The nervous system Flashcards
What are the functions of the nervous system?
- Monitors the internal and external environments
- Integrates sensory info
- coordinates voluntary and involuntary response of organ systems
Name the receptors and what they respond to
Thermoreceptors- change in temp
Mechanoreceptors- mechanical pressure or distortion
Chemoreceptors- chemical change
Photoreceptors- light
What is the CNS?
Central nervous system consisting of the brain and the spinal cord
Its function is to integrate and coordinate sensory data and motor commands
What is the PNS?
All neural tissue outside the CNS
Relays sensory info to the CNS and carries motor commands to the peripheral tissues
What is the afferent division?
The sensory information
What is the efferent division?
The responses
Split into somatic n.s - skeletal muscle contraction and the autonomic ns consisting of parasympathetic and sympathetic
What is the main structure of a multipolar neuron?
Dendrites, cell body (organelles), axon hillock, axon, axon terminal
What is the function of the dendrites?
They are sensitive to sensory stimuli
What are the 4 types of neuron?
Anaxonic, bipolar, unipolar, multipolar
What is an anaxonic neuron?
Mainly found in the brain
small
No anatomic features to distinguish between dendrites from axon
What is a bipolar neuron?
Rare
Special sense organs
1 dendrite and 1 axon with cell body between them
What is a unipolar neuron?
Dendrites and axon are continuous with the cell body off to the side - most sensory neurons in the PNS
What is a multipolar neuron?
2 or more dendrites with 1 axon
Most common in the CNS and all motor neurons in skeletal muscle control
What is the spinal cord and its function?
A major passageway of sensory and motor impulses to and from the brain
It integrates info on its own and control spinal reflexes and automatic responses
What is the difference between a fissure and a sulcus?
They are both grooves but a fissure is deeper
What is grey matter?
Contains cell bodies and neuroglia cells
What is white matter?
Consists of myelinated and unmyelinated neurons
How does the central shape of the spinal cord change as we go down the body?
It decreases
How many segments are in the spinal cord?
31
What is a dermatone?
Each pair of spinal nerves monitor a specific region of the the body surface
What is a dorsal root ganglia?
A bundle of neurons that bring sensory info (afferent) into the spinal cord