Topic 8 Flashcards
Neurone
Single cell that transmits nerve impulses, composed of a cell boxy, axon and dendrites
Nerve
A Complex Structure containing an axon bundle of many neurones
Breakdown of the Nervous System
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Central Nervous System
Composed of the brain and Spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
Contains sensory and motor nerves which link into the CNS
Broken down into the:
- Autonomic Nervous System
- Somatic Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
- involuntary actions
- stimulates: smooth muscle, glands & cardiac muscle
Broken down into the: - Sympathetic Nervous System
- Parasympathetic Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System
- Voluntary
- Stimulates skeletal muscle
Sympathetic Nervous System
Prepares ‘flight’ or ‘fight’ responses
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Rest & Digest
Motor Neurone
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- Cell body in CNS
- Long Axon extends out to effectors
- Many short dendrites
Sensory Neurone
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- Sensory cells -> CNS
- long dendrons and axons
- cell body in middle of neurone
Relay Neurone
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- mostly in CNS (transