Nervous system Flashcards
Which hormones are considered organisational?
- H-Y antigen
- androgens (testosterone)
- estrogen
Which hormones are considered organisational?
- H-Y antigen
- androgens (testosterone)
- estrogen
What are the activational hormones?
- Lutenizing hormone
- follic stimulating hormone
- oxytocin
Name the key hormones released by the pituitary gland.
- H-Y antigen
- andogrens
- estrogen
- lutenizing hormone
- follicle stimulating hormone
- oxytocin
- vasopressin
- thyroid stimulating hormone
- adrenocorticoptropic hormone
Describe the stages of Non-REM sleep
Stage W (The Wake Stage): When the brain is producing more than 50% of alpha waves
Stage N1: occurs as the person is transitioning to sleep and consists of theta waves and lasts 1-7 minutes
Stage N2: characterised by theta waves and Y alternations b/w sleep spindles and K complexes. Physiological functiosn begin to slow and drip.
Stage N3: characterised by slow delta waves. Deep, restorative sleep where GH is released. This is where parasomnias occur.
Which kind of waves occur in the sleep stages?
W: alpha waves
N1: theta waves
N2: theta waves
N3: delta waves
Describe REM sleep, also known as _____.
Known as Stage R, REM sleep ocurs about 90-110 minutes after sleep onset and comprises 20-25% of sleep over one night. It’s known for paradoxical sleep which is the point of paralysis.
What is prosopagnosia?
A type of visual agnosia whre an individual cannot recognise faces, even of close family and friends.
What is agnosia?
The inability to process sensory information even though the sensory apparatus is in place.
*Usually only one sense is affected
What is Acquired Apraxia
The inability to plan and coordinate specific motor movements
What is Alexia?
The loss of the capacity to read do to an inability to comprehend words, read aloud or both.
What is phonological agraphia?
An individual cannot write due to an inability to sound out words.
What is Agraphia?
The loss of the capacity to write due to problems with:
Lanugage processing
Inability to spell
Disruption of motor functions or visualisations
What is Aphasia?
The loss of the ability ot speak or understand language, spoken or written
Specific examples incldude:
Broca’s aphasia - understands speech but struggles to speak
Wernicke’s aphasia - can speak but no longer understands how to choose words
What makes up the Forebrain?
- Diencephalon: Thalamus and hypothalamus
- Telencephalon: Limbic system, hippocampus, amygdala and cingulate gyrus
Name the parts of the brain in evolutionary order…
- Hindbrain: myelencephalon, metaencephalon, reticular formation
- Mesencephalon: tectum, tegentum
- Forebrain: corticospinal tract
- Diencephalon: thalamus, hypothalamus
- Pituitary gland
- Telencephalon: limbic system, hippocampus, amygdala and cingulate gyrus
- Cerebral cortex: frontal, occipital, parietal and temporal lobes and gyri
What two parts make up the autonomic nervous system?
- Sympathetic: controls arousal mechanisms, like blood circulation, pupil dilation and threat and fear response
2: Parasympathetic: responsible for recuperation after arousal like lowering heart rate, blood pressure and breathing
What is the peripheral nervous system?
PNS is the pathway that runs to (afferent fibers) and from (efferent fibers) the CNS.
What are the two parts of the PNS?
- Somatic NS: interacts with external environment by controlling voluntary movements
- Autonomic NS: interacts with the internal environment and is responsible for ‘fight or flight’ and controls involunatary functions like digestion, breathing and blood circulation
What is the Tegmentum?
Houses part of the reticular formation
What is white matter?
Bundles of axon nerve fibers
What are terminal buttons and why are they important?
- They are jumping-off points for impulses.
- They hold neurotransmitters
What are the two types of Glial Cells and what do they do?
They support neurons as:
- Oligodendrocytes: provide myelin to the CNS
- Schwann cells: provide myelin to the PNS
What are the 2 types of postsynaptic potentials?
- Excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP): depolarisation and the likelihood a cell will fire
- Inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP): hyperpolarised, decreasing the chance it will fire
Describe the:
- resting potential
- action potential
- all or none law
- absolute refractory period
- relative refractory period
- the inactive state of a neuron - negative charge and will not let in a positive charge
- when a cell becomes stimulated with enough positive ions and ‘fires’. Also called an impulse
- once a minimum threshold is met, the impulse will be sent
- the time after a neuron fires in which it cannot respond to stimulation
- the tiem after the absolutle refractory period whenteh neuron can fire again, but it needs a stronger stimulus
Once a neurotransmitter has done it’s job one of two things happen. What are these?
- Reuptake by the presynaptic neuron
- deactivation by enzymes in the synapse
What do neuromudulators do?
they cause long-term changes in the postsynaptic cell.
Explain the difference between agonists and antagonists in neurotransmitters.
Agonists: Rx that increase the effect of the neurotransmiter (SSRIs)
Antagonist: Rx decrease the effect of the neurotransmitter (Botox)
_____ lives inside the hypothalamus and is considered the biological ‘master clock’, composed of thousands of neurons that secrete melatonin.
Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
Provide examples and descriptions of the following drug-induced states
- Hallucinogens
- Stimulants
- Sedatives
- Narcotics
- causes distortion in perception and thinking, resembling psychosis. Examples: LSD and mescaline
- stimulate the CNS and cause euphoria, increased energy and sense of pleasure. Examples: caffeine, meth, cocaine
- slows down the CNS an causes euphoria, relaxation and loss of inhibition. Examples: alcohol, barbituates, Xanax
- reduces or eliminates pain and causes euphoria, relaxation and drowsiness. Examples: heroin, oxy
