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Y1 IMS > Nerves > Flashcards

Nerves Flashcards

1
Q

How are the nerves organised

A

The Central Nervous system and The peripheral nervous system

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2
Q

What is the CNS

A

Central nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord
It receives, processes, interprets and stores information and sends messages destined for muscles, glands and organs

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3
Q

What is the PNS

A

The peripheral nervous system

Which transmits information to and from the CNS by way of sensory and motor nerves

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4
Q

What are the two divisions of the PNS

A

Somatic nervous system

Autonomic nervous system

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5
Q

How can the autonomic nervous system be further divided

A

Sympathetic: fight to flight
Parasympathetic: rest and digest
Enteric and cardiac plexus

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6
Q

What is the role of the autonomic nervous system

A

Regulates involuntary processes, including heart rate, respiration, digestion and pupil contraction

Operates automatically without conscious direction

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7
Q

What is the role of the somatic nervous system

A

Carries sensory information form the sensory organs to the CNS and relays motor commands to the muscle

Controls voluntary movements

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of neurones

A

Cells specialised for fast communication
High metabolic rates
Main component of brain’s grey matter
Can be classified by size, shape, connections, function, transmitters

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9
Q

What are the dendrites, axon, and synaptic terminals

A

Dendrites: signal inputs
Axon: signal conduction
Synaptic terminals: signal output

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10
Q

What are the three sizes of neurones

A

Multipolar neurone
Unipolar neurone
Bipolar neurone

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11
Q

What is contained within white matter

A

Axons carrying information to and from the brain

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12
Q

What are ganglia

A

Nodular masses of neurone cell bodies (ganglion cells) and supporting neuroglia (satellite cells)

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13
Q

What are the two types of ganglia in the PNS

A

Sensory: cell bodies of sensory neurones
Autonomic: cell bodies of efferent neurones from the autonomic nervous system

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14
Q

What are neuroglia

A 
Supporting cells for neurones
Regulate neurone metabolism and function
Repair and recovery from injury
Regulate blood brain barrier
Destroy pathogens and remove dead neurones
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15
Q

What are the main types of neuroglia in the CNS

A

Astrocytes
Oligodendrocytes
Microglia
Ependyma

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16
Q

What are the main types of glial cells in the PNS

A

Satellite cells

Schwann cells

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17
Q

What is myelination

A

The process by which the fact membrane is generated around the axon

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18
Q

What is the spinal cord reflex pathway

A

Sensory receptor (site of stimulus) -> Sensory neurone (transmits afferent information to the CNS) -> Integration centre (one or more synapses within the CNS) -> Motor neurone (conducts efferent impulses to the effector organ) -> Effector (muscle fibre or gland response to impulses)

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19
Q

What is the average resting membrane potential

A

-65mV

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20
Q

What factors contribute to the resting membrane potential

A

Charged intracellular proteins
Na+/K+ pump
Potassium ions
Sodium ions

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21
Q

What is an action potential

A

The means by which a neurone sends information down its axon away from the cell body
It is an explosion of electrical activity that is created by a depolarising current

22
Q

What is sensory transduction

A

Conversion of environmental or internal signals into electrochemical energy

23
Q

What are the two types of synapses

A

Electrical: direct passage of current via ions flowing through gap junctions
Chemical: release of vesicles containing chemical transmitter which has an effect on receptors on a target cell

24
Q

What is a neurotransmitter

A

A substance that is release at a synapse by one neurone that affects another cell, either neurone or effector organ in a specific manner

