The Nervous System Flashcards
What are the main components of the nervous system?
The brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves.
The nervous system is comprised of nerve cells (neurons) and supporting cells (glial cells).
What are the three main kinds of neurons?
Sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons.
Sensory neurons detect environmental stimuli, motor neurons control muscle activity, and interneurons mediate reflexes and brain functions.
What do sensory neurons detect?
They detect attributes of the internal and external environment, such as light, sound, mechanical, and chemical stimuli.
These stimuli correspond to sensory modalities like vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.
What are nociceptors?
Special receptors activated by intense stimuli that can cause tissue damage, responsible for protective reflexes and the sensation of pain.
They are crucial for understanding pain mechanisms.
What is the role of motor neurons?
They control the activity of muscles and are responsible for all forms of behavior including speech.
What are interneurons?
Neurons that mediate simple reflexes and are responsible for the highest functions of the brain.
They are the most numerous type of neuron in the human brain.
What is the function of glial cells?
They support neurons and contribute to the development and function of the nervous system.
Unlike neurons, glial cells do not transmit information.
What are the two sets of processes in a neuron?
Axons and dendrites.
What is the role of axons?
To transmit information from the neuron to other neurons.
What is the role of dendrites?
To receive information being transmitted by the axons of other neurons.
What is a synapse?
The specialized contact point where neurons communicate.
What are the two primary functions of the spinal cord?
To mediate simple reflexes and to serve as a highway for information between the body and brain.
What distinguishes the human brain from other vertebrates?
Its large size in relation to body size, attributed to an increase in the number of interneurons.
What are the main divisions of the brain?
The brain stem and the cerebral hemispheres.
What is the hind-brain responsible for?
Control of vital functions such as breathing and blood pressure.
What role does the cerebellum play?
It plays a central role in the control and timing of movements.
What is the function of the midbrain?
Groups of neurons that manage different things, like reward, attention and sleep.
What are the two areas of the diencephalon?
The thalamus and the hypothalamus.
What does the thalamus do?
Sends signals from all sensory systems to the cerebral cortex.
What functions does the hypothalamus control?
Eating, drinking, and regulation of hormones involved in sexual functions.
What is the role of the basal ganglia?
Initiation and control of movement.
What is the cerebral cortex?
The outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres composed of grey matter.
How does the cerebral cortex increase its surface area?
It is thrown into folds.
What are the distinct areas of the cerebral cortex known for?
Visual, auditory, olfactory, sensory (somaesthetic), and motor functions.
What is the corpus callosum?
A large fiber tract connecting the left and right cerebral cortex.
What functions are carried out by the cerebral cortex?
Voluntary actions, language, speech, and higher functions like thinking and remembering.
Are brain functions lateralized?
Yes, some functions are lateralized to one hemisphere, such as speech in the left hemisphere.
True or False: The two halves of the brain work in isolation.
False.
What is a major area of research in Neuroscience?
The study of the functions of the cerebral cortex, including consciousness.
