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B3 CTB > The Nervous System: Cells and Communication > Flashcards

The Nervous System: Cells and Communication Flashcards

1
Q

What is the receptive field of a sensory neuron?

A

The spread of the neurons dendrites in free-nerve endings or the size of the specialised receptors

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2
Q

Why can dysfunction occur within the nervous system?

A
  • Trauma
  • Infection
  • Disease
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3
Q

What are the two main classes of cell within the nervous system?

A
  • Neurons
  • Glia
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4
Q

What are the 2 types of neurons?

A
  1. Principal cell:
    - connect areas of the body.
    - sensory neurons connect periphery to the CNS.
    - motor neurons connect the CNS to skeletal muscle.
  2. Interneuron:
    - connect CNS regions by neurons.
    - local - connct nearby neurons (spinal reflexes).
    - relay - connect brain regions.
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5
Q

What are the types of of Glial cells

A
  • Astrocyte
  • Ependymal
  • Microglia
  • Oligodendrocyte
  • Schwann cell
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6
Q

What are the three main groups of principal cell?

A
  • Multipolar
  • Bipolar
  • (Pseudo) unipolar
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7
Q

Which side of the membrane has the highest concentration of Na+ ions?

A

Extracellular

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8
Q

Which type of glial cell forms the myelin sheathing in the central nervous system?

A

Oligodendroglial - they send projections out towards the axons that wrap around them, forming the sheathing

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9
Q

What are the two types of synapse used within the nervous system?

A
  • Chemical synapses
  • Electrotonic (gap junction) synapses
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10
Q

What is the major excitatory transmitter used in the CNS?

A

Glutamate

Others:

Aspartate

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11
Q

What 3 types of receptor does glutamate bind to?

A
  • AMPA
  • NDMA
  • Metabotropic
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12
Q

What is the major inhibitory transmitter used in the CNS?

A

GABA

Others:

Glycine

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13
Q

What is direct inhibition?

A

The effect of inhibitory interneurons on the principal cells that they project to. They alter the firing pattern of excitatory neurons

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14
Q

What is lateral inhibition?

A

It works on the principle that activation of excitatory cells by a stimulus also activates associated inhibitory cells. This inhibition acts on neighbouring cells to reduce the activity. So, as the neighbouring cells are dampened down, this strengthens the signal coming from the cells directly stimulated

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15
Q

What is disinhibition?

A

This describes the effect of consecutive inhibitory neurons on principal cell activity. An inhibitory neuron inhibiting another inhibitiory neuron would lead to disinhibition of a principal cell

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16
Q

What is Synchrony?

A

Synchronous activity increases the strength of transmission at a network level, it coordinates the activity by predisposing cells to fire together

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17
Q

What is Plasticity?

A

Plasticity changes the strength of transmission at the level of the individual neuron

Plasticity enables up- or down-regulation of synpatic strength, through changes in synaptic morphology, metabolic changes and changes at the receptor level

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18
Q

What are the functions of the nervous system?

A

Sensation, integration and activation.

19
Q

What is sensation?

A

Receptors in skin and organs respond to changes in the internal or external environment and provide information to the central nervous system (CNS).

20
Q

What is integration?

A

Input from the internal and external environment is processed and integrated by the CNS. Decisions are made and appropriate responses formulated.

21
Q

What is activation?

A

Appropriate response forwarded to the appropriate muscles and glands (muscle contractions and secretions).

22
Q

Give some mechanisms for nervous system dysfunction.

A
  • Damage by trauma or disease
  • Neurons lose ability to produce transmitters
  • Neurons over- or under-produce transmitters
  • Neurons fail to recognise transmitters
  • Effector organs fail to respond
23
Q

How can dysfunction of the nervous system manifest as?

A
  • Loss: of sensation or function
  • Gain: appearance of new feature
  • Change: alteration in behaviour/personality or perception
24
Q

What do mechanoreceptors do?

A

Detect tactile sensation (touch, pressure)

25
Q

What do thermoreceptors do?

A

Detect temperature changes

26
Q

What do nocireceptors do?

A

Detect painful stimuli

27
Q

What do proprioreceptors do?

A

Detect changes in head and body position

28
Q

What are the different parts of a neuron and their functions?

A
29
Q

What are astrocytes?

A

star-shaped cells which form a bridge between the neuron and blood vessels​

30
Q

What are ependymal cells?

A

simple, ciliated, cuboidal cells that form the lining of the ventricular system

31
Q

What are microglia?

A

small glial cells, activated by trauma​. Immune response.

32
Q

What are oligodendroglia?

A

myelin producing cells, found in the CNS, feet project and wrap many neurons

33
Q

What are Schwann cells?

A

myelin producing cells, found in the PNS, one cell wraps one neuron.​

34
Q

What is the purpose of myelination?

A

Insulation, development (not complete at birth), speeds up communication, saltatory conduction

35
Q

Name some disorders of myelination

A

Multiple Sclerosis (affects CNS)

Guillain Barre (affects PNS)

36
Q

What are specialised receptors?

A

General sensation and sensory organs. Developed to respond to particular stimuli. Transduce physical to electrical activity.

37
Q

What are metabotropic receptors?

A

GPCRs

38
Q

What are inotropic receptors?

A

Linked to ion channels

39
Q

Describe a chemical synapse

A
  • Fast transmission (slower cell-cell, but can cope with higher. frequency of activity)
  • Vesicles released from presynaptic terminal
  • Act on receptors in postsynaptic terminal
  • Major drug target
40
Q

Describe an electrical synapse

A
  • Slower transmission (faster cell-cell, but more effective at lower frequencies)
  • Gap junctions
  • Small molecules and current
  • ‘low-pass filter’
  • Synchrony
  • Up and coming drug target
41
Q

What are some common disorders associated with:

Dopamine

GABA

Acetylcholine

5HT

A

Dopamine:

  • Parkinson’s

Schizophrenia

GABA:

  • Huntington’s
  • Epilepsy

Acetylcholine:

  • Myasthenia Gravis
  • Alzheimer’s

5HT:

  • Migraine
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Depression
42
Q

Describe what is happening in this graph?

A
  1. Resting potential - all voltage-gated channels are closed at -70 mV.
  2. Threshold - voltage-gated sodium channels open.
  3. Rising phase, depolarisation - sodium floods into the axon, making the interior so positive the membrane potential goes to +30 mV.
  4. Falling phase, repolarisation to -60 mV and hyperpolarisation to -90 mV - deactivation gates of voltage-gated sodium channels close. Voltage-gated potassium channels open.
  5. Recovery phase - return to resting potential at -70 mV.
43
Q

Describe the role of neurotransmitters

A
  • Used by neurons for rapid cell-cell communication​
  • Stored in vesicles in the presynaptic terminal​
  • Released when the terminal is depolarised during an AP​
  • Pass across the synaptic cleft​
  • Activate receptors on the postsynaptic terminal​
  • Binds to receptor
44
Q

Describe neuromodulators

A
  • Found in vesicles (or not), co-localised with NT​
  • Act on receptors or membranes to indirectly alter neuronal activity​
  • Changing sensitivity or kinetics of NT receptor ​
  • Also act on glial cells

B3 CTB (13 decks)

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