Psychology CHP.4

Question 1

The nervous system is split

Answer 1

into the central nervous system + peripheral nervous system

Question 2

The central nervous system diagram

Answer 2

the central nervous system:

• brain + spinal cord
• -brain: forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
• –forebrain: cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system
• –midbrain: reticular formation

Question 3

the peripheral nervous system diagram

Answer 3

the peripheral nervous system:

• somatic + autonomic nervous system
• -somatic nervous system: sensory and motor nerves
• -autonomic nervous system: sympathetic + parasympathetic nervous system

Question 4

two major divisions of the nervous system

Answer 4

central nervous system (CNS)

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 5

The CNS and PNS

Answer 5

The human brain needs to receive information from the body’s sense organs which receive information from the environment. The brain is connected to muscles and glands so that an organism can respond and act on their current environment

Question 6

central nervous system

Answer 6

• made up of the brain + spinal cord

Question 7

the spinal cord

Answer 7

• enables the brain to communicate with the rest of the body by sending messages from the brain to the PNS and back.
• the upper section of the spinal cord is responsible for communication between the brain and upper parts of the body
• the lower section of the spinal cord is responsible for the lower parts

Question 8

the peripheral nervous system

Answer 8

two functions:
-send information from the body’s organs, glands and muscles to the CNS, from both the inside and outside world

• communicate information from CNS to the body’s organs glands and muscles via motor neurons

Question 9

somatic nervous system

Answer 9

-responsible for voluntary movement of skeletal muscle

Question 10

autonomic nervous system

Answer 10

• responsible for sending information between CNS, non-skeletal muscles and internal organs
• • is involuntary but some actions such as breathing and blinking can be voluntary

Question 11

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 11

• emergency system that activates when in danger or stressed
• important role in organisms survival as it readies body for the fight, flight and freeze response. Prepares organs to deal with threats or stressors.

Question 12

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 12

• operates when relatively calm
• • responsible for maintaining automatic day-to-day bodily functions e.g normal breathing. aka homeostasis
• – allows us to do everyday tasks and keeps body functions in balance

Question 13

neurons

Answer 13

receive information from other neurons, process then communicate it to other neurons

Question 14

neurons are made up of 3 elements

Answer 14

• dendrites
• soma
• axon

Question 15

dendrites

Answer 15

• tree-like

- receives information from other neurons or sensory receptors via synapses and deliver it to the cell body or soma

Question 16

soma

Answer 16

• is the cell body
• largest part of the neuron
• controls metabolism & maintenance of the cell

Question 17

axon

Answer 17

• nerve fibre
• carries information from the soma to their ends to other cells in contact with the neuron
• -information carried as an electrical impulse is also “action potential”
• -terminal buttons on the end of axon makes a chemical (neurotransmitter) when information is sent down the axon as electrical impulses

Question 18

glial cells

Answer 18

• cells not part of the neuron but support ut

- hold neurons together

Question 19

Motor Neurons

Answer 19

> motor neurons send messages from the CNS to the certain muscles the organism intends to move

Question 20

Sensory neurons

Answer 20

> sensory neurons convey the sensation, detected by sensory receptors to the brain

Question 21

interneurons

Answer 21

they connect the spinal motor and sensory neurons

Question 22

glial cells main functions

Answer 22

1. surround neurons and hold them in place
2. supply nourishment and oxygen to neurons
3. remove dead neurons
4. insulate one neuron from another and increase speed of transmission of nerve impulses
   - to do this glial cells produce myelin

Question 23

myelin

Answer 23

• fatty substance that covers just the axon to insulate it from neurons or surrounding fluid
• produced in brain + spinal cord by glial cells
• process of producing myelin is myelination
• myelinated neurons are faster in conducting messages

Question 24

reaction times

Answer 24

can be voluntary or involuntary, factors such as preparation, practice and strength can improve our reaction times

Question 25

synapse

Answer 25

• a synapse is a junction between 2 neurons

- can be located at several points along a neuron

Question 26

synaptic transmission

Answer 26

when neurons communicate with other neurons

Question 27

neurons communicate via

Answer 27

a chemical process

Question 28

terminal buttons can

Answer 28

form synapses with a single neuron

Question 29

neural pathways

Answer 29

pathways that nerve impulses take along the neuron

• allow one part of the nervous system to communicate with another
• • can carry messages from body to brain (afferent pathway), brain to body (efferent pathway), or within the brain

Question 30

body to brain

Answer 30

afferent pathway

Question 31

brain to body

Answer 31

efferent pathway

Question 32

neurotransmitter

Answer 32

chemical messenger which transmits signals across a chemical synapse

Question 33

reflex actions

Answer 33

an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus eg. touching a hot stove and moving your hand away

Question 34

nerves

Answer 34

specialised cells that carry messages from one part of the body to another, as tiny electrical signals (nerve impulses)

Question 35

main function of the Nervous system

Answer 35

to receive, process & coordinate info