Neurology

Question 1

What is enteroreception?

Answer 1

Changes within the organism that are detected by receptor cells within the organism.

Question 2

What is exteroreception?

Answer 2

Changes that occur outside the orgnasim that are detected by receptor cells at the surface of the organism.

Question 3

What is acetylcholine the transmitter of?

Answer 3

Vertebrate motor neurons and some pathways in the brain.

Question 4

What group of neurotransmitter substances does dopamine, histamine and seratonin belong to?

Answer 4

Monoamines.

Question 5

What is the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS?

Answer 5

Glutamate.

Question 6

What constitutes the CNS?

Answer 6

The brain and spinal chord.

Question 7

What are the 4 lobes of the brain and the other 2 structures making up the brain?

Answer 7

Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal lobes. Cerebellum and brain stem.

Question 8

Why is grey matter grey?

Answer 8

It is made of nerve cell bodies so the nucleus makes it grey in colour.

Question 9

Why is white matter white?

Answer 9

It is made up of nerve cell processes (axons) and their myelin sheaths which are made of lipids, giving the white colour.

Question 10

What is a gyrus? (pl gyri)

Answer 10

The ridges/elevations caused by the folding of the cerebrum.

Question 11

What is a sulcus? (pl sulci)

Answer 11

The fissures/depressions caused by the folding of the cerebrum.

Question 12

What is the afferent system? (Nervous)

Answer 12

Nerves that transmit impulses towards the brain/spinal chord.

Question 13

What is the efferent system? (Nervous)

Answer 13

Nerves that transmit impulses away from the brain/spinal chord.

Question 14

How is the nervous system split physiologically?

Answer 14

Somatic and visceral.

Question 15

What is the somatic system?

Answer 15

Coordinates voluntary activities, eg movement.

Question 16

What is the visceral system?

Answer 16

Coordinated involuntary activities, eg digestion.

Question 17

What do the meninges and cranium/vertebrae provide the CNS with?

Answer 17

Protection.

Question 18

What 3 meninges are surrounding the brain?

Answer 18

Dura matter, arachnoid, pia matter.

Question 19

What is the functional unit of the nervous system?

Answer 19

The neuron.

Question 20

What is a nerve?

Answer 20

Several neurons arranged into a functional group.

Question 21

What are dendrites?

Answer 21

The receptor segment of a neuron which conduct impulses to the cell body.

Question 22

What is the cell body? (Neuron)

Answer 22

A.k.a. the soma. The part of the neuron that functions like all other cells: producing proteins and providing energy for cell functions, also contains the cell’s DNA etc.

Question 23

What are axons?

Answer 23

The segment that relays impulses to other neurons.

Question 24

What does a myelinated axon provide?

Answer 24

Myelin insulates the axon, providing a faster conduction velocity by the saltatory effect.

Question 25

What is the saltatory effect?

Answer 25

The propagation of action potentials along myelinated axons from one node of Ranvier to the next node, increasing conduction velocity. (Latin: saltare - to hop or leap).

Question 26

What are neuroglia?

Answer 26

Non-neuronal cells that surround neurons in the CNS and PNS and provide structural and functional support (eg provide metabolic substances).

Question 27

Do neurons ever come into contact with capillaries?

Answer 27

No.

Question 28

How do neurons receive metabolic substances from the body?

Answer 28

Through their interaction with neuroglia.

Question 29

Do neuroglia conduct elecrical impulses?

Answer 29

No.

Question 30

What 3 things does the synapse consist of?

Answer 30

The pre-synaptic membrane, the synaptic cleft, the post synaptic membrane.

Question 31

What do vesicles in the pre-synaptic neurone contain?

Answer 31

Neurotransmitter.

Question 32

How can neurotransmitters be classified?

Answer 32

As inhibitory or excitatory neurotransmitters.

Question 33

What does a ‘mixed nerve’ refer to?

Answer 33

A nerve that has both afferent an efferent fibres.

Question 34

How is blood supplied to the brain?

Answer 34

From carotid/vertebral arteries, it pools into the cerebral arterial circle before branching out into the brain.

Question 35

How does the cerebral arterial circle (Circle of Willis) provide a safeguard for cerebral circulation?

Answer 35

The cerebral arterial circle (Circle of Willis) joins the carotid artery branches with the vertebral artery branches, so that if either blood vessel should be non-functioning neither the anterior or posterior sections of the brain will become ischemic.

Question 36

What is cerebrospinal fluid?

Answer 36

A clear, colorless body fluid found in the brain and spine.

Question 37

What functions does cerebrospinal fluid fulfill?

Answer 37

Contains metabolic compounds for the cells in the CNS, provides support by helping to maintain a constant fluid pressure, provides shock absorbing properties by distributing force over a large area to reduce damage.

Question 38

What is the blood-brain barrier? And outline what it does.

Answer 38

A highly selective permeability barrier that separates the blood from the cerebrospinal fluid. It allows the passage of water, some gases, and lipid-soluble molecules by passive diffusion, and selectively transports molecules such as glucose and amino acids (crucial to neural function).