made of amino acid chains: proteins (longer) and peptides (shorter)
2) Adrenal medulla
3) Pineal gland
1) What are catecholamines and indoleamines a type of?
2) What is that a type of?
1) Hydrophilic hormones
2) Signaling molecule
What hormones are lipophilic?
Thyroid and steroid hormones
1) What sites does the nervous system affect? What about the endocrine system?
2) How long do nervous system transmissions take, and how long do the effects last? What about the endocrine system?
3) What can be described as “wired”, the nervous system or endocrine system? Which can be described as wireless?
1) Nervous system affects close sites; endocrine system affects distant sites
2) Nervous system takes milliseconds and lasts for milliseconds. Endocrine system takes minutes to hours, and lasts minutes to days or longer
3) Nervous as “wired”, endocrine as “wireless”
1) What do sensory systems do? In what form?
2) Name 6 kinds of sensory receptors
1) Transform physical and chemical signals from the external and internal environments into information in the form of nerve action potentials
2) Photoreceptors
Chemoreceptors
Mechanoreceptors
Thermoreceptors
Proprioceptors
Nociceptors
List 4 characteristics of sensory receptors
1) Optimized to respond preferentially
2) Most receptors will respond to additional types of stimuli (but threshold is higher)
3) Transform environmental energy into electrical signals
4) Have a graded response (depends on signal strength)
1) Define adequate stimulus in the context of sensory receptors
2) What do accessory sensory structures do?
1) The lowest threshold detected
2) Enhance the sensitivity of the receptor
In regards to sensory nerve activity:
1) What happens to the membrane when there’s no stimulus?
2) What does a subthreshold stimulus produce?
3) What can cause a single action potential?
4) What happens if a stimulus is maintained?
5) What would increasing stimulus intensity do?
1) The membrane is at rest.
2) A generator potential too small to cause membrane excitation.
3) A brief, but intense, stimulus
4) Leads to a train of action potentials.
5) Would lead to an increase in the action potential firing rate.
1) Do larger responses produce larger APs (action potentials)? Why?
2) What can produce more action potentials?
1) No, bc of all-or-none law can only make more APs
2) Increased intensity can induce more AP’s
1) Define slow adaptation
2) Define rapid adaptation
3) Define tonic
4) Define phasic
1) Generator Potential amplitude declines slowly
2) Action potential frequency falls rapidly and than maintains a constant slow rate that does not show further adaptation
3) Tonic: Little or no adaptation (intensity receptors)
4) Phasic: Significant adaptation (velocity receptors)
What type of receptors are tonic? Which are phasic?
Intensity receptors are tonic, velocity receptors are phasic
List 6 kinds of sensory receptors
1) Tactile (touch) type of mechanoreceptor
2) Hair receptor
3) Merkel’s disc
4) Pacinian corpuscle
5) Ruffini endings
6) Meissner’s corpuscle
1) How do tactile (touch) type of mechanoreceptors work?
2) What do hair receptors allow us to sense?
3) What does Merkel’s disc allow us to sense?
1) Mechanical force changes cation channel proteins, Na+ entry, afferent AP
2) Gentle touch
3) Sustained touch and texture like when reading Braille
1) What does the Pacinian corpuscle allow us to sense?
2) What does the Ruffini endings allow us to sense?
3) What does the Meissner’s corpuscle allow us to sense?
1) Pacinian: Vibration, deep pressure
2) Ruffini: Slow sustain sensation (like massage)
3) Meissner’s: Rapidly adapting and sensitive (tickling with feather)
Trace the path of afferent information
1) Starts in the periphery
2) Goes to the spinal cord then
3) Becomes part of reflex arc
OR
3) Relayed to the brain via ascending pathway for further processing
What two things can happen once afferent information reaches the spinal cord?
It becomes part of reflex arc
OR
It’s relayed to the brain via ascending pathway for further processing
Why can we feel thermal sensations in different gradations (i.e. the difference between hot and warm, warm and cool, etc)?
Because of three types of sensory receptors:
1) Cold receptors
2) Warmth receptors
3) Pain receptors
1) True or false: Different thermal receptor subtypes are activated at different temperatures
2) How are they activated?
3) What does this all facilitate?
1) True
2) Perhaps activated by changes in their metabolic rates, which would vary through different temperature windows
3) Graded sensation of temperature
Where do thermal receptor signals enter and terminate?
1) Enter ascending fibers in the anterolateral tract and 2) Terminate in the brain stem and thalamus
1) How does vision work; what detects light, and what processing does it undergo?
2) Name two properties of the eye
1) Light bounces off objects, which is then detected by photoreceptors in the retina. Undergoes cortical processing to provide the sensation of vision
2) Sensitive and valuable
How many layers is the eye made of? List and describe them
1) Corneoscleral layer: tough connective tissue
2) Uveal layer: richly vascularized
3) Retina: photoreceptor cells