Nervous System Flashcards
The central nervous system serves as what? By? Which are designed to what?
The control center of the body by integrating mass communication networks consisting of billions of nerve cells called neurons, which are designed to convey information.
What are the three major functions of the nervous system? What are they also referred to as?
Sensory, integrative and motor functioning. The neural network.
What is the purpose of the neural network?
To gather information about our inner and external surroundings, process and interpret the information, and then respond to this stimuli. The messages are relayed back and forth between different parts of the body.
What is the sensory function?
Gathers information about inner and external surroundings.
What is the integrative function?
Processes and interprets the information from the sensory function.
What is the motor function?
Responds to the stimuli that is processed and interpreted from the integrative function.
In what order does the three major functions of the nervous system go?
1) Sensory
2) Integrative
3) Motor
The neuron is the ___.
Functional unit of the nervous system.
What happens when neurons merge?
They create the nerves of the body.
What does the structure of neurons allow for? (2 things.)
1) Allows for very quick communication to and from the cell
2) As well as continuous conduction of signals across the neuron.
What is a neuron’s main component? Which contains what?
A cell body, or soma, which contains the organelles important to the proper functioning of this cell.
What is the long branch that projects out of the soma called? And what does it do?
It’s called the axon and it feeds information through nerve impulses to muscles, organs, and other neurons.
What are the shorter branches that project from the soma called? What do they do?
They’re called dendrites and they bring information from other neurons of the nervous system.
All the communication occurs across junctions referred to as ________, which occur either between ________________.
synapses.
neurons or between a neuron and another cell type.
What is a synapse?
A tiny empty space between two axons or dendrites from different cells.
What happens within synapses?
What does this stimulate?
This is how the continuation signal the neuron was transmitting makes it to the ____ ?
For example, a signal to move your finger would _____________.
Neurotransmitters are released from the neurons before the synapse and bind to the receiving cells located after the synapse.
This stimulates a signal that is called an action potential, which travels to the receiving cell, called a receptor, and the on to the cells that act on the signal in the desired location.
This is how the continuation signal the neuron was transmitting makes it to the end location.
For example, a signal to move your finger would travel from the brain, through many neurons and finally to the muscle in the finger.
What are neurotransmitters?
They are the major chemical messengers of the nervous system.
What are receptors?
Receiving cells.
What are neurons usually covered in? And therefore are said to be?
A layer of insulation called myelin and therefore are said to be myelinated or covered in a myelin sheath.
What does myelin insulation help do?
Helps signals to be transmitted faster from one nerve cell to another.
Where are many nerve cells not myelinated and why?
The brain because they are located close together.
Nerve cells that have long axons or dendrites need what?
Myelin to speed up the transmission time for their signals.
