Overview of Nervous system Flashcards
What does the Central Nervous System (CNS) consist of?
Brain and spinal cord
What does the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) consist of?
Cranial and spinal nerves
Explain the Somatic Nervous System (SNS)
Controls the skeletal muscles under voluntary control and includes incoming sensory and outgoing motor fibres from the brain and spinal cord
Explain the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
A division of the PNS and controls the internal organs and also the fight or flight response.
Can be divided into the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic.
Explain Ganglia
Ganglia is a group of nerve cell bodies or nerve cluster that occur in the PNS. They are intermediates between the CNS and PNS. (E.g. Dorsal root ganglia)
Explain Plexus
A branching network of nerves of vessels (E.g. Brachial plexus)
Explain Dermatome
The area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve
Explain myotome
Muscles innervated by a single spinal nerve
What is good about dermatomes?
Allows clinicians to know where damage occurs (E.g. if there is no sensation to a certain area, then it may be a peripheral injury)
What does grey matter contain?
Nerve cell bodies
What does white matter contain?
Fibres that travel to and from the brain which are myelinated
State the layers of tissue from innermost to outermost in the spine
Pia Mater –Subarachnoid space–> Arachnoid mater –Subdural space–> Dura mater
State why are there only 7 cervical vertebrae but 8 cervical nerves
From C7 and above, the nerves come out from above the vertebrae, but at C7-T1 it switches to the bottom. So C7 has 2 nerves, one from the top and one from the bottom.
State the motor pathway for somatic information
Somatic info –> Ventral root –> Body
State the motor pathway for visceral information
Visceral info –> Ventral root –> Sympathetic ganglion –> Body
