Psychosocial Integrity Flashcards
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that carry impulses between nerve fibers across a synaptic junction
catecholamines
several neurotransmitters that function outside the CNS as neurohormones. Includes epi, NE, and DA
psychotherapeutics
drugs that tx psychological disorders
synapse
a tiny gap/junction between two adjacent nerve cells
glutamate
principle excitatory neurotransmitter; r/t memory function
glycine
an inhibitory neurotransmitter; r/t motor fx, vision, and hearing
acetylcholine
excitatory neurotransmitter; in CNS and PNS
dopamine
special neurotransmitter, both excitatory and inhibitory
epinephrine
excitatory neurotransmitter
gamma-aminobutyric acid
principle inhibitory neurotransmitter; opposes glutamate
norepinephrine
excitatory neurotransmitter
serotonin
inhibitory neurotransmitter
overview of the nervous system
- coordinates/controls all activities of the body
- receives internal and external stimuli
- processes information to determine appropriate response
- transmits information over varied motor pathways to effector organs
neuron
- synapse: electrochemical signaling
- nodes of ranvier: propagate electrical signaling
support cells of the nervous system
glial cells, outnumber neurons 10:1
astrocytes
form BBB, rapid transport of nutrients
oligodendroglia
form myelin sheath in the CNS
schwann cells
form myelin sheath in the PNS
microglia
clear cellular debris; phagocytosis
3 parts of the brain
forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
spinal cord (31 segments)
- 8 cervical (neck/upper extremities)
- 12 thoracic (chest/abdomen)
- 5 lumbar (lower extremities)
- 5 sacral (lower extremities, bowel and bladder control)
- 1 coccygeal
forebrain
basal ganglia, cerebral hemispheres/lobes, diencephalon
basal ganglia
substantia nigra (produces dopamine)
cerebral hemispheres and lobes
- frontal: inhibition and decision making
- temporal: emotion, long-term memory, speech/language formation
- parietal: sensory integration, language/linguistic understanding
- occipital: visual, visuospatial perception, visual regulation
diencephalon
- epithalamus
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- subthalamus
limbic system
- group of structures that integrate emotion and high function (decision making, meaning and semantic memory)
- essential structures: amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus
midbrain
- corpora quadrigemina
- tegmentum
- basis pedunculi
hindbrain
- pons (autonomic functions)
- cerebellum (gross coordination)
- medulla oblongata (bridge to PNS)
CNS - reticular activation system
- coordinates cognitive tasks and ‘filters’ stimuli to prioritize response
- plays essential role in attention and alertness
- acts as nexus for efferent motor pathways
- conscious and preconscious activity
CNS - meninges
- 3 layers, membrane, protects the contents of the brain and spinal cord
-> dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater
Blood-brain barrier
- BBB
- neither neurotransmitters nor catecholamines cross the BBB
- many drugs do not cross; WBC transit restricted/reduced
CNS protective structures
- cranium; bony enclosure (8 bones)
- meninges
- cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and ventricles
- vertebral column (33 vertebrae -> 7C, 12T, 5L, 5S, 4 coccygeal)
spinal cord
- portion of CNS in the vertebrae
- vertebral column
- motor and sensory pathways
descending (efferent) pathways
- 4 motor pathways
- anterior location
ascending (afferent) tracts
- 3 sensory pathways
- posterior location
2 main divisions of the PNS
somatic and autonomic
somatic system
involved in conscious, neuromotor function
autonomic system
- regulates unconscious, continuous innervation of cardiac and smooth muscle
- activates glandular tissues; neuroendocrine system
- sympathetic and parasympathetic subdivisions
synaptic function
- transmits nervous impulses from one neuron to another
- chemical transmission between nerve cells involve multiple steps
- electrochemical impulses transmit impulses down neuronal axon
where is synthesis of the neurotransmitter
presynaptic nerve
where are neurotransmitters stored
secretory vesicles