NEU Quiz 1 Flashcards
Name the functions of the nervous system
Sensory input: sensory receptors detect stimuli internal and external changes
Integration: interpretation and storage of sensory input
Motor output: send signals to effector organs that initiate change
What are the divisions of the nervous system, and what are their main components?
The central (brain and spinal cord)
The peripheral (internal organs, autonomic nervous system) system
If a brain area is located superior and medial in comparison to another brain area, what does that mean?
Superior: Above; toward the head
Inferior: Below; toward the feet
Medial: Toward the middle
Lateral: Toward the edge
The brain – labeling the four main lobes and briefly listing function of each
Frontal Lobe: primary motor cortex, reasoning, planning, speech, emotions, problem solving, decision making
Parietal Lobe: primary somatosensory cortex(touch mostly), orientation, recognition, attention
Occipital Lobe: visual processing
Temporal Lobe: hearing, smell, memory, and speech
Name components of the cerebrum (cortex and subcortex) and their functions
Cerebral Cortex (2 halves/hemispheres) - brain broken up in four parts
Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, and Temporal Lobe
Subcortex
Basal Ganglia: regulating motor activity and starting/stopping action, also reward
Limbic System: Involved in memory and emotional processing
Amygdala: processing emotion and threat (“fear center”)
Cingulate gyrus: detecting “conflict” in decision making, regulates aggression, emotional response to pain
Hippocampus: binding items and events in memory
Name components of the brainstem and their functions
Midbrain: midbrain is OLD (lizard brain) in evolutionary terms. Provides a fast (unprocessed) route for sensory information e.g., attention grabbing flash or bang
Superior Colliculi: integrate information from vision, hearing, and touch
Inferior Colliculi: specialized for auditory processing
Hindbrain: Brain Stem (in addition to midbrain):
Pons:
link between cerebrum and cerebellum
Regulates breathing
Medulla (oblongata): connects pons and spinal cord.
Crucial for regulating breathing, heart rate, etc.
What is the function of the cerebellum
Cerebellum: needed for movement coordination and motor control (called little brain) also balance
What is the function of the spinal cord
The three primary roles of the spinal cord are to send motor commands from the brain to the body, send sensory information from the body to the brain, and coordinate reflexes.
Sensory information travels from the periphery to the brain through the dorsal spinal cord (input)
dorsal horn - sensory
Information goes in through dorsal and out through ventral
Ventral horn - motor
Motor information travels from the brain to the periphery through the ventral spinal cord (output)
Name three ways the brain is protected
Bone (skull)
Membranes (meninges)
Dura Mater – outermost brain/spinal cord membrane just under skull bones
Arachnoid Mater – membrane found under dura mater
Pia Mater – membrane under Arachnoid Mater and separated from it by CSF
Blood brain barrier
How is CSF produced and what are its functions
CSF Production made by Choroid Plexus
Found in ventricles- produce CSF at constant rate
Clusters of capillaries enclosed with layer of ependymal cells
Ependymal cells control composition of CSF and help cleanse CSF by removing wastes
CSF assists the brain by providing protection, nourishment, and waste removal
Explain the function of the blood brain barrier – what are its parts?
Blood Brain Barrier - helps maintain stable environment for brain and separates neurons from blood borne substances in three parts with endothelial cells
Functions with a selective barrier
What passes by diffusion:
Small non- polar molecules (O2, CO2)
Lipid (fat) soluble substances - alcohol, steroids, nicotine, anesthetics, opioids
What passes using facilitated diffusion with “help”(transporters):
Glucose, amino acids, fatty acids
Neurons
fundamental cells of the nervous system - excitable cells that transmit electrical (chemical neurotransmitters) signals → action potential
Glial cells
diverse array of cells in the nervous system, roles include immune function, provide structural support, regulate the cellular environment
What glia are in the CNS, and what are their functions?
Central Nervous System → brain and spinal cord
Astrocytes: are between blood vessels and neurons that
- Provide structural support
- Regulate nutrients and ions
- Form scar tissue after injury
- Form the blood-brain barrier
- Neurotransmitter uptake
- Protect over exaltation of neurons
Microglial cells: (immune cells) are small cells that phagocytize bacterial cells and cellular debris
Ependymal cells: cells (choroid) line the inside of ventricles and make CSF
Oligodendrocytes: form the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord
What glia are in the PNS, and what are their functions?
Peripheral Nervous System
Satellite cells: provide nutrients and structurally support neurons
Schwann cells: cells produce myelin
