nervous system functioning

Question 1

what does the central nervous system consist of?

Answer 1

brain and spinal cord

Question 2

role of the brain

Answer 2

centre of almost everything we think, feel and do

Question 3

role of spinal cord

Answer 3

send sensory information to the brain, receive motor information from the brain and send it to relevant parts of the body, initiate reflexes

Question 4

what does the peripheral nervous system consist of?

Answer 4

all the nerves outside the central nervous system

Question 5

role of the peripheral nervous system

Answer 5

send sensory information to CNS from muscles, organs, and glands
sends motor information from CNS to muscles, organs, and glands.

Question 6

role of somatic nervous system

Answer 6

carries sensory info to CNS and motor info from CNS
responsible for voluntary movement of skeletal muscles

Question 7

role of autonomic nervous system

Answer 7

connects CNS to body’s internal organs
responsible for involuntary movement of body’s visceral muscles
is not completely self-regulating.

Question 8

role of sympathetic nervous system

Answer 8

increases activity of most visceral muscles, organs, and glands
prepares body for fight or flight.

Question 9

role of parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 9

decreases the activity of most visceral muscles, organs, and glands
maintains a normal state of bodily functioning

Question 10

role of enteric nervous system

Answer 10

embedded within the walls of the gastrointestinal tract and is dedicated to its functioning

Question 11

what is conscious response?

Answer 11

a reaction to a sensory stimulus that involves awareness, usually voluntary, goal-directed, and have some control over

Question 12

process of conscious response

Answer 12

1. sensory info of detected by sense organs
2. sensory info that is detected is carried by sensory neurons
3. brain processes this information
4. once info is processed, the brain sends motor info, carried by motor neurons
5. this enables conscious movement, carried out by skeletal muscles

Question 13

what is unconscious response?

Answer 13

a reaction to a sensory stimulus that does not involve awareness, cannot ordinarily control its occurrence
made by autonomic nervous system or spinal cord

Question 14

what is a spinal reflex?

Answer 14

an unconscious, automatic response controlled solely by neural circuits in the spinal cord

Question 15

process of withdrawal reflex (spinal reflex)

Answer 15

1. sensory receptors detect incoming sensory info.
2. info is carried by sensory neurons and received by interneurons in the spinal cord.
3. interneurons relay sensory info to motor neurons, activating relevant skeletal muscles to enable movement.

Question 16

sensory (afferent) neuron

Answer 16

carries sensory information from PNS to CNS

Question 17

motor (efferent) neuron

Answer 17

carries motor information from CNS to PNS

Question 18

interneuron

Answer 18

connects sensory and motor neurons, only found in CNS

Question 19

electrochemical process in neurons

Answer 19

-electric: electric impulse generated inside a neuron (action potential)
-chemical: electrical impulse triggers release of chemical messengers from a neuron, received by another neuron

Question 20

dendrites

Answer 20

-thin extensions form from the cell body of a neuron
-role is to receive info from other neurons

Question 21

axon terminals (terminal buttons)

Answer 21

-small knoblike swelling, located at the end of the axon collaterals
-role is to release neurotransmitters.

Question 22

synapse

Answer 22

-the sit of communication between adjacent neurons
-describes the synaptic gap, the presynaptic neuron, and the postsynaptic neuron

Question 23

synaptic gap

Answer 23

the tiny space between the axon terminal of a presynaptic neuron and the dendrite of a postsynaptic neuron

Question 24

presynaptic neuron

Answer 24

the neuron that releases the neurotransmitters

Question 25

postsynaptic neuron

Answer 25

receives neurotransmitters

Question 26

neurotransmitters

Answer 26

chemical messages produced by neurons

Question 27

process of neural transmission

Answer 27

1. neurotransmitters are released at the axon terminal of presynaptic neuron 2. neurotransmitters travel across the synaptic gap 3. neurotransmitters bind themselves to the receptor sites of postsynaptic neurons (dendrites) 4. neurotransmitters that bind at the postsynaptic neuron have either an excitatory or inhibitory effect

Question 28

excitatory neurotransmitters

Answer 28

-makes the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire (info is more likely to passed onto another neuron) -activity being stimulated

Question 29

inhibitory neurotransmitters

Answer 29

-makes the postsynaptic neuron less likely to fire (info is less likely to passed onto another neuron) -activity being supressed.

Question 30

glutamate

Answer 30

main excitatory neurotransmitters in CNS

Question 31

GABA

Answer 31

main inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS

Question 32

neuromodulator

Answer 32

chemical molecule which affects multiple postsynaptic neurons

Question 33

what makes neuromodulators different from neurotransmitters?

Answer 33

-affects multiple postsynaptic neurons at the same time -modulates neural activity (enhances inhibitory or excitatory effects of neurotransmitters) -slower to take effect but has longer-lasting effects

Question 34

dopamine

Answer 34

responsible for: -voluntary motor movement -pleasure -reward-based learning -motivation -addictive behaviours -can be excitatory or inhibitory

Question 35

serotonin

Answer 35

responsible for: -mood regulation -sleep-wake cycle regulation -only has inhibitory effects

Question 36

synaptic plasticity

Answer 36

the ability of the synapse to change due to experience

Question 37

sprouting

Answer 37

the ability of the dendrites to form new branches

Question 38

rerouting

Answer 38

the ability of neurons connected to damaged ones to create alternative connections

Question 39

pruning

Answer 39

the elimination of synaptic connections

Question 40

long term potentiation

Answer 40

the long-lasting enhancement of synaptic transmission due to repeated stimulation (makes postsynaptic neurons most likely to fire, increasing efficiency)

Question 41

long term depression

Answer 41

the long- lasting decrease in the strength of synaptic transmission and neuronal response

Question 42

what are five similarities of LTP and LTD?

Answer 42

-both involve glutamate and occur at glutamate synapses -both have long lasting effects -both involve changes in excitability -both are activity dependent -both are forms of neural plasticity