Neurology Flashcards
Describe the central nervous system
Made up of brain and spinal cord, the bodies processing centre
Describe the peripheral nervous system
Lies outside of CNS and is made up of 12 cranial nerves, the spinal nerves and root and autonomic nerves
What is a nerve
Nerves carry impulses between your brain and the rest of your body, these impulses help you feel sensations, move muscles and maintain autonomic functions like breathing
What is the frontal lobe
Responsible for problem solving, emotional traits, reasoning, speaking and voluntary motor activity
What is the occipital lobe
Responsible for vision, colour and perception
What is the parietal lobe
Responsible for reading sensation, right to left and body orientation
What is the temporal lobe
Responsible for understanding language, behaviour, memory and healing
Describe the basal ganglia
Deep nuclei in the brain involved in initiation, execution and regulation of gross intentional movements. Made up of 5 interconnecting nuclei: substantia nigra, subthalamic nucelus, globus pallidus, putamen and caudate nucelus.
Describe the thalamus
Information relay station - info from sense processed through thalamus before being sent to cerebral cortex for interpretation. Also play role in sleep, wakefulness, consciousness, learning and memory
Describe the midbrain
Short upper part of brain stem that transmits info necessary for vision and hearing
Describe pons
Contains nuclei of cranial nerves and handles unconscious processes such as sleep wake cycle, breathing and swallowing
Describe the medulla
Contains visceral motor nuclei controlling autonomic activities such as heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure
Describe the spinal cord
Conducts motor info down and sensory info up. It is the centre for coordinating reflexes
Describe the cerebellum
Controls balance, coordination and voluntary movement
Describe white matter
Conducts processes and sends signals up and down spinal cord (outer)
Describe grey matter
Enables us to control movement, memory, emotions (inner)
What is myelination
Formation of myelin sheath that allows for more rapid transmission of neural info along neural fibres
What is the function of efferent neurons
Brings motor info from CNS to periphery (exit) and activates skeletal muscles to produce movement
What is the function of afferent neurons
Brings sensory info from periphery to CNS
What is the function of the autonomic nervous system
Maintains bodily functions - conducts impulses from CNS to cardiac and smooth muscles and glands. (Involuntary)
Made up of sympathetic and parasympathetic.
What is the function of the somatic nervous system
Helps body move - conducts impulses from CNS to skeletal muscles (voluntary)
What is the function of the sympathetic nervous system
Speeds up body’s systems during fight of flight
What is the function of the parasympathetic nervous system
Conserves energy and promotes housekeeping functions during rest. Slows down body functions
What is the function of neurotransmitters
Carry chemical signals and diffuse across synapses and bind with postsynaptic membrane. Can be inhibitory or excitatory
Define neuroplasticity
Brains ability to change and adapt through life, brain can form and reorganise new synaptic connections
What is a dermatome
An area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve
What is a myotome
Group of muscles innervated by a single spinal nerve. They innervate a cluster of muscles that help you do a specific motion
What is reciprocal innervation
The process that controls agonist and antagonist muscle reactions. When one muscle contracts the other relaxes
What is a crossed extensor reflex
Contra lateral reflex that allows the body to compensate one side for a stimulus e.g when one foot steps on nail crossed extensor reflex shifts body weight onto other foot
How does the CNS control reflexes
Reflexes are controlled by the spinal cord, starts with receptors being excited they then send signals along sensory neuron to spinal cord where the signals are passed to motor neuron. As a result muscles or glands are stimulated.
Describe a stroke
Blood supply to brain is impaired
Ischaemic - blood clot
Haemorrhagic - blood vessel bursts
Symptoms - weakness on one side of body, facial dropping, slurred speech, impairments of brain
Describe multiple sclerosis
Progressive neurological condition that involves autoimmune demyelination of descending motor tracks
Symptoms - fatigue, numbness, muscle spasms, stiffness, weakness
Describe Parkinson’s disease
Loss of nerve cells in substantia nigra of basal ganglia that results in decreased production of dopamine, meaning there are changes to regulation of body movement
Symptoms - tremors, bradykinesia, stiffness, balance problems
Describe dementia
Ongoing decline of brain functioning
Symptoms - memory loss, decreased thinking speed, language understanding
Describe a spinal cord injury
Damage to any part of spinal cord or nerves in cauda equina. Can be complete or incomplete results in motor and sensory changes
Symptoms - weakness, reduced sensation, bladder/bowel problems
List the ways the nervous system can recover following an injury
Unmasking of silent synapses -structural synapses that were silent become unmasked due to injury
Diaschisis - reduced blood flow and metabolism in uninsured brain areas that have rich connections with injured areas. Reorganisation as axonal sprouting and new connections are formed in areas that have undergone diaschisis
Neural regeneration - injured axons begin sprouting and may reconnect with target neurons
Collateral sprouting - normal axons neighbouring and similar to the damaged ones begin to sprout and make connections
Cortical reorganisation - neurons in areas adjacent to injury adopt the function of neurons no longer present
