Neurological System Flashcards
The Central Nervous System consists of?
The brain and spinal cord
The peripheral nervous system consists of?
input and output pathways outside the brain and spinal cord
The two branches of the motor system of the nervous system
somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
Somatic
Voluntary muscle aka skeletal muscle
Autonomic Nervous System
controls smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and several glands
Neuroglia of Glial cells
specialized cells in nervous tissue that allow it to perform nervous system functions. They are like the “glue” that holds the nervous system together.
Four types of glial cells in the CNS
Astrocytes-are metabolic and structural support cells
Microglia-removes debris
Ependymal-do the job of epithelial cells, covering surfaces and lining cavities
Oligodendrocytes-make a lipid insulator called myelin
Two types of glial cells in the PNS
Schwann Cells-make myelin for the PNS
Satellite Cells-support cells that surround the nerve cell body
Dendrites
receive information from the environment or other cells
Axon
generates and sends signals to other cells, the signals leave the cell and travel down the axon until it reaches the axon terminal
Axon terminal
connects to the receiving cell
Synapse
refers to the area where the axon meets the receiving cell
Polarized Cell
a cell that is not stimulated or excited; resting. More negative on the inside than the outside
3 important chemicals involved in neurological functions
Calcium. Potassium. Sodium.
Describe action potential
when a polarized cell is stimulated channels in the cell membrane open up. when these channels open up Sodium Ions (NA+) travel across the cell membrane. This positively charges the cell or depolarizes it. In less than a millisecond, the gates on the sodium channels shut, just like the automatic doors at the supermarket shut by themselves. Then gates on potassium channels open. Potassium (K+), which is also positive, leaves the cell, taking its positive charges with it. The inside of the cell becomes more negative again, eventually returning to rest. This is repolarization. Sometimes a cell overshoots and becomes more negative than at rest this is known as hyperpolarized.
