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Grade 12 Biology > The Nervous System > Flashcards

The Nervous System Flashcards

1
Q

what is the role of the nervous system?

A

to transmit information rapidly

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2
Q

What are the 3 main steps in the the nervous system pathway?

A
  1. detection of stimulus
  2. Processing in brain
  3. response in other part of body
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3
Q

What are the physical components/parts of the first step: detection of stimulus

A
  • sensory receptors
  • afferent/sensory neurons
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4
Q

What are the components of the second step: Integration?

A

central nervous system
(brain & spinal cord interneurons)

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5
Q

what are the components of the third step: motor outpur?

A
  • efferent/motor neurons
  • effector cells (muslce cells or glands)
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6
Q

what’s in the central nervous system?

A
  • brain
  • spinal cord
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7
Q

what’s in the peripheral nervous system?

A
  • afferent (sensory) neurons
  • efferent (motor) neurons
  • ALL neurons outside of CNS are PNS
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8
Q

what are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system?

A

the sensory (afferent) division and the motor (efferent) division

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9
Q

What are the two sensing environments of the sensory (afferent) division?

A

the external and internal environment

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10
Q

What are the two parts of the motor (efferent) division?

A

autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system

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11
Q

What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A

parasympathethic division and sympathetic division

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12
Q

what senses sense the external environment?

A

somatic and special sense

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13
Q

what senses sense the internal environment?

A

visceral senses

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14
Q

what do somatic senses detect - examples?

A

skin, muscle, joints

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15
Q

what do special senses detect - examples?

A

vision, hearing, smell, taste, equilibrium (balance)

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16
Q

what do visceral senses detect - examples?

A
  • fullness of stomach
  • blood pressure
  • blood volume
  • oxygen levels
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17
Q

where do exteroreceptors detect stimuli?

A

outside the body

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18
Q

where do interoreceptors detect stimuli?

A

within the body

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19
Q

what is an effector cell?

A

a cell that carries out the body’s response to a stimulus

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20
Q

what is motor output

A

the conduction of signals from integration centers to effector cells

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21
Q

what does the stomatic nervous system do?

A

responds to external and internal stimuli by sending signals to skeletal muscles (VOLUNTARY)

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22
Q

what does the autonomic nervous system do?

A

responds to stimuli by sending signals to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and organs of the body

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23
Q

what does the sympathetic nervous system do?

A
  • prepares the body for stress ( increase heart rate, rate of gas exchange, glucose metabolism)
  • inhibits digestive and excretory systems
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24
Q

what does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

A
  • restores body to normal balance - calming
  • stimulates digestive and excretory systems (salivary glands, stomach, intestine, pancreas, bladder)
  • decreases heart rate, and rate of gas exchange in lungs
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25
Q

what affects the sympathetic nervous system?

A

epinephrine / norepinephrine

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26
Q

what affects the parasympathetic nervous system?

A

acetylcholine

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27
Q

what is a nerve?

A

a group of neurons bundled together

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28
Q

what is a neuron

A

a nerve cell - the structural and functional unit of the nervous system

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29
Q

what is an excitable cell?

A

a cell capable of producing large, rapid electrical signals - a change in membrane protential

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30
Q

what are examples of excitable cells?

A

neurons & muscle cells

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31
Q

mature neurons lose the ability to undergo cell division

32
Q

what are the components of a neuron?

A
  • cell body (soma)
  • dendrites
  • axon (nerve fiber)
  • axon hillock
  • synaptic terminal
33
Q

describe the cell body (2 points)

A
  • the main part of the cell
  • contains the nucleus and organelles
34
Q

describe the dendrties visually

A

short, branched, extensions

35
Q

describe the axon

A
  • long extension that can branch
  • only one per neuron
36
Q

describe the axon hillock

A

where the axon originates

37
Q

describe the synaptic terminal

A

ends of axons

38
Q

what is the function of the cell body?

