The Nervous System Flashcards

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1
Q

How heavy is the brain?

A

1.5kg

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2
Q

What does the nervous system consist of?

A

Brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves

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3
Q

What are the types of cells in the brain?

A

Neurons and glial cells

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4
Q

What are the three main types of neurons?

A
  1. Sensory neurons
  2. Motor neurons
  3. Interneurons
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5
Q

What do sensory neurons do?

A

They are connected to receptors specialised to detect and respond to different attributes of the internal and external environment

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6
Q

What do motor neurons do?

A

They control the activity of muscles and are responsible for all forms of behaviour including speech

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7
Q

What type of neuron exist in the greatest quantity?

A

Interneurons

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8
Q

Where are interneurons?

A

Situated between the sensory and motor neurons

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9
Q

What do interneurons do?

A

Mediate simple reflexes and responsible for highest functions of brain

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10
Q

What do glial cells do?

A

Support neurons

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11
Q

What do neurons consist of?

A
  1. Cell body

2. Processes: axons & dendrites

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12
Q

What do axons do?

A

Transmit information from neuron on to others

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13
Q

What do dendrites do?

A

Receive information being transmitted by axons of other neurons

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14
Q

What is something both processes (axons and dendrites) do?

A

Participate in specialised contacts called synapses

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15
Q

How are neurons organised?

A

They are organised in complex chains and network that are pathways where information in nervous system is transmitted

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16
Q

How are brain and spinal cord connected to sensory receptors and muscles?

A

Through long axons that make up peripheral neerves

17
Q

What are the functions of spinal cord?

A
  1. Simple and complex reflexes

2. Forms a highway between body and brain for information to travel in both directions

18
Q

What distinguishes human brain with others?

A
  • large size of human brains in relation to body size
  • enormous increase in number of interneurons over course of evolution, making humans have a wide choice of reactions to environment
19
Q

What do the brain consist of ?

A

Brain stem and cerebral hemispheres

20
Q

What are the three parts of brain stem?

A
  • hind-brain
  • diencephalon
  • mid-brain
21
Q

What is hind-brain?

A

Extension of spinal cord

22
Q

What do hind-brain consist of?

A

Contains networks of neurons that constitute centres of control of vital functions like breathing and blood pressure

23
Q

What do cerebellum do?

A

Control and timing of movements

24
Q

What do midbrain contain?

A

Groups of neurons that use predominantly a particular type of chemical messenger but all project up to cerebral hemispheres

25
Q

What do midbrain do?

A

Regulate the activity of neurons in higher centres of brain to mediate functions like vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wake cycles, attention

26
Q

What are the two areas in diencephalon?

A

Thalamus and hypothalamus

27
Q

What do the thalamus do?

A

Relay impulses from all sensory systems to cerebral cortex which in turn send messages back to the thalamus

28
Q

What does the hypothalamus?

A

Control functions such as eating and drinking and regulate release of hormones in sexual functions

29
Q

What does cerebral hemisphere consist of?

A
  • basal ganglia (core)

- cerebral cortex

30
Q

What role does the basal ganglia play?

A

Central role in initiation and control of movement

31
Q

What is cerebral cortex?

A

Outer layer of brain

32
Q

What do the cerebral cortex do that enable it to house a large number of neurons?

A

It has folds that weave in and out to enable a large surface area for sheets of neurons

33
Q

What is the most highly developed area of the brain in humans?

A

Cortical tissue

34
Q

What part of the brain in human is 4 times bigger than in gorillas?

A

Cortical tissue

35
Q

How is movement controlled by the cortex?

A

Pathways from sensory receptors to the cortex and from cortex to muscles cross over from one side to another, this movements of the right side of the body are controlled by left side of cortex and vice versa

36
Q

How are the left and right cerebral cortex connected?

A

They are connected by a large fibre tract called corpus callosum

37
Q

What do the cerebral cortex required for?

A

Voluntary actions, language, speech and higher functions like thinking and remembering

38
Q

Which part is required for speech?

A

Left hemisphere for most people