LO 8/9 Flashcards
List the organs of the nervous system
- Brain
- Spinal cord
- Nerves - cranial and spinal
- Sensory organs - eyes, ears, specialized sensory organs, free nerve endings in skin
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?
- Central nervous system- brain and spinal cord, centrally located, integrative and control center (interprets incoming information and dictates response)
- Peripheral nervous system - nerves that extend to the peripheral parts of the body from the brain and spinal cord, communication Network between CNS and the rest of the body
What are the two main divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
- Autonomic nervous system
- Somatic nervous system
Describe the autonomic nervous system
- ANS for short
- Involuntary
- Visceral motor nerves
- Conducts impulses from CNS to cardiac muscle smooth muscles, and glands
Describe the somatic nervous system
- SNS for short
- Voluntary
- Somatic motor nerves
- Conducts impulses from the CNS to skeletal muscles
What are the two major divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
- Parasympathetic nervous system - cranial and sacral areas, rest and digest
- Sympathetic nervous system thoracic and lumbar areas, fight or flight
What are the two types of cells found in the nervous system?
- Neurons (nerve cells)
- Glia / neuroglia
Describe neurons
- The structural and functional units of the nervous system
- Consist of three main parts - dendrites, cell body, axon
- Classified according to function - sensory, motor, interneurons
_________ are branching projections that conduct impulses to the cell body
Dendrites
Describe the neuron cell body (soma)
- It is the main part of the neuron
- Contains the nucleus
- Found in or close to the central nervous system
________ is a long, single projection from the neuron cell body that transmits impulses away from the cell body
Axon
_______ neurons sense stimuli and conduct impulses from receptors all over the body to the brain and spinal cord
Sensory or afferent neurons
________ neurons conduct impulses away from the brain and spinal cord toward muscles and glands (effectors)
Motor (efferent)
Somatic motor neurons send impulses to ________ while visceral or autonomic motor neurons send impulses to _______
- Skeletal muscles
- Smooth and cardiac muscle, glands
________ neurons conduct impulses from sensory neurons to motor neurons
Interneurons (central or connecting)
Describe glia (neuroglia)
- Cells that provide support and protection for the nervous system
- Play a role in regulating function and structure of neurons - they are the glue that binds the cells of the nervous tissue together both structurally and functionally, allowing nervous system tissue to work as a coordinated whole
- They do not transmit nerve impulses
- They are five times more abundant than neurons
What are the four types of glia?
- CNS-astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes
- Pns - Schwann cells
Describe astrocytes
- Relatively large compared to other glial cells
- Wrap around and secure small blood vessels to neurons
- Part of the blood-brain barrier - separate blood from brain tissue, protects brain from harmful substances that may be in blood
Describe microglia
- Smaller than astrocytes
- Act as first and main form of active immune defense for CNS tissue
- Usually stationary, but if they sense any ‘trouble’ (e.g. tissue of the CNS becomes inflamed or damage), they quickly respond and act as macrophages to decrease inflammation and/or destroy any harmful substance to prevent potentially fatal damage to the sensitive CNS tissue
Describe oligodendrocytes/oligodendrogli
- Oligo = few and dendro = branches
- They help hold neurons together by extending its branches to the axon of neurons (can wrap its branches around up to 50 axons)
- Forms the myelin sheath (neurilemma is outermost membrane) on axons in the CNS
Describe the myelin sheath
- Is a fatty substance that electrically insulates axons
- Essential for proper function of nervous system / nerve impulse conduction
In the cns, myelin is formed by ________, while in the pns myelin is formed by _______
- Ogliodendroglia
- Schwann cells
_______are tiny uncovered gaps that are regularly spaced along the myelin sheath of the neuron
Nodes of ranvier
Describe the nodes of ranvier
- Unmyelinated spaces along axons
- Since the nervous not insulated with myelin at these spaces, it is capable of generating electrical activity there
- Allows for rapid and effective transmission of a nerve impulse referred to as saltatory conduction
- Saltatory means jumping
Describe nerves
- Made up of several bundles of axons (AKA fascicles) in the peripheral nervous system
- Usually covered by a myelin sheath, so appear white in color
_______ is tissue compose primarily of myelinated axons, while ________ is tissue composed primarily of cell bodies and unmyelinated fibers
- White matter
- Gray matter
What is a nerve fiber versus a fasicle versus a nerve?
- Nerve fibre is an axon
- Fasicle is a bundle of axons
- A bundle of fasicles is a nerve
Describe tracts
- Bundle of axons in the central nervous system
- Made up of white matter and gray matter
Describe nerve coverings
- Individual axons nerve fibers, fascicles, and nerves are surrounded by thin layers of fibrous connective tissue that have specific names based on their location
The ________ surrounds individual axons of the nerve
- Endoneurium
The _______ surrounds individual fascicles (bundles of axons) of nerves
- Perineurium
The _______ surrounds the entire nerve
- Epineurium
Nerve impulses are also called ______
Action potentials
Action potentials nerve impulses are constantly being conducted from ________ to ________ over ________
- Receptors
- Effectors
- Neuron pathways
A ________ is a specialized neuron pathway that results in rapid involuntary or autonomic response to a stimulus
Reflex arc - a particular stimulus always causes the same reflex
What are the two types of reflex responses?
- Contraction by a muscle
- Secretion by a gland