Nervous System

Question 1

Central nervous system

Answer 1

brain + spinal cord; receives, processes, stores, transfers information

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

everything outside of CNS provides sensory input + motor output

Question 3

Neuron

Answer 3

information messengers; use electrical impulses/chemical signals to transmit information between different areas of the brain, and between the brain and the rest of the nervous system

Question 4

Cell body

Answer 4

nucleus-containing central part of a neuron

Question 5

Axon

Answer 5

one long cable that snakes away from the main part of the cell; electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons

Question 6

Dendrite

Answer 6

a short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body

Question 7

Sodium-potassium pump

Answer 7

The sodium-potassium pump system moves sodium and potassium ions against large concentration gradients. It moves two potassium ions into the cell where potassium levels are high, and pumps three sodium ions out of the cell and into the extracellular fluid.

Question 8

Neuroglial cells

Answer 8

provide physical support/protection to neurons + maintain concentration of chemicals in the fluid surrounding them

Question 9

Cranial nerves

Answer 9

set of 12 paired nerves in the back of the brain; send electrical signals between the brain, face, neck and torso

Question 10

Spinal nerves

Answer 10

mixed nerves that interact directly with the spinal cord to modulate motor and sensory information from the body’s periphery

Question 11

Spinal reflexes

Answer 11

sensory stimuli arise from receptors in muscles, joints and skin, and in which the neural circuitry responsible for the motor response is entirely contained within the spinal cord

Question 12

Sympathetic division

Answer 12

carries signals that put the body’s systems on alert

Question 13

Parasympathetic division

Answer 13

carries signals that relax the body’s systems

Question 14

Brain

Answer 14

receives sensory information, integrates, stores it, generates appropriate response

Question 15

Spinal cord

Answer 15

carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body

Question 16

Hindbrain

Answer 16

coordinates basic, automatic, vital tasks

Question 17

Midbrain

Answer 17

coordinate muscle groups/responses to sights/sounds.

Question 18

Forebrain

Answer 18

receives/integrates sensory input from external environment + determines most complex behavior

Question 19

You unknowingly put your hand on a hot stove. Discuss how your brain receives the information and elicits a response. Your answer must include the specific pathway for transmission of the signals, as well as a description of the structures involved in the transmission

Answer 19

Reflex action; controlled by the spinal cord. When you accidentally touch the stove, you pull your hand away (reflex action) before the impulse is relayed to the brain by the spinal cord. Involves: sensory neurons (receptors) that receive stimulation and in turn connect to other nerve cells (interneuron to motor neuron) that activate muscle cells (effectors) that perform the reflex action.

Question 20

What does it mean that the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions oppose each other?

Answer 20

function as opposites of each other. Sympathetic division: carries signals that put the body’s systems on alert. Parasympathetic division: carries signals that relax the body’s systems

Question 21

What are the functions of the three major divisions of the brain?

Answer 21

hindbrain coordinates basic, automatic, and vital tasks. Midbrain helps coordinate muscle groups and responses to sights and sounds. Forebrain receives and integrates sensory input from the external environment and determines most complex behavior.

Question 22

How does the brain manage short/long-term memory?

Answer 22

short term memory = limbic system, long term memory = permanent changes to neurons in cerebral cortex.

Question 23

How does the sodium-potassium pump maintain resting potential?

Answer 23

In order to maintain this electrochemical gradient, the sodium potassium (Na/K) pump actively transports out three sodium ions for every two potassium ions it brings in. This process generates a net outward current and thus hyperpolarizes the resting potential