Nervous System Flashcards
- Acts as the integrating center
- Brain (80-100 billion neurons) and spinal cord (100 million neurons)
Central Nervous System
Cranial nerves and branches, spinal nerves and branches, ganglia, plexuses, and sensory receptors
Peripheral Nervous System
-Sends information to the CNS from sensory receptors through afferent (sensory)
neurons
Sensory
Takes information from the CNS to target cells via efferent neurons
- Autonomic neurons
- Sympatheitc
- Parasympathetic
- Somatic motor neurons
Efferent
-Basic signaling nits of the nervous system Components - Cell Body - Dendrites - Axons - Presynatic Terminals
Neurons
- Acts as the integrating center
- Contains the nucleus and protein synthesizing regions
Cell body (Soma)
Receive incoming signals from neighboring cells
Dendrites
Carry outgoing signals from the integrating center to target cells
Axons
Contain the transmitting elements that are transferred from the soma.
Presynatic Terminals
During development the dendrite fused with the axon
Pseudounipolar
Two relatively equal fibers extending off the soma
Bipolar
CNS interneurons that have no apparent axon
Anaxonic
- CNS interneurons that are highly branched but lack long extensions (OR)
- Efferent neurons that have five to six dendrites each branching four to
six times. A single long axon may branch several times and end at
enlarged axon terminals
Multipolar
-Carry information about temperature, pressure, light, and other stimuli to the
CNS
-Specialized receptors convert stimulus to electrical energy
Afferent Sensory
Complex branching neurons that facilitate communication between neurons
Interneurons
Usually have axon terminals or varicosities
Efferent
- Bundles of neurons
- May be Efferent, Afferent, or Mixed
Nerves
- Support cells
- Outnumber Neurons 10-50:1
- Physical and biochemical support as well as communication with neurons
- Myelin Forming Glia
Glia
Composed of multiple concentric layers of phospholipid membrane
wrapped around an axon
- Provides structural stability and insulates the neuron to speed up signals
(saltatory conduction)
Myelin
Multiple Sclerosis caused by
Demyelination of brain and spinal cord
- Line fluid filled cavities in the brain and spinal cord
- Functions
- Produce most cerebral spinal fluid that fills the cavities
- Protection
- Chemical stability
- Clear waste
- Possibly a source of neural stem cells
Ependymal
Highly branched glial cells believed to make up half of all cells in the
brain
- Several subtypes, forms a functional sub-network
Functions
- Take up and release chemicals at synapses
- Provide neurons with substrates for ATP production
- Help maintain homeostasis in ECF (take up K+ and H2O)
- Surround vessels
- Part of the blood brain barrier
- Influence vascular dynamics
Astrocytes
-Specialized immune cells
-Functions
-Protect and preserve neuronal cells from pathogens and facilitate recovery from metabolic insults
-If activated past a threshold or remain active too long they
display detrimental properties
Microglia
- Exist within ganglia (bundles of cell bodies) in the PNS
Functions - Form a supportive capsule around the cell bodies of neurons
- Supply nutrients
- Structural cushioning support
Satellite Cells