Nervous System Key Concepts

Question 1

What does the nervous system include?

Answer 1

Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

Question 2

What does the central nervous system include and what is it’s function?

Answer 2

The spinal cord and brain. / And it’s function is to process and coordinate information

Question 3

What does the peripheral nervous system include and what’s its function?

Answer 3

Includes spinal nerves and cranial nerves / And it’s function is to transfer information to the central nervous system

Question 4

What does the spinal cord facilitate?

Answer 4

The transfer of information to the brain and from the brain

Question 5

What do spinal nerves contain?

Answer 5

They contain both sensory neurons and motor neurons and form peripheral nerves that innervate tissues and organs

Question 6

Clinical utility of spinal nerves

Answer 6

The peripheral distribution of spinal nerves has clinical utility for determining site of injury

Question 7

A reflex is

Answer 7

A reflex is an automatic involuntary motor response to a specific stimulus

Question 8

How many steps are involved in a reflex arc?

Answer 8

5

Question 9

What is a monosynaptic reflex?

Answer 9

A monosynaptic reflex is where a sensory neuron synapses directly onto a motor neuron

Question 10

Polysynaptic Neurons

Answer 10

Have at least one interneuron between the sensory (afferent) neuron and motor (efferent) neuron

Question 11

What is more complex the brain or spinal cord?

Answer 11

Brain is much more complex

Question 12

What has several principal regions, each of which have specific functions?

Answer 12

The brain

Question 13

The Brain Stem

Answer 13

Is rigidly programmed and essential for survival

Question 14

What is detected by a receptor?

Answer 14

A stimulus is detected by a receptor and then the information follows a specific neuronal pathway to the somatosensory region of the brain, where it is processed

Question 15

Receptive fields of receptors

Answer 15

Receptors have different receptive fields and are also able to adapt to a particular stimulus

Question 16

How many different somatosensory pathways are there?

Answer 16

There are 3 different somatosensory pathways which transfer information to the CNS and which consist of a first-order neuron, second-order neuron and third-order neuron

Question 17

Where is the third order neuron located?

Answer 17

The third-order neuron is located in the thalamus and acts as a filter to transfer sensory information to specific regions of the somatosensory cortex

Question 18

Somatic nervous system

Answer 18

The somatic nervous system controls the movement of skeletal muscles and is comprised of mainly 2 neurons

Question 19

Sensory and motor information processing

Answer 19

involves both primary and association areas

Question 20

What are the brain and spinal cord protected by?

Answer 20

The spinal cord and brain are protected respectively by the bones of the vertebral column and bones of the cranium

Question 21

What are the meninges?

Answer 21

The meninges are special membranes that protect and support the spinal cord and brain

Question 22

Cerebral Spinal fluid’s role

Answer 22

the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) acts as a ‘shock absorber’ and a diffusion medium for dissolved gases, nutrients, chemical messengers and waste products

Question 23

Blood Brain Barrier

Answer 23

The Blood brain barrier (BBB) isolates neural tissue from the general circulation