The Nervous System

Question 1

What are the two components of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 1

• Somatic Nervous System

- Autonomic Nervous System

Question 2

What are the 3 components of the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 2

• Sympathetic Nervous System
• Parasympathetic Nervous System
• Enteric Nervous System

Question 3

What is the function of the somatic, sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric nervous systems?

Answer 3

Somatic - voluntary movement and conscious sensation
Sympathetic - fight or flight, involves all body parts
Parasympathetic - rest and digest, targeted and localised
Enteric - in the gut

Question 4

What roots make up the spinal nerve?

Answer 4

• Dorsal root

- Ventral root

Question 5

What contains cell bodies of sensory neurones in the PNS?

Answer 5

Ganglions

Question 6

Which spinal nerve roots are responsible for motor and sensory?

Answer 6

Ventral root - motor

Dorsal root - Sensory

Question 7

What neurone structure is present in the somatic nervous system?

Answer 7

• 1 motor neurone with no synapse

- Sensory and motor neurones communicate in ventral horn

Question 8

What neurone structure is present in the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 8

Chain of 2 neurones between CNS and target

Question 9

Where is the synapse between two neurones found in the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 9

In an autonomic ganglion

Question 10

Where are the preganglionic and postganglionic neurone cell bodies found in the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 10

Preganglionic - CNS

Postganglionic - Autonomic ganglion (PNS)

Question 11

What are the two types of targets in the autonomic nervous system? Give an example of each

Answer 11

Sympathetic Targets - vascular smooth muscle

Parasympathetic Targets - glands

Question 12

How does axon length differ between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system? (pre and postganglionic)

Answer 12

Sympathetic - Short preganglionic and long postganglionic

Parasympathetic- Long preganglionic and Short postganglionic

Question 13

Where are the preganglionic neurone cell bodies of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system found?

Answer 13

Sympathetic - Lateral horn of T1-L2 cord segments

Parasympathetic - S2-S4 segments and brain stem

Question 14

What 2 structures connect the sympathetic ganglion to the spinal nerve?

Answer 14

• White ramus communicans

- Grey ramus communicans

Question 15

What two areas of the body does the sympathetic nervous system act on?

Answer 15

• Skin

- Abdominal viscera

Question 16

What 3 routes can overcome the short length of the sympathetic chain to reach the skin?

Answer 16

• Synapse at the level of entry
• Ascend the chain then synapse
• Descend the chain then synapse

Question 17

Which nerves connect the spinal cord to the pre-aortic ganglion?

Answer 17

Splanchnic nerves

Question 18

What relays pain from the abdominal viscera to the CNS?

Answer 18

Sensory fibres

Question 19

Where do neurones synapse in sympathetic distribution to the abdominal viscera?

Answer 19

Pre-aortic ganglion

Question 20

Which nerve is the main parasympathetic preganglionic input to abdominal viscera?

Answer 20

Vagus nerve

Question 21

Name two of the four parasympathetic ganglia in the head

Answer 21

• Ciliary ganglion
• Pterygopalatine ganglion
• Submandibular ganglion
• Otic ganglion