Neurophysiology Flashcards

1
Q

What is the nervous system

A

A collection or network circuit of neurons and glial cells. It is highly conserved, seen in all classes of life

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2
Q

What is the most simple nervous system

A

Forms a net

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3
Q

Nervous system of planaria

A

Has a little brain (concentration of neurons) and has two nerve cords down either side of its body which forms communication from tip to tail, and left to right

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4
Q

What is the nervous system of a leech

A

Central nerve, one coming either side

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5
Q

What is the nervous system of an insect

A

Brain, and in each segment, there is a cluster of nerves on each segment (ganglions)

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6
Q

What is the nervous system of a vertebrate

A

Brain, central spinal cord, each vertebrae has dorsal and ventral nerve roots which allow information to get from sensory, into spinal cord, and to the brain (and the other way around)

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7
Q

Grey matter

A

Neurons

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8
Q

White matter

A

Axons, covered in myelin

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9
Q

What is myelin

A

White lipid fat that coats axons to allow for fast transmission of the signals.

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10
Q

Function of the nervous system

A
  • Information processing - each vertebra has information coming in through the dorsal and out through the ventral motor nerve route
  • Senses the environment (light, vision, sound, temperature, vibration, smell, taste)
  • Allow organisms to respond to the environment
  • Coordinates bodily functions
  • Voluntary movement
  • Reflexes
  • Memory, learning, emotion
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11
Q

CNS

A

Brain and spinal cord

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12
Q

PNS

A

Everything but brain and spinal cord

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13
Q

How does the nervous system work

A

Sensory information comes in (afferent neurons) it gets processed in the central nervous system, and then the information goes out (efferent neurons) to have a reaction.

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14
Q

Sympathetic nervous system

A

Fight or flight

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15
Q

Parasympathetic nervous system

A

Rest and digest

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16
Q

Enteric division

A

Digestive tract, moves food through the gut

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17
Q

Function of forebrain

A

sense of smell, regulates sleep, complex learning

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18
Q

What does the forebrain contain

A

olfactory bulb and cerebrum

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19
Q

Function of midbrain

A

routes information (sorts information to parts of the cortex where it needs to go)

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20
Q

Function of hindbrain

A

Motor control (movement) and involuntary activity (heartbeat, breathing)

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21
Q

Why do we have a highly folded cerebellum

A

Allows a higher surface area, more neurons can fit in that space, more grey matter and higher ability for processing (allows us to speak and communicate and have a higher level of intelligence)

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22
Q

Brainstem function

A

important for controlling involuntary parts of life (respiration rate, heart rate)

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23
Q

3 regions of the Frontal lobe

A

Motor cortex, prefrontal cortex, Brocas area

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24
Q

Motor cortex function

A

Initiate voluntary movement

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25
Q

Prefrontal cortex function

A

decision making, planning

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26
Q

Brocas area function

A

Speech formation

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27
Q

Somatosensory cortex function

A

area where all sensory information from periphery goes to be processed

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28
Q

Parietal lobe

A

Contains somatosensory cortex

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29
Q

Temporal lobe contains (2 things)

A

Auditory cortex, Wernickes area

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30
Q

Auditory cortex function

A

Hearing

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31
Q

Wernickes area function

A

Language comprehension

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32
Q

What does the occipital lobe contain

A

Visual cortex

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33
Q

Function of visual cortex

A

Process visual stimuli and pattern recognition

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34
Q

Cerebellum location

A

Above brain stem

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35
Q

Cerebellum function

A

Help movement, modulate the information going to and from the motor cortex, know where parts of the body exist in time and space

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36
Q

Neurons

A

Excitable cells specific to the nervous system

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37
Q

Glia

A

Group of other cells that support neurons, most abundant in the brain

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38
Q

Why and how are your bodies immune system and brain separated

A

Blood-brain barrier - stop immune system from entering the brain to prevent infection in the brain

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39
Q

Pericytes

A

Involved in blood-brain barrier to stop certain cells going through blood vessels easily

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40
Q

Why can the brain not get infected

A

Heat, swelling, pain comes with infection, skull is in a fixed position and therefore brain cannot swell

41
Q

Astrocytes (glial cell) function

A
  • Communicate with cells around the blood vessels
  • Modulate the blood-brain barrier
  • Metabolic support of neurons
  • Do not generate action potentials
42
Q

Microglia function

A
  • Star shaped
  • Survey environment
  • Like resident immune cells in brain
  • Scavenge, consume dead and dying cells
    Allow for normal brain function
43
Q

Oligodendrocytes function

A
  • Lay down myelin on the axons of the neuron
  • Have fatty lipid sheets that they wrap around the axons
44
Q

Schwan cells

A

cells outside the CNS that lay down myelin

45
Q

Why is coating cells in myelin important

A

fast conduction of action potentials over long distances, allows the action potential to jump

46
Q

Function of the axon

A

transmits the action potential

47
Q

Function of dendrites

A

receive information from other areas and direct it towards the cell body

48
Q

Axon hillock

A

where the axon potential is generated

49
Q

Synapse

A

A widened area in close proximity to the next neuron (but not touching) - the synapse is the area that makes the next neuron more excited/inhibited

50
Q

How does neuron size correlate with signal conduction

A

Bigger the neuron, the more myelin it contains, the faster it conducts signals

51
Q

Sensory (afferent neurons)

A

Send signal to the CNS (pain, touch, light, blood pressure). Neurons tend to be small and unmyelinated = slow

52
Q

Interneuron

A

Transmit signal within the CNS. communicates between sensory and motor information. Tend to be small, short axons