25
What is a neuromodulator
A substance that is release and modifies the action of a neurotransmitter but does not have a direct action itself
26
What is a neuroactive substance
A neutral tem is a substance is known to have an effect in the CNS but its precise action is not known
27
What is an inotropic receptor
A cluster of similar subunits forming ion channels that depolarise or hyper polarise the postsynaptic cell
28
What is a metabotropic receptor
A 7-transmembrane molecule coupled to intracellular proteins that transduce a signal to cell interior
29
What are the components of the motor unit
Motor unit consists of the motor nerve and all the muscle fibres innervated by that nerve with a size that depends on the function of the muscles
30
Where are the neurotransmitter vesicles
Neurotransmitter vesicles are lined up directly above structures on the postsynaptic cell known as postjunctional folds, which is where the neurotransmitter receptors are concentrated
31
What are the steps of neuromuscular transmission
Arrival of action potential depolarisation of terminal bouton -> Opening of voltage gated calcium channels -> Influx of calcium into the synaptic bouton -> Fusion of vesicles -> Exocytosis (release of ACh)-> Binding of ACh to nicotinic receptors on muscle cell membrane receptor activation -> Na+ enters -> membrane depolarisation
32
What drugs are used at the NMJ
Non depolarising competitive nAChR antagonist Depolarising nAChR agonist Cholinesterase inhibitors
33
What are some NMJ disorders
Lambert-eaton syndrome
34
Explain the functional anatomy of the neuromuscular junction
Highly specialised point of contact between the motor nerve cell carrying information from the CNS to the muscle fibre cells
35
What are non-depolarising competitive nAChR agonists
Mechanism: competes with ACh for nicotinic receptor binding sites causing gradual muscle paralysis Reversed by AChR inhibitors Hydrolysed by circulating esterase Therapeutic use: surgery Adverse effect: decrease BP, bronchospasm Example: Tubocurarine
36
What are depolarising nAChR agonists
Mechanism: persistent depolarisation of the neuromuscular junction Phase I: membrane depolarised causing brief period of muscle fasciculation (twitching) Phase II: End plate eventually depolarises, but due to slow metabolism compared to ACh it continues to occupy the receptor (Flaccid paralysis) Hydrolyse by circulating esterase Therapeutic use: surgery given continuous IV short acting Adverse effects: when administrated with halothane genetically susceptible people experience hyperthermia Example: Succinylcholine
37
What are cholinesterase inhibitors
Mechanism: Inhibits AChR Therapeutic use: antidote for non depolarising blockers. Treatment and diagnosis for myasthenia gravis. Nerve gas Adverse effects: generalised cholinergic activation, abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, salivation, incontinence Example: neostigmine
38
What are the three types of muscles
Skeletal Smooth Cardiac
39
What are the characteristics of cardiac muscle structure
Specialised form of skeletal muscle Striated Branched Interconnected Cardiac cells smaller the skeletal muscle cells Rich in glycogen, myoglobin, and mitochondria Contains actin and myosin myofilaments
40
What is the ultrastructure of cardiac muscle
Each cell usually contains 1-2 centrally located nuclei Mitochondria comprises 30% of volume of cell vs only 2% in skeletal cell
41
What cell junctions make up an intercalated disc
Fascia adherens: anchoring sites for actin, connect to the closest sarcomere Desmosomes (macula adherens): stop separation during contraction by binding intermediate filaments, joining the cells together. Gap junctions: allow action potentials to spread between cardiac cells by permitting the passage of ions between cells, producing depolarisation of the heart muscle
42
What are the 4 main classes of antiarrhythmics
Class I: sodium channel blockers; treat ventricular ectopics Class II: beta blockers; slow conduction in the SA and AV nodes Class III: potassium channel blockers; treat ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation Class IV: calcium channel blockers; slow conduction in the SA and AV nodes
43
What are the upstrokes dependent on
SA and AV node action potential upstroke is Ca2+ dependent Ventricular upstroke is Na+ dependent
44
What are the structural characteristics of smooth muscle
Usually 2 sheets of closely opposed fibres Walls of all blood vessels except the smallest blood vessels and in the walls of hollow organs Alternating contraction relaxation of 2 layers mixes substances in lumen of hollow organs causing peristalsis
45
What is the ultrastructure of smooth muscle
Fibres smaller than those in skeletal muscle Spindle-shaped Single central nucleus More actin than myosin No sarcomeres Not well organised No T-tubules and the sarcoplasmic reticulum is poorly developed
46
What are single-unit vs multi-unit smooth muscles
Single-unit: unitary smooth muscle, most common, gap junctions so act as a single-unit Multi-unit: Lack gap junctions, cells innervated individually
47
What are the characteristics of pennate muscles
Feather-like in the arrangement of fascicles (fibre bundles) Unipennate, bipennate, multipennate
48
What is the characteristic of fusiform muscles
Spindle-shaped
49
What is the characteristic of parallel muscles
The fascicles lie parallel to the long axis of the muscle | Flat muscles with parallel fibres often have aponeuroses
50
What is the characteristic of convergent muscles
Have a broad attachment from which the fascicles converge to a single tendon
51
What is the characteristic of circular muscles
Surround a body opening or orifice, constricting it when contracted

Y1 IMS (9 decks)

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