Module 5 Section 1: Communication and Homeostasis Flashcards
What is the nervous system made up of
What is the CNS composed of and what neurons does it contain
Brain and spinal cord
Contains relay neurons
What is the PNS composed of and what neurons does it contain
Composed of cranial nerves, spinal nerves, peripheral nerves
Contains sensory neurons and motor neurons
Acts as interface between CNS and environment and transmits electrical impulses to and from the CNS
What is the peripheral nervous system
Made up of the neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
Has two different functional systems: somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
What is the somatic nervous system
Controls conscious conscious activities
E.g. running and playing videos games
What is the autonomic nervous system
Controls unconscious activities
E.g. digestion
Got two subdivisions that have opposite effects on the body
What is the sympathetic nervous system
Gets the body ready for fight or flight
Sympathetic neurons release the neurotransmitter noradrenaline from the adrenal glands
Causes heart rate to increase and allows rapid blood and glucose supply to respiring muscles
Allows high intensity activities like running from a predator to be an immediate response
What is the parasympathetic nervous system
Calms the body down in rest and digest system
Parasympathetic neurons release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
What are neurons
Neurons are specialised cells that conduct electrical impulses within the nervous system
What is a nerve
A nerve is a bundle of many neuron fibres enclosed within a protective sheath
What are nerve fibres
These are the long axons of neurons together with any associated tissues
Different components of a nervous system reaction
Stimulus: change in internal or external environment (e.g. touching hot dish)
Receptor: detect stimulus (e.g. sense organ)
Coordinator: formulates a suitable response to a stimulus
Effector: produces a response
What do sensory receptors act as
Sensory receptors act as transducers
Convert energy of a stimulus into electrical energy
Pathway of a nerve impulse (conscious action)
All the receptors and what they are sensitive to
Receptors in eyes are sensitive to light
Receptors in ear are sensitive to sound
Receptors in tongue are sensitive to chemicals
Receptors in nose are sensitive to chemicals
Receptors in skin are sensitive to touch, pressure, pain and temperature
What features are found in all neurons
Neurons have a long fibre know as an axon
They have a cell body that contains the nucleus and other cellular structures
End of the axon (axon terminal) contains nerve endings
The axon terminal allows neurons to connect to many other neurons and receive impulses from them, forming a network for easy communication
3 types of neurons
Sensory neurons
Relay neurons
Motor neurons
What are sensory neurons
Transmits the electrical impulses from receptors to CNS
Have one dendron which carries impulses to the cell body and one axon which carries the impulse away from the cell body
What are motor neurons
Transmits electrical impulses from the CNS to the effector (muscle/gland)
What relay neurons
(Intermediate) transmits electrical impulses within CNS, connect sensory and motor neurons
Adaptations of neurons
High branched: thin dendrites extend from the cell body and communicate with other neurons to allow electrical impulses to pass from one to the other
Myelin sheath: insulates the axons to ensure the impulses travel rapidly along the axon
Myelin sheath
Axons can be myelinated and electrically insulated by a myelin sheath (fatty substance)
Has small uninsulated sections along the length (nodes of ranvier)
Myelin sheath made up of specialised cells called Schwann cells
Means that electrical impulses can jump from one node to the other so impulses can travel much faster
Each time they grow around the axon, a double layer of phospholipid bilayer is laid down
How does action potential travel faster down myelinated sheath
Between Schwann cell are patches of bare membrane called the nodes of ranvier
Sodium ion channels are concentrated at the nodes
In a myelinated neuron, depolarisation only happens at the nodes of ranvier (where Na+ can get through the membrane)
Neurons cytoplasm conducts enough electrical charge to depolarise the next node, so the impulse ‘jumps’ from node to node
Called saltatory conduction (100x faster than non-myelinated)