Nervous System Flashcards
What are the two branches of the nervous system?
Central and peripheral
What are the branches of the CNS?
The brain and spinal cord
What are the branches of the PNS?
Autonomic and somatic
What are the divisions of the autonomic?
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
what is the spinal cord protected by?
vertebrae
What does the spinal cord sit within?
Verterbral Canal
What is the vertebral canal formed by?
Stacking of individual tunnels in each vertebra
Where is the end of the spinal cord level with in children?
L3
Where is the end of the spinal cord level with in adults?
L1
What is the vertical tunnel running through the vertebra known as?
Vertical foramen
What does the outer section of the spinal cord consist of?
White matter
What does white matter contain?
The axons of neurons that form ascending and descending pathways
What is the inner section of the spinal cord made of?
Grey matter
What does grey matter consist of?
Where cell bodies of neurons are located and where synapses occur
Where do neurons from the body enter the spinal cord?
Dorsal horn
Where do neurons exit the spinal cord from?
ventral horn
What are the three tracts of the somatic nervous system?
lateral corticospinal tract, dorsal columns and anterolateral fascicutus
What does the lateral corticospinal tract do?
Carries descending motor tracts from the cerebral cortex
What are the dorsal columns for?
Sense of fine touch and proprioception
What does the anterolateral fasciutus do?
Carries pain and temperature sensory neurons
Where do autonomic nerves run?
Not within spinal cord - in collection of ganglia along side it
What type of control is the autonomic nervous system?
subconsious
What does the autonomic system generally innervate?
Smooth muscle of tissues or glands
What actions is the autonomic system involved with?
Temperature control, continence, secretions and gastic motility
Where do autonomic neurons arise?
from the spinal cord and directly from the brain
What does the sympathetic nervous system initiate?
The fight or flight response
Where are sympathetic cell bodies present?
In the thoracic and lumbar spinal cord segments
What do sympathetic cell bodies connect to?
A paravertebral ganglion chain or individual ganglia
What does the sympathetic nervous system innervate?
Heart, blood vessels, sweat glands, viscera and adrenal medulla
Where do parasympathetic neurons arise from?
Cranial nerves or lumbosacral spinal cord
What does the parasympathetic system stimulate?
Rest and digest functions
Where are parasympathetic ganglia located?
Close to target organ
What is the somatic nervous system responsible for?
Conscious control of the body
What do afferent somatic sensory nerves detect?
Pain, temperature, touch and proprioception
What do somatic efferent nerves motor to?
effector skeletal muscles
Where do somatic neurons project to?
Directly to their target cell via a single neuron
What are the two types of somatic nerves?
Spinal and cranial
What do spinal nerves carry?
peripheral nerves that carry axons of neurons of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems to and from spinal cord