53
Q

Motor (efferent) neuron

A

Send signal from the CNS to muscles and glands (large and fast)

54
Q

Unipolar

A

One axon

55
Q

Bipolar

A

2 axons

56
Q

Pseudounipolar

A

axons off to the side

57
Q

Multipolar

A

all the dendrites, big axon, and synapses

58
Q

Cone snails using all the types of specialist cells

A
  • Sensory neurons sense environment
    • When it senses a fish swimming past it gets integrated by interneurons
  • Motor neurons send motor output and send probiscis out to paralyse prey
59
Q

Key role of a neuron

A

Transmit signals by receiving info, processing it, and generating a response

60
Q

How are signals transmitted within a neuron

A

Electrically via ion movement

61
Q

How are signals transmitted between neurons

A

Chemically, using neurotransmitters

62
Q

Why is a resting neuron excitable

A

due to its resting membrane potential (negative - charge of inside of neuron vs outside of neuron (ions)

63
Q

How do Voltage gated ion channels work

A
  • When a certain threshold (voltage) is reached, they will open/close
  • Ion channels and ion pumps in the cell membrane allow ions to cross the cell membrane
  • These channels/pumps are specific for a particular ion(s)
64
Q

What is the RMP

A

The difference in voltage (charge) across a membrane at rest

65
Q

Normal conc of Na and K

A

Normally, sodium is present in high conc outside cell, and potassium is present in high conc inside the cell.

66
Q

Sodium potassium pump ratios

A

3 sodium for 2 potassium

67
Q

Purpose of sodium potassium pump

A

Change membrane potential via pumping of more sodium than potassium

68
Q

Voltage of gradient of RMP

A

-65 million volts

69
Q

What is Nernst potential

A

Is the membrane potential at which there is no net (overall) flow of that particular ion from one side of the membrane to the other.

70
Q

What is Hyperpolarisation

A

Making the inside of the cell more negative

71
Q

Effect of hyperpolarisation

A

(harder to create action potential, more stimulus required for neuron signalling - may be useful in chronic pain

72
Q

What is depolarisation

A

Making the cell more positive

73
Q

Why are action potentials “all or nothing”

A

If the stimulus is strong enough, a point of ‘no return’ is reached, where voltage-gated Na+ channels open

74
Q

How much energy does a neuron take to fire

A

-55 million volts

75
Q

Are action potential one or multi directional

A

Axon hillock moves down the axon in only one way

76
Q

Neuron at a resting state

A

Lots of sodium outside, lots of potassium inside
At rest, both voltage-gated channels are closed
This means Na stays outside, K stays inside
Only sodium-potassium pump maintains RMP.

77
Q

How does depolarisation work

A

Stimulus comes in, and opens some sodium channels. This allows Na to flow into the cell. The cell becomes slightly more positive due to influx of positive ions. Reaches a threshold (action potential becomes all or nothing

78
Q

What happens in the rising phase

A

All sodium channels open. Sodium comes into the cell making inside very positive

79
Q

What happens in the falling phase

A

All sodium channels open Sodium comes into the cell making inside very positive

80
Q

What happens during the Absolute refractory period

A

No other stimulus can elicit action potential. Allows transport of action potential to go only in one direction

81
Q

What is the meaning of undershoot

A

Membrane potential returns to normal

82
Q

What is a Graded potential

A

a hyperpolarization or depolarization that shifts the membrane potential a little but does not cause an action potential and is decremental

83
Q

Where does myelin come from

A

Schwann cells (PNS) and oligodendrocytes (CNS)

84
Q

What are nodes of ranvier

A

Where voltage-gated Na channels are present.

85
Q

What is saltatory conduction and why is it good

A

Myelin allows the action potential to leap along the axon to move faster (jump) and with this, neuron signals can travel faster and over long distances.

86
Q

Multiple sclerosis

A

Myelin sheaths around neurons are lost. Axons don’t have myelin, therefore, struggle to get action potentials from a to b. The resulting poor signal transmission leads to fatigue, paralysis and cognitive impairment

87
Q

Why are MS rates higher in Dunedin than Auckland

A

Seems to be higher the further from the equator you are (sunlight and vit D is a factor)

88
Q

What are the 3 min clinical forms of MS

A

Relapsing-remitting, Secondary progressive, Primary progressive

89
Q

Relapsing Remitting MS

A

(85-90% - autoimmune disease where T and B cells infiltrate blood brain barrier, get into CNS, and attack myelin coating). Characterised by immune attacks, resolution, than repeated attacks.

90
Q

Symptoms of MS

A

Poor balance, fatigue, spasticity

91
Q

What is/causes Parkinsons

A

Decreased dopamine results in disordered movement

92
Q

Symptoms of parkinsons

A

Tremors, poor balance, and muscle coordination, cognitive impairment

93
Q

How to treat parkinsons

A

Disease can be treated, but not cured. Taking L-dopa (dopamine pre-cursor) can restore dopamine levels,

94
Q

What are senses

A

Transformation of external energy into an action potential. Your sensory organs are designed to receive/convert energy, but its your brain that perceives these signals as images or sounds

95
Q

4 steps in sensory pathways

A

Sensory reception, Sensory transduction, Transmission,
Perception

96
Q

Sensory reception

A

The detection of a stimulus by sensory cells

97
Q

Sensory cells

A

either themselves a neuron, or are cells that interactions with a neuron via neurotransmitters.

98
Q

Sensory transduction

A

Changing membrane potential

99
Q
A