Nervous Systems

Question 1

What are the functions of the nervous system?

Answer 1

Sensory
- Gathers info about the external and internal environment

Effector Activation:
- activate skeletal muscles and endocrine glands
- influences heart rate
- influences activity of smooth muscle in the GI tract and arterioles

Control centers:
- integrates info and determines responses

Question 2

What are the different divisions and components of the nervous system?

Answer 2

Neurons- carry electrical signals (nerve- bundle of neurons)
Glial cells- protects/repairs neurons, influence neural activity

Question 3

Vertebrate nervous system consists of…

Answer 3

Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system

Question 4

Central nervous system includes

Answer 4

Brain- decisions, control
Brainstem- influences heart, digestion, ventilation
Spinal cord- transmits info

Question 5

Peripheral nervous system includes

Answer 5

• Afferent division (sensory)
• Efferent division (motor)
• Somatic nervous system- voluntary activity
• Autonomic nervous system- involuntary unconscious activities
  
  • sympathetic: fight or flight (inhibits digestion)
  • parasympathetic: rest and digest

Question 6

Peripheral nervous system includes

Answer 6

• Afferent division (sensory)
• Efferent division (motor)
• Somatic nervous system- voluntary activity
• Autonomic nervous system- involuntary unconscious activities
  
  • sympathetic: fight or flight (inhibits digestion)
  • parasympathetic: rest and digest

Question 7

What are the components of a neuron, and the different classes of neurons?

Answer 7

Post synaptic neuron and presynaptic neuron
1. sensory (afferent) neurons
2. motor (efferent) neurons
3. interneurons- connect only to other neurons

Question 8

What causes a membrane potential to develop, and what determines the resting value?

Answer 8

Vm is the voltage across the cell membrane- due to unequal movement of ions across the membrane

The normal Vm for a cell is its resting potential- negative inside cell relative to outside

Question 9

What causes the changes in membrane voltage seen during an action potential? Why is the pattern always the same?

Answer 9

Vm changed from positive and back
- action potentials propagate along axons

Question 10

Understand what voltage-gated ions channels do, and what triggers opening and closing

Question 11

How are action potentials propagated along an axon?

Question 12

What is the refractory period, and why is it important in this process?

Question 13

How do neurons encode information?

Question 14

How is information transmitted between neurons?

Question 15

What controls the release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic neuron?

Question 16

How does neurotransmitter affect the postsynaptic neuron?

Question 17

Why does neurotransmitter level decrease again in the synaptic cleft?

Question 18

What is the difference between excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (PSPs)?

Question 19

How do individual PSPs from one or more presynaptic neurons sum to affect overall postsynaptic potential, and how does this potential affect action potential production?