PNS

Question 1

What does the term “peripheral” refer to? Name the major structures in the PNS.

Answer 1

Nerves

Question 2

What is a nerve?

Question 2

Review the organization of the nervous system, including the terms “afferent” and “efferent”, somatic, visceral, and autonomic.

Question 3

What are the anatomical features of a nerve?

Question 4

List the five cranial nerves we studied and briefly describe the function of each. Pay special attention to the nerve that innervates organs throughout the body. What happens if this nerve is overstimulated?

Question 5

List the six cranial nerves we studied and the parts of the body they innervate. What plexuses do these nerves belong to? Which is the biggest nerve in the body?

Question 6

One job of the PNS is to carry motor commands from the CNS to skeletal muscle. What do we call the division of the PNS that does this?

Question 7

What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?

Question 8

Explain the different types of reflexes: visceral, somatic, intrinsic, and learned.

Question 9

Compare and contrast the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. Be able to list changes to the body that occur during activation of each, but also why these changes occur.