Nervous System A&P

Question 1

nervous system definition

Answer 1

a highly specialized system responsible for control and integration of the body’s activities

Question 2

components of nervous system

Answer 2

central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 3

CNS components

Answer 3

brain and spinal cord

Question 4

PNS components

Answer 4

cranial/spinal nerves and autonomic nervous system

Question 5

role of CNS ascending tracts

Answer 5

carry sensory information from the periphery, muscles, and organs to the higher levels of the CNS

Question 6

role of CNS descending tracts

Answer 6

carry impulses from the brain and result in voluntary muscle movement

Question 7

cells in the nervous system

Answer 7

neurons and neuroglia

Question 8

neuron

Answer 8

primary functional unit of the nervous system
do not divide or replace themselves, but may generate from stem cells after a brain injury

Question 9

neuroglia

Answer 9

–more numerous and supportive to the neuron
–can replicate
–when neurons are destroyed, the tissue is replaced by neuroglia cells

Question 10

neuron structure

Answer 10

cell body, axon, and several dendrites

Question 11

neuronal cell body

Answer 11

metabolic center of the neuron

Question 12

dendrites

Answer 12

short extensions from the body that receive and conduct nerve impulses

Question 13

axons

Answer 13

extend varying distances from the cell body and carry nerve impulses
myelinated or unmyelinated

Question 14

myelin sheath

Answer 14

white lipid substance that insulates and helps conduct the impulses

Question 15

role of neuroglia (glial cells)

Answer 15

provide support, nourishment, and protection to neurons

Question 16

prevalence of glial cells

Answer 16

make up almost half the brain and spinal cord and are 5-10x more numerous than neurons

Question 17

oligodendrocytes

Answer 17

produce the myelin sheath for nerve fibers in the CNS and help make up the “white matter” of the brain

Question 18

Schwann cells

Answer 18

myelinate the nerve fibers in the periphery

Question 19

astrocytes

Answer 19

provide structural support to neurons and form the BBB

Question 20

where are astrocytes found?

Answer 20

“gray matter” of the brain

Question 21

how does a nerve impulse work?

Answer 21

–initiation of a nerve impulse involves the generation of an action potential
–after the action potential is initiated, a series of action potentials travel along the axon
–when it reaches the end of the nerve fiber, it is transmitted across the junction between nerve cells by neurotransmitters

Question 22

synapse

Answer 22

point at which the nerve impulse jumps from one neuron to another

Question 23

neurotransmitter

Answer 23

chemical agent involved in the transmission of an impulse across this junction

Question 24

examples of neurotransmitters

Answer 24

acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepi, serotonin, dopamine