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Nervous System Flashcards

1
Q

what is a critical point of bio research?

A

the machinery of the mind

“its all in the chemicals”

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2
Q

what is a neuron?

A

basic communication building block of nervous system

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3
Q

what do neurons do? where does each part take place?

A

collect, integrate, and transmit electrochemical info

dendrites collect info

cell bodies integrate info

axons and synapses transmit info

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4
Q

how does a nerve impulse travel?

A

from dendrites to the cell body to the axon, to terminal bottons

then they continues to go to next dendrites and next neuron

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5
Q

what contains neurotransmitters?

A

terminal buds

*release or don’t release (depending if activated or not)

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6
Q

what is the synapse?

A

the gap where neurotransmitters are released

more in the synapse, more affect in the body

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7
Q

what are the 3 different types of neurons?

A

sensory (afferent) neurons

motor (efferent) neurons

interneurons

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8
Q

what is a sensory neuron?

A

afferent neurons

bring info from the snesory organs to the spinal cord and brain (CNS) thus enabling us to perceive, then respond to sensory inputs like touch, pain, heat, pressure, etc

ex. carries info from sensory receptors in skin to the brain

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9
Q

what is a motor neuron?

A

efferent neuron

transmit info from the spinal cord and brain (CNS) to the periphery (outside) thus enabling our response to sensory inputs

ex. carries info from the brain to the neurons controlling leg muscles, causing response so we can walk

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10
Q

what is an interneuron?

A

vastly outnumber motor and sensory neurons (several millions of each compared to 100 billion interneurons)

facilitate within-CNS transmission of info and perform integration and organization functions

**most common neuron in brain and most important in communication for the CNS

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11
Q

what are neurons specialized by? what types of cells are these?

A

location

purkinje cells - motor control and coordination in the cerebellum

pyramidal cells- hippocampus

bipolar - more complex, used for reception and vision, two poles

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12
Q

what is a myelin sheath? what is it made from?

A

made from glial cells

provides insulation, speeds up neural transmission by causing action potentials to “jump” across the “nodes of ranvier”

electrical signals are protected and keep impulses contained - give saltatory conduction a smooth flow

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13
Q

what is saltatory conduction?

A

action potentials jumping across the rodes of ranvier

produces faster neural speed and thereby increases how quickly effects at the synapse can occur

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14
Q

what is a glial cell?

A

nurishing system - make up myelin sheath

outnumber neurons 10:1 in CNS

different varities of glial cells support different physiological functions

ex. glial cells form the blood-brain barrier, help supply nutrients to neurons, and form myelin sheaths

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15
Q

what is a node of ranvier?

A

the space between 2 myelin sheaths on an axon where depolarization and action potentials occur

*smooth transitions between myelin and nodes

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16
Q

what do action potentials cause?

A

neuronal communication

electrical signals provice communication between neurons - nerve impulse flows down the axon

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17
Q

changes in electrical potential lead to what? what types?

A

ACTION

depolarization and hyperpolarization

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18
Q

what is the resting membrane potential?

A

the electrical difference between the inside and outside of the neuron

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19
Q

in the resting state where are the electrical charges?

A

inside the neuron = slightly more negative

outside the neuron = slightly more positive

(more Na outside neuron, more K inside neuron)

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20
Q

what is depolarization? what is it due to?

A

due to excitatory signal

neurons fire when cell depolarizes

change in permeability of cell - gates open and Na+ rushes into the neuron

then inside the neurons, there is more + charge than outside the neuron

*change from negative to positive charge CAUSES action potential

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21
Q

what is hyperpolarization? what is it due to?

A

due to inhibitory signal

neuron is less likely to fire

Na+ channels less likely to allow Na+ in neuron

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22
Q

where does depolarization occur?

A

the nodes of ranvier

in depolarized region - negative is on the outside of node, positive is on the inside

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23
Q

what is a mirror neuron? where are they found? what can it help us study?

A

identified in other species too, found in frontal and parietal lobes

are activated when an organism engages in a behavior or observes another engage in that behavior - recognize another person’s goals or intentions

practiced through watching others’ activities and when you understand intentions or meaning is when it most likely happens

helps to treat autism - try to activate things in autistic people we want them to obtain

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24
Q

what is an agonist?

