The Nervous System Flashcards
To know their function
The Central Nervous System (CNS)
Receives, processes, interprets, and stores incoming sensory information (tastes, sounds, smells, colors, pressure on the skin, state of internal organs) and sends out messages designed for muscles, glands, and internal organs.
The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
Handles CNS’s input and output containing all portions of the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord, right down to the nerves in the tips of the the fingers and toes
Sensory Nerves
Carry messages from special receptors in the skin, muscles, and other organs to the spinal cord.
Motor Nerves
Carry orders from the CNS to muscles, glands, and internal organs
Somatic (bodily) Nervous System (Division of PNS)
Consists of nerves that are connected to sensory receptors, cells that enable you to see the world, and also to the skeletal muscles that permit voluntary movement
Ex. when you turn off a light, feel a bug on your arm, write your name
The Autonomic System (Division of PNS)
Regulates the functioning of blood vessels, glands. and internal (visceral) organs such as the bladder, stomach, and heart
Sympathetic Nervous System (Division of Autonomic System)
Mobilizes the body for action and increases the output of energy during emotion and stress.
ex. blush, sweat, breathe deeply, flight or flight
Parasympathetic Nervous System (Division of Autonomic System)
Slows things down and enables the body to store and conserve energy.
Ex. slows down the heart rate and keeps its regular rhythm after jumping out of the way of a car
Neurons (Nerve Cells)
Transmit info to and from within the CNS w/ electrochemical signals
Glia Cells
“Glue cells” support, bring nutrients, and insulate neurons, remove debris when electrons die, enhance the formation and maintenance of neural connections, and modify neuronal functioning.
Parts of the neuron
Dendrites, axon, and cell body
Dendrites
Look like the branches of a tree and receive messages from nerve cells and transmitting these messages toward the cell body.
The Cell Body
Shaped like a sphere or pyramid which includes the cells nucleus and biochemical machinery for keeping the neuron alive and producing neurochemicals.
The Axon
Attached to the cell body and transmits messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or gland cells. Can commonly divide at the end into branches called axon terminals.
Myelin Sheath
A fatty insulation that may surround the axon of a neuron and the main purposes are to prevent signals in adjacent cells from interfering with each other and to speed up the production of neural impulses.
