nervous system functioning Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 functions of the nervous system?

A
  • Receive info
  • Process info
  • Coordinate response
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2
Q

What is the role of the CNS?

A
  • Process info from internal (ANS) and external (SNS) environment
  • Activate appropriate responses
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3
Q

What is the role of the brain

A
  • Receive and process information from neural pathways
  • Direct action
  • Make decisions (conscious)
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4
Q

What is the role of the spinal cord?

A
  • Receives sensory info from body (via PNS), sends to brain for processing
  • Receives motor info from brain sends to PNS
  • responsible for simple motor reactions (spinal reflexes)
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5
Q

What is the role of the PNS?

A
  • Carries info to the CNS from internal (muscles, organs, glands) and external environments (sensory organs)
  • Carries info from CNS to appropriate muscle, organs, glands
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6
Q

What is the role of the somatic NS?

A
  • Carries sensory info to CNS
  • Carries motor info from CNS
  • controls voluntary movement via skeletal muscles
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7
Q

Outline how somatic NS is involved in responses

A
  • Stimulus is detected/received by sensory receptors on organ
  • sensory info transmitted to brain/spinal cord of CNS via sensory neurons and the spinal cord
  • brain process info & formulates conscious decision to initiate motor movement
  • motor info transmitted to muscle via motor neurons
  • activates movement
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8
Q

What is the role of the ANS?

A
  • controls activity of internal muscles, organs, glands (involuntary)
  • Regulate internal environment to keep us alive
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9
Q

What is the role of the sympathetic NS?

A
  • automatically arouses & energises body to prepare it to confront or escape a threat
  • Increase activity of most visceral muscles, organs, glands for vigorous physical activity
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10
Q

What is the role of the parasympathetic NS?

A
  • Counterbalances the effects of the sympathetic NS; calms body once threat has passed
  • Keeps body functioning at optimal level (efficiently)
  • Maintains homeostasis
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11
Q

What are the physiological changes in parasympathetic and sympathetic NS?

A

parasympathetic: pupils constrict, salivary glands increase production, decrease heart rate, lungs contract, stomach stimulated digestion, liver decreases glucose release, intestine increases digestion, bladder contract
sympathetic: pupils dilate, salivary glands decrease production, increase heart rate, lungs expand, stomach inhibit digestion, liver increase glucose release, intestines decrease digestion, bladder relaxes

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12
Q

Explain why heart rate increase (1), breathing rate increase (2), pupils dialating (3), digestion is surpressed (4), increase glucose release (5) aids in survival.

A

1: blood moves faster-> taking O2 & glucose to muscles= more energy
2: more O2 intake= more glucose= more energy for musces
3: take in more light= enhance vision to see threats better
4: conserve energy-> energy can be directed to muscles
5: provide body more energy to deal w/ threat

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13
Q

What is the difference between conscious and unconscious responses to stimuli?

A

Conscious: reactions involve awareness/paying attention
- Usually voluntary, intentional, goal-directed

Unconscious: don’t involve awareness/can’t control occurence
- involuntary, unintentional, automatic

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14
Q

why is a spinal reflex adaptive?

A
  • does not require conscious awareness/brain= faster reaction time
  • increases our survival/minimising harm to body from stimulus because it saves time
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15
Q

What is a reflex arc?

A
  • unconscious, involuntary, automatically occurring response to certain stimuli w/o any involvement from the brain
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16
Q

Outline the processes involved in the spinal reflex arc

A
  • sensory neurons carry sensory info via the PNS to the spinal cord
  • interneurons immediately relay motor info telling the body to move
  • motor response occurs while brain receives original sensory message
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17
Q

What is the role of the neuron?

A
  • Receive, process, transmit info to other cells.
  • Form neural pathways for info to be carried
18
Q

What are dendrites and its role?

A

branch- like extension of a neuron
- Detect and receive info from other neurons
- Passes info to soma for integration

19
Q

What is the axon and its role?

A

singular tube like extension
- Transmit info to other neurons

20
Q

What is myelin and its role?

A

fatty substance
- Surround and insualte axon
- Prevent interferences
- Allow messages to travel faster

21
Q

What are axon terminals and its role?

A

small branches with knob like tips at the end of the axon
- Store and secrete vesicles containing neurotransmitters

22
Q

What is the synapse and the components of it?

A

Site of communication between adjacent neurons
- terminal buttons of pre-synaptic neurons
- synaptic gap (space b/w neurons where neurotransmitters are released)
- dendrites of post-synaptic neuron

23
Q

What is a neurotransmitter and its role?

A
  • chemical substances produced by a neuron
  • Carries messages to other neurons or cells
24
Q

what is the lock and key process?

A

used to explain how neurotransmitters communicate neural information

25
Explain the lock and key process
- Each neurotransmitter has a chemically distinct shape like a unique key that can only bind to a corresponding shaped receptor site on the dentrites of the postsynaptic neuron like a key only fitting into the correctly shaped lock. - only opens and activates the neuron when accessed by the right key. - Allows neurotransmitter to cause excitatory or inhibitory changes to posynaptic neuron
26
What is an inhibitory effect?
- block or prevent postsynaptic neuron from firing
27
What is an excitatory effect?
- stimulate or activate a postsynaptic neuron
28
What is glutamate and its role?
Primary excitatory neurtransmitter in CNS - Makes post synaptic neurons more likely to fire - enhances neural transmission
29
What is GABA and its role?
Primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS - Makes post-synaptic neurons less likely to fire - Involved in fine-tuning neurotransmission at an optimal level.
30
why it is important to have both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters?
- both are needed for optimal lvl brain function - Excitatory neurotransmitters ensure neurons perform a specific function - inhibitory neurotransmitters make sure that over-excitation doesn’t occur and damage neurons
31
What are the 4 key motor symptoms of Parkinson's?
- tremor - muscle rigidity - slowness of movement - postural instability
32
Describe tremor
- continuous, involuntary shaking of the body
33
Describe muscle rigidity
- muscles are stiff, tight, unable to relax
34
Describe slowness of movement
- difficulty starting new movements/stopping ongoing movements - decrease in fine motor movements
35
Describe postural instability
- cannot maintain steady, upright posture - balance problems= difficult to prevent falling - walking disturbances
36
What are some non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's
- decreased sense of smell - fatigue - increased sensitivity to to temperature+sweating - mental health (confusion, panic, anxiety, depression) - impaired cognitive functioning (thinking, planning, decision making, memory)
37
What is Parkinson's diesease?
- neurodegenerative disorder with motor & non-motor symptoms
38
Why is Parkinson's described as a neurological and degenerative disorder?
- involves interference to NS functioning - symptoms progressively worsen over time
39
How does Parkinson's interfere with neurotransmission function (biological reason for motor symptoms)?
- dopamine is responsible for sending messages for smooth motor movement - progressive death of dopamine producing neurons in substantia nigra - lower levels of dopamine= slower/ fewer/irregular messages about voluntary movement sent to brain - An inadequate message would be sent to skeletal muscles to perform the motor task= motor symptom
40
What is the role of dopamine agonist in Parkinson's disease?
- Similar shape to dopamine= can bind to dopamine receptor= messages about movement can send