Nervous systems Flashcards
What is the central nervous system?
The brain and spinal cord process and coordinates responses to sensory stimuli
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Is everything outside of the central nervous system and contains muscles, organs and glands.
What is sensory stimuli?
An event or object that makes a person react to.
What is the spinal cord?
a cable of nerve fibers that is connected from the base of the brain to the the lower back enclosed by bone.
what is the autonomic nervous system?
A network of neurons that
carry information between
the CNS, and the organs
and glands, to ensure they
are regulated without
conscious awareness
What is the somatic nervous system?
A network of nerves that transfer information from the receptor site to the CNS and carries those messages to the muscles to make voluntary movements.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
apart of the autonomic system that prepares our body for action.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
apart of the autonomic system that bring our body to homeostasis that calms us after action
What is a conscious response?
When the person is aware of what they are doing.
What is a unconscious response?
When a person is unawake or unaware that they are responding.
What is a neuron?
information messengers
What is a sensory neuron?
Transmits sensory info from the body to the brain
What is a motor neuron?
Transmits motor info from the brain to the body.
What is a interneuron?
Transmits info between the sensory and motor neuron
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical substance released by the terminal button of neuron, for neural transmission
What is excitatory?
increases the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential.
What is inhibitory?
Decreases the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential.
What is glutamate?
An excitatory neurotransmitter that helps with learning and memory.
What is GABA?
An inhibitory neurotransmitter that is commonly associated with calming feelings of anxiety, stress and fear
What is a neuromodulator?
A chemical messenger that enhances signal transmission.
What is dopamine?
neuromodulator that is involved with drive and motor movement.
What is serotonin?
neuromodulator that is involved in stabilizing moods.
What is a neuraltransmission?
the process of communicating between neurons using electochemical energy
What is a neuroplasticity?
The brains ability to physically change in response to a experience.
What is synaptic plasticity?
The ability of the synaptic connections to change over time in response to a experience.
What is long-term potentiation? (LTP)
The increase in synaptic strength through high frequency stimulation of the neural pathway.
What is long-term depression? (LTD)
The decrease of the efficiency of synaptic connections
What is sprouting?
The creation of new connections between neurons.
What is rerouting?
The re-establishing of neural pathways by making alternate pathways.
What is pruning?
The removing of old neural pathways that are not adequately activated.
What is the enteric nervous system?
apart of the autonomic system that consists of nerve cells that line the gastro tract and controls the digestive system.
