Neurology Flashcards
What is Neurology?
Branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology (function), and disorders of the nervous system
Cell Anatomy:
Name parts of a cell
- Dendrites
- Cell body/Soma
- Axon
- Nodes of Ranvier
- Terminal button
Dendrites
receptor branches on cell body
Cell body/Soma
- contains DNA
- * “Ganglia” - clusters of cell bodies in PNS
- * “Nuclei” clusters of cell bodies in CNS
Axon
- Transmits electrical impulses from cell body to terminal buttons
- covered in a myelin sheath
- “Tract” = bundle of axons in CNS
- “Nerve” = bundle of axons in the PNS
Nodes of Ranvier
gaps in myelination on axon
Terminal button
contains synaptic vesicles
Ganglia
clusters of cell bodies in PNS
Nuclei
clusters of cell bodies in CNS
Tract
bundle of axons in the CNS
Nerve
bundle of axons in PNS
2 main types of cells
- Glial cells
- Neurons
Function of Glial cells
supports cell function
Function of Neurons
Communication
Types of Neurons
- Sensory neurons (receptors)
- Interneurons
- Motor neurons (effectors)
Function and types of
Sensory Neurons (receptors)
- Function: transmits sensory info into nervous system
- Examples:
- Chemoreceptors: chemicals
- Thermoreceptors: temperature
- Mechanoreceptors: force/pressure
- Photoreceptors: light during vision
- Baroreceptors: changes in blood pressure
- Proprioceptors: position
Function of Interneurons
makes connections between sensory and motor neurons
Function of
Motor Neurons (effectors)
- receives excitation from other cells and sends impulses (signal transmission)
- instructs muscles to contract or glands to secrete
Explain cellular communication
Information is transmitted into the nervous system by the conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy and then back into electrical energy.
- Electrical energy moves within the neuron from the body to the axon
- The electrical signal is converted to a chemical signal at the synaptic cleft between cells.
- Neurotransmitters are biomechanical compounds that help neurons communicate, acting as messengers between them.
- Neurotransmitters move from one cell to the receptor site on the post synaptic membrane, resulting in a change in electrical current across the cell membrane
- The change in electrical value is known as an action potential
Divisions of the Nervous System and their components
- Central Nervous System (CNS)
- includes brain & spinal cord
- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Nerves & ganglia (cell bodies outside of CNS
- includes :
- Somatic Nervous System
- Autonomic Nervous system
- includes :
Name meninges
of the brain
- Meninges (outer coverings)
- Dura Mater
- Arachnoid Membrane
- Pia Mater
- Between arachnoid & pia mater is the subarachnoid space which contains blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
Function
cleans and protects the brain and spinal cord by
circulating throughout the ventricles
Name the Ventricles
in the brain
- Two lateral ventricles
- Third ventricle
- Fourth Ventricle
4 Main Components
of the Brain
- Cerebrum (lobes)
- Cerebellum
- Subcortical structures
- Brainstem
Cerebrum
components
- Gray matter - densely packed cell bodies in the cortex which give the gray appearance.
- other regions of gray matter: Thalamus, spinal cord, etc.
- White matter - axons that are wrapped in myelin, giving a whitish appearance
- Two Hemispheres (right and left)
- Lobes:
- Frontal
- Temporal
- Parietal
- Occipital
- Insula (underneath)
- Lobes:
Cerebrum:
Lateralization
When a function is primarily controlled by one hemisphere versus the other.
- speech and language are thought to be controlled by the left hemisphere in about 95% of people