Nervous system Flashcards

1
Q

What are the components of the human nervous system?

A
  1. Central nervous system

2. Peripheral nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the components of the central nervous system?

A

The brain and spinal cord

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the components of the peripheral nervous system

A

The cranial and spinal nerves

The autonomic nerves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are nerves?

A

Bundles of axons in the PNS, some percentage of them will be myelinated by Schwann cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are tracts?

A

Bundles of axons in the CNS, some of them will be myelinated by oligodendrocytes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is white matter?

A

Areas of the CNS composed of neural cell bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is grey matter?

A

Areas of the CNS composed of neural cell bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What does afferent refer to?

A

CNS/individual nerve cell that projects inward

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does efferent refer to?

A

CNS/individual nerve cell that projects outward

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a plexus?

A

An interwoven mass of nerves and axons making up these nerves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is a ganglion?

A

A swelling on a nerve which usually contains cell bodies

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is a ramus?

A

A branch of a nerve

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How many cranial nerves are there?

A

12 pairs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Where do cranial nerves originate?

A

In the brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the different roles of cranial nerves?

A

Sensory - CN1/2/8

Motor - CN3/6/11/12

Mixed - CN5/7/9/10

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How many spinal nerves are there?

A

31 pairs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Describe the origin of the spinal nerves

A

8 cervical

12 thoracic

5 lumbar

5 sacral

1 coccygeal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Why are spinal nerves commonly stretched downwards?

A

Spinal cord stops at around level L1

After this, the nerves angle down since the spinal cord stays the same length, but the vertebral column continues growing, stretching the nerves downwards

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Describe the spatiolocation of the vertebral column and spinal nerves

A

For cervical nerves 1-7, the nerve number corresponds to the vertebrae below the nerve

After C8, the vertebrae come before the nerve

20
Q

Where does sensory afferent information enter the vertebral column?

A

Through the dorsal root ganglion

21
Q

Where does the motor efferent information exit the vertebral column?

A

Through the anterior ventral root ganglion

22
Q

What are dermatomes?

A

Nerves supply a particular territory of the skin

This segmental innervation originates in the somites

23
Q

Describe the nerve supply in each dermatome

A

Each dermatome is supplied by one main spinal nerve, but is also partially covered by the nerve below and above

24
Q

What are the dermatomes of the body?

A

Cervical

Thoracic

Lumbar

Sacral

25
Q

Describe which spinal nerves form which plexus

A

C2-C5 = cervical plexus

C5-T1 = brachial plexus

T12-L4 = lumbar plexus

L5-S5/Cox1 = sacral plexus

26
Q

What is the largest nerve in the body?

Which plexus does it contribute to?

A

Sciatic nerve

Sacral plexus

27
Q

Describe the functional divisions of the peripheral nervous system

A

The first 2 divisions are:

  1. Sensory (afferent)
  2. Motor (efferent)

Sensory is divided into viscerosensory, somatosensory and special sensory

Motor is divided into somatomotor and visceromotor (parasympathetic, sympathetic, enteric)

28
Q

Give examples to each functional division of the peripheral nervous system

A

Somatosensory - skeletal muscle and skin

Viscerosensory = viscera/organs

Special sensory = ears, eyes, nose and tongue

Somatosenory = skeletal muscle/voluntary

Visceromotor = smooth muscle/involuntary

29
Q

Describe the spinal reflex arc

A

Involves one sensory and one motor neurons

  1. Sensory neuron sends information via dorsal root to motor neurons
  2. Motor neurons send information to the same muscle
  3. The muscle contracts
  4. Other antagonistically paired muscles may help this reflex to relax the antagonistic muscle
30
Q

What type of synapses is involved in the reflex arc?

A

It is monosynaptic

31
Q

What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A
  1. Parasympathetic

2. Sympathetic

32
Q

Which spinal nerves are involved in the sympathetic nervous system?

A

Thoracolumnar

T1 - L2

33
Q

Which spinal nerves are involved in the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

Craniosacral

Cranial nerves 3, 7, 9 and 19

Sacral nerves 2-4

Vagus nerve - originates from CN10

34
Q

Describe the ganglia of the sympathetic system

A

Associated with chain of ganglia

Can go up into the neck area and lumbar/sacral region

Ganglia near the spinal cord and far from target

35
Q

What is the sympathetic chain?

A

A chain of ganglia lateral to the vertebral column.

Extends from the neck to the sacrum, but sympathetic outflow from the spinal cord is only between T1 and L2

This allows sympathetic innervation to extend beyond levels T1 and L2

36
Q

Describe the ganglia of the parasympathetic system

A

Ganglia are near the target organs

37
Q

How many sympathetic chains are there?

A

2

One on each side of the body

38
Q

Describe the myelination of pre and post-ganglionic nerves

A

Preganglionic are myelinated

Postganglionic are unmyelinated

39
Q

Describe the exit and entry roots of the nerves

A

Preganglionic = white ramus comunicans

Post-ganglionic = grey ramus comunicans

40
Q

What is the origin of the splanchnic nerves?

A

T5 - T12

41
Q

What is an important quality about some splanchnic nerves?

A

Some pass through their ganglia without synapsing and instead synapse in collateral ganglia close to abdominal organs

Pass through the ganglion and have a peripheral ganglion

Examples of these include: 
Greater splanchnic (T5 - T9) 
Lesser splanchnic (T10 - T11) 
Least splanchnic (T12)
42
Q

What is the function of the enteric nervous system?

A

Controls gut function:

  • secretion
  • gut mobility
  • gut reflexes
43
Q

What is unique about the enteric nervous system

A

Can operate in 3 ways:

  1. CNS - via parasympathetic and sympathetic system
  2. Isolation
  3. In response to hormones
44
Q

What are the two important plexuses in the enteric nervous system?

A

Myenteric plexus - mostly controls gut mobility

Submucosal plexus - mostly controls gut secretions

45
Q

What is referred pain?

A

Some of the innervation via the visceromotor and viscerosensory can synapse into similar nerves, so the brain develops the body image referring to the inner organs

46
Q

Clinically important examples of referred pain

A

T1 - T4 = associated with the heart

T5 - T7 = stomach

T10 = uterus/appendix