nervous system test Flashcards
What are the two divisions of the nervous system?
central and peripheral
What are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
cranial nerves spinal nerves
What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division.
What is the difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system?
While the somatic nervous system is under your conscious control, none of the autonomic nervous system is.
What is the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? Be able to identify some physiological reactions of each.
The key difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems is that the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for controlling the body’s responses to perceived harm and mobilizing the “fight or flight” response while the parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for controlling the homeostasis and the body’s “rest-and-digest” response.
What are the two types of effectors in the nervous system?
muscles and endocrine glands
What is the difference between a neuron and a glial cell?
While neurons are the structural and functional units of the nervous system, the glial cells are the non-neuronal cells of the nervous system. Neurons are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses between the central nervous system and body, while the glial cells maintain homeostasis, providing support and protection to the neurons.
What is the function of sensory neurons? Motor neurons?
Motor neurons control movement, sensory neurons allow us to feel sensations, and relay neurons allow motor neurons and sensory neurons to communicate with one another. To accurately respond to stimuli, the brain relies on information communicated by sensory neurons.
What is the advantage of myelinated neurons as compared to unmyelinated neurons?
myelinated motor neurons can conduct nerve impulses at a higher speed than unmyelinated neurons.
What part of the nervous system would you find sensory and motor neurons; the CNS or PNS?
pns
What is the difference between a neuron in resting potential vs. action potential?
Resting potential refers to the electrical potential of a neuron or other excitable cell relative to its surroundings when not stimulated or involved in the passage of an impulse, while the action potential refers to the change in electrical potential associated with the passage of an impulse along the membrane of a muscle cell or nerve cell.
What is happening during depolarization of a neuron? Repolarization?
Repolarization is the phase that follows depolarization. During an action potential, the first stage is depolarization in which sodium ion channels open causing an influx of sodium ions into the neuron. This causes the membrane potential to reach approximately +40mV from a resting membrane potential of -70mV. At this membrane potential of about +40mV, sodium ion channels begin to close, and voltage gated potassium ion channels start to open. There is then a potassium ion efflux through these potassium ion channels leaving the cell. This efflux causes the membrane potential to drop back down to a membrane potential of 0mV as the membrane potential becomes more negative.
What is a synapse?
a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.
How does the nerve transmission continue at the synapse?
Nerve impulses travel across the synapse by means of neurotransmitters. These chemicals are released from a neuron into the synaptic gap, which is then communicated to other neurons via chemical receptors on the dendrites.
What is the structural function of the corpus callosum?
The main function of the corpus callosum is the communication between the two hemispheres; the different parts of the corpus callosum connect similar areas of each hemisphere.
parietal lobes function
processing tactile sensory information such as pressure, touch, and pain. A portion of the brain known as the somatosensory cortex is located in this lobe and is essential to the processing of the body’s senses.
frontal lobe function
This lobe is located at the front of the brain and is associated with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressive language. At the back of the frontal lobe, near the central sulcus, lies the motor cortex.
What parts of the brain make up the brainstem?
the midbrain (mesencephalon), the pons (metencephalon), and the medulla oblongata (myelencephalon)
occiputal
eyes
temporal lobe
The temporal lobe is located on the bottom section of the brain. This lobe is also the location of the primary auditory cortex, which is important for interpreting sounds and the language we hear.
What parts of the brain make up the brainstem?
The brainstem is divided into three sections in humans: the midbrain (mesencephalon), the pons (metencephalon), and the medulla oblongata (myelencephalon)
Where in the brain are most of our involuntary functions (posture, breathing, heart rate) regulated?
brainstem
Which part of the brain makes up part of our limbic system?
thalamus
Which part of the brain helps with “muscle memory”?
motor cortex
What is the protective covering of the brain and spinal cord?
meninges
What is the difference between a somatic and autonomic reflex?
what target tissue are the effectors
