Nervous System Flashcards
What is the primary function of the nervous system?
The master controlling and communicating system of the body
What are the two functional divisions of the nervous system?
- Central nervous system (CNS)
- Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What is the largest and most complex mass of nervous tissue in the body?
The brain
What are the four regions of the brain?
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Diencephalon
- Brain stem
- Cerebellum
What are the components of the cerebral hemispheres?
- Cerebral cortex
- Cerebral white matter
- Basal nuclei
What is the function of gyri and sulci in the brain?
Increase the surface area
What are the two types of matter in the brain?
- Grey matter
- White matter
What does grey matter contain?
Cell bodies and dendrites
What does white matter contain?
Lipid-rich white axons
What is the primary function of the frontal lobe?
Goal-oriented behavior and voluntary motor function
What is the Broca’s area responsible for?
Motor aspects of speech
What is alexia?
Difficulty recognizing written words
What does damage to the parietal lobe affect?
Sensation and perception
What is acalculia?
Difficulty with math
What is object agnosia?
Inability to recognize objects by sight
What is the primary function of the occipital lobe?
Processing visual information
What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
Reception and understanding of speech
What does the limbic system influence?
Memory and emotion
Which structures are part of the limbic system?
- Limbic lobe
- Amygdala
- Fornix
- Hippocampus
- Olfactory bulb
- Portions of the thalamus
What is the function of the thalamus?
Relay station for sensory impulses
What does the hypothalamus regulate?
Body temperature and autonomic nervous system functions
What is the primary role of the medulla oblongata?
Basic life support functions
What is the reticular formation responsible for?
Maintaining wakefulness (consciousness)
What is the cerebellum’s primary function?
Fine-tuning of motor control
What are the four large fluid-filled spaces within the brain called?
Ventricles
What arteries supply blood to the brain?
- Internal carotid arteries
- Vertebral arteries
Fill in the blank: The _______ is the most inferior portion of the brain stem.
Medulla oblongata
True or False: The cerebral cortex is responsible for conscious control and interpretation of sensation.
True
What is the primary function of the temporal lobe?
Memory consolidation and auditory processing
What does damage to the right parietal lobe cause?
Contralateral neglect
What comprises the Central Nervous System?
The brain and spinal cord
The CNS is the integrating and control center of the nervous system.
What is the function of the Peripheral Nervous System?
Consists mainly of nerves extending from the brain and spinal cord and ganglia
It is part of the nervous system outside the CNS.
What does the Afferent division do?
Carries all incoming sensory pathways
Translates to ‘carry toward’.
What is the Efferent division responsible for?
Carries all outgoing motor pathways
Translates to ‘carry away’.
What does the Somatic Nervous System control?
Directly controls the skeletal muscles.
What is the main function of the Autonomic Nervous System?
Affects smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, glands, and other involuntary tissues.
What is the role of the Parasympathetic Pathway?
Coordinates the body’s normal resting activities
Often called the rest and repair system.
What does the Sympathetic Pathway prepare the body for?
Fight or flight response.
What are the two types of cells that make up nervous tissue?
- Neurons
- Glial cells
What is the function of dendrites in a neuron?
Branching projections that receive incoming information.
What is the axon’s role in a neuron?
Carries impulses away from the cell body.
What is a synapse?
The junction between the dendrite and axon where information is sent via neurotransmitters.
What is the function of the myelin sheath?
Protects and insulates nerve fibers, increasing transmission rate.
True or False: Neurons in the Central Nervous System can regenerate after injury.
False
Neuronal damage typically does not regenerate or repair.
What are Schwann cells required for in the Peripheral Nervous System?
To form a tunnel for neuron repair.
What are the three types of neurons?
- Sensory neurons
- Interneurons
- Motor neurons
What is the primary role of sensory neurons?
Transmitting afferent information to the CNS.
What do interneurons do?
Transmit impulses from neuron to neuron.
What do motor neurons do?
Transmit efferent information from the CNS to an effector.
Fill in the blank: Reflexes are _______ responses to stimuli.
rapid, predictable and involuntary.
What are the protective structures of the CNS?
- Bone (skull and vertebral column)
- Membranes (meninges)
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
What are the three layers of meninges?
- Dura mater
- Arachnoid layer
- Pia mater
What is the function of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
Acts as a shock absorber and maintains volume and pressure.
What does a decrease in consciousness affect?
The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS).
What characterizes dementia?
Decline in one or more cognitive domains.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
A chronic, progressive, irreversible neurodegenerative brain disease.
Fill in the blank: Parkinson’s disease is characterised by _______.
bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor at rest, and gait change.
What genetic disorder is Huntington’s disease?
A genetically transmitted, autosomal dominant disorder.
What is the function of the spinal cord?
A two-way conduction pathway to and from the brain.
What is spina bifida?
A developmental anomaly characterised by defective closure of the neural tube.
What is the role of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)?
Controls bodily activities automatically.
What are the two divisions of the ANS?
- Sympathetic
- Parasympathetic
What neurotransmitter is released by cholinergic fibers?
Acetylcholine.
What neurotransmitter is released by adrenergic fibers?
Norepinephrine.