A

to carry out basic cell functions (protein synthesis, metabolism)

39
Q

what is the function of the dendrites?

A

receives input from other neurons

40
Q

what is the function of the axon?

A

to send information

41
Q

what is the function of the axon hillock?

A

where the action potential initiates

42
Q

what is the function of the synaptic terminal?

A

to contain or release neurotransmitters

43
Q

what are the steps/direction of signal conduction within a neuron?

A

dendrites -> cell body -> axon hillock -> axon -> synaptic terminal

44
Q

what are the types of neurons?

A
  • sensory neurons
  • interneurons
  • motor neurons
45
Q

what is an afferent neuron?

A

a sensory neuron

46
Q

what does a sensory neuron do?

A

carries signals from sensory receptors to CNS

47
Q

what is a ganglia?

A

a cluster of neurons

48
Q

what is an association neuron?

A

an interneuron

49
Q

what does an interneuron do?

A

receives incoming signals from sensory neurons and delivers outgoing signals to neurons responsible for responses

50
Q

an interneuron can be excitatory or inhibitory

51
Q

what is an efferent neuron?

A

a motor neuron

52
Q

what does a motor neuron do?

A

carries signal from CNS to effector cells

53
Q

what does an effector cell do?

A

responds according to what was detected like muscle contractions and gland secretion of hormones

54
Q

what consists of 90% of the nervous system?

A

glial cells

55
Q

what do glial cells do?

A

provide structural and metabolic support to neurons

56
Q

what are the types of glial cells? Are they part of the CNS or PNS?

A
  • astrocytes (CNS)
  • oligodendrocytes (CNS)
  • schann cells (PNS)
57
Q

how is an astrocyte shaped?

A

star-shaped

58
Q

what do astrocytes do?

A
  • provide structural and metabolic support for a neuron
  • communicates with neurons
59
Q

Does the astrocyte have electrical conduction?

60
Q

describe the blood brain barrier?

A
  • the blood vessels in the brain are completely sealed off with the help of astrocytes
61
Q

what do the oligodendrocytes and schwann cells do?

A

they wrap themselves around the axon of a neuron to provide insulation for electrical impulses passign through the axon

62
Q

what forms the myelin sheath?

A

oligodendrocytes and schwann cells

63
Q

descrine the traits of the myelin sheath?

A
  • cell membranes have a lot of lipid molecules which are poor electrical conductors to provide electrical insulation
64
Q

what is a neurilemma?

A

myelin sheaths wrapped around each other

65
Q

what are nodes of ranvier?

A

gaps between cells that wrap themselves around the neuron

66
Q

what are the types of nerve circuits?

A
  • divergent nerve circuit
  • convergent nerve circuit
  • circular nerve circuit
67
Q

what is the direction of the impulse conduction?

A

transmitting cell - presynaptic cell (axon of neuron)
->
synapse
->
target cell - postsynaptic (dendrite of neuron or effector cell)

68
Q

describe a divergent nerve circuit

A

nerve impulse in one presynaptic neuron leads to nerve impulses in SEVERAL postsynatptic neurons

69
Q

describe a convergent nerve circuit

A

nerve impulse in SEVERAL presynaptic neurons leads to ONE nerve impulse in the postsynaptic neuron

70
Q

what is an example of a divergent nerve circuit?

A

visual information sense by photoreceptors sent to several parts of the brain

71
Q

what is an example of a convergent nerve circuit?

A

information from several sources like vision, touch and hearing is used to identify an object in the environment

72
Q

what is an example of a circular nerve circuit?

A

processing and storing of memories

73
Q

what is the simplest nerve circuit?

A

a reflex arc

74
Q

what is a reflex arc?

A

a type of nerve circuit that regulates the reflex

75
Q

what is a reflex?

A

rapid, involuntary response to stimuli

76
Q

where does intergration occur for a reflex arc?

A

in the spinal cord rather than in the brain

Grade 12 Biology (30 decks)

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