A

increases or facilitates neurotransmitter effects

INHANCES

ex. serotonin for depressed people

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25
what is an antagonist?
decreased/ block neurotransmitter effects INHIBITS ex. dopamine for those with pyscho symptoms
26
what are the options of neurotransmiters to do once in the synapse?
reuptake (terminated) bind to autoreceptor (terminated) bind to the next neuron in the post-synaptic membrane (relased and allow the impulse to continue) broken down by enzymes (terminated)
27
how does a neurotransmitter travel?
1. neurotransmitters are synthesixed from chemical building blocks called precursors 2. neurotransmitters are stored in vessicles 3. neurotransmitter is terminated or released
28
Acethylcholine (Ach)
neutransmitter that causes muscle contraction, regulates attention and sleep links motor neurons and muscles (synapse at the muscle) \*very important in memory - therefore important in learning shortage leads to alzehimers and delusions excess leads to spasms ex. south americans used Ach on tips of weapons as a defense mechanism
29
video example what is the causal relationship between CNS Ach processes and learning and memory processes?
test done to test amnesia with rats in food maze operational IV= scopolomine (antagonist - blocks neurotransmitters and blocked memory) agonist - physostygmine (facilitates learning - present longer in the synapse and ehanced memory) bias controls - saline injections so there was no placebo effect, experimenters were blind NO BIAS operational DV= "time" to find food in maze theoretical DV= "memory" as a function of biochemical variables
30
ways to organzie neurotransmitters
acetylcholine monomines amino acids peptides
31
what do monoamines do?
involved in affect, arousal, and motivation
32
what types of monoamines are there?
epinephrine (adrenaline) and norephineprine serotonin (related to depression, sleep, and wakefulness) dopamine
33
what is norephinephrine?
monomine increases arousal increased levels may be involved in mania, decreased levels may be involved in depression tricydic antidepressant meds inhibit reuptake thus functioning as NE antagonists \*have to be careful with manic risks when giving people anti depressants - it is important to increase amount of transmitters but not by too much
34
What is Serotonin (5-HT)?
monomine involved in sleep-wakefulness rhythms decreased levels may lead to depression reuptake inhibited by Prozak (fluoxetine) - in a class of drugs called SSRI's (selective seotonergic reuptake inhibitors) ALL of which are HT agonists they are selective - makes serotonin more available and generally makes people happier also.. MAO inhibitors are agonists of serotonin
35
what are the simliarities and differences in monoamine oxidase inhibitors and SSRI's?
both agonists of serotonin- reduce symptoms of depression by increased activation of post synaptic cleft) MAO inhibitor inhibits breakdown of serotonin to make it more available, the enzyme approach SSRIs block transporter protein for seotonin reuptake so it stays in synaptic cleft longer
36
what is dopamine (DA)?
monomine influences motivation, reward, movement, and pleasure shortage results in parkinson's and depression - involved in muscular activity, tracts of DA neurons degenerate in Basal Ganglia leading to abnormally low levels in the brain excess results in schizophrenia - people are reluctant to take these drups bc lose some natural joys - meds are DA antagonists (interfere with DA at post-synaptic receptors) amphetamine, cocaine causes (hallucinatory drugs) release of dopamine chlorpromazine (antipyschotic) blocks at receptors \*\*DA tracts project widely through areas of brain (limbic system and cortical structures) dealing with emotion/motivation and thinking/planning/judgement
37
What do peptides do?
modulate neurotransmission modulate signals like pain change experience of something - either enhancing or triggering
38
what types of peptides are there?
CCK endorphins substance P
39
What is CCK?
peptide learning, memory, and pain can trigger panic attack and anxiety with people with history feeling of fullness (intestinal system) - some people don't get these cues... does this lead to obesity?
40
what are endorphines?
peptide natural pain relievers act within pain pathways and emotion centers of the brain bind to the same sites as heroin and morphine - similar to the calm and plessurable effects shortage = chronic pain and difficulty with self-soothing excess? ex. runner's high - pain receptors go to the pituitary gland and it releases endorphines into the blood stream placebo effect - people experience pain relief when given drugs - regenerate endorphins and pain is altered
41
what is substance P?
peptide involves pain perception topical region - sent to the brain distracts/ blocks out system - burning/ cooling is felt more than the actual pain ex. icy hot
42
what do amino acids do?
neurotransmitters that are general inhibitory and excitatory transmitters in the brain
43
what are types of amino acids?
GABA glutamate
44
What is GABA?
amino acid inhibitory neurotransmitter (relaxes and is calming) - inhibits sending neuron drugs that mimic for anxiety and insomnia alcohol, sedatives, henzodiazephines (valium) mimic effects - similar impact on GABA receptors shortage = anxiety, epilepsy, huntington's disease (hereditary - motor control problems, spasms, dimensia, and death) excess= unmotivated
45
esctasy article - main points
serotonin massively depleted by esctacy - terminal buttons destroyed makes people feel happy and empathetic in 70s and 80s used in marrital therapy SSRIs work with natural release of serotonin and make it more availabe VS massive release of serotonin flooding system for more effect
46
pyschoactive drugs to know
estasy amphetamines/cocaine nicotine benzodiazepines/valium opiates (morphine, heroin, codeine) marijuana LSD (hullucinogenic drugs)
47
what to amphetamines/cocaine do?
increase norepinephrine and dopamine - people take it to be stimulated block reuptake and increase and release activate sympathetic nervous system (increased heart rate and blood pressure) - sympathetic increase (heart race and blood pressure increase) - AND pyschotic disorders are found with excessive amount of dopamine (mess with chem balance)
48
what does nicotine do?
acts on same sites as Ach (with learning and memory) when someone quits smoking it feels like brain is slowing down
49
what do benzodiazepines/valium do?
increase response to GABA (relaxes)
50
what are opiates? what do they do?
morphine, heroin, or codeine active receptors that usually respond to endorphins to stimulate them increased dopamine activation in the nucleus accumbens, binding with opiate receptors highly addictive due to dual activation of dopamine and opiate receptors and withdrawal causes pain
51
what is a popular hallucinogenic drug? what does it do?
LSD similar structure to serotonin gives hallucinatory experiences and creates and over abundance of serotonin
52
what does marijuana do?
most widely used illegal drup THC (tetrahydrocannibinol) produces relaxed mental state, uplifted/contented mood, and perceptual/cognitive distortions concentration of cannabinoid receptors in the hippocampus (long memory impairment) - works on natural sites
53
what does the CNS consist of?
brain and spinal cord
54
what does the peripheral nevous system consist of?
the somatic and autonomic systems
55
how does the endocrine system communicate?
hormones
56
how do the nervous system and endocrine systems work together?
actions of the systems are coordinated
57
how are neural messages integrated into communication systems?
3 systems coordinated are the CNS PNS and endocrine system
58
what is a major job of the PNS?
connects the CNS to the rest of the body through subdivisions: somatic and autnomic systems
59
what is the somatic nevous system?
acts on skeletal muscles (muscles attatched to bones)
60
what is the autonomic system?
acts on visceral muscles (heart, arteries, gi tract) and glands (salivary and sweat)
61
how is the somatic system broken down?
sensory neurons (afferant) - transmit somatosensory info from peripheral sensory organs to CNS motor neurons (efferant) - bring motor info commands from CNS to the muscles
62
what are the 2 components of the autonomic nervous system?
sympathetic nervous system parasympathetic nervous sytem
63
what is the sympathetic nervous system?
in autonomic nervous system activating - fight or flight ex. eperephrin (adrenilin), cocaine, emergency response system
64
what is the parasympathetic nervous system?
in autonomic nervous system deactivationg - rest and digest calm state
65
how does the nervous system communicate?
electrochemical signals
66
what are the actions of the nervous system and endocrine system (coordinated)?
hypothalamus is a critical integrating structure \*explored in brain section
67
what is supported and regulated by complex interactions between CNS and PNS?
pyschological functions (behaviors, emotions, thought, consciousness, etc)
68
conclusion on neurotransmitters
diverse types in CNS play a central and critical role in our psychological existence, identity, and experience of the world
69
what is glutamate?
amino acid excites helps learning/memory - increased speed of synaptic connections - want to activate while learning

Pysch (15 decks)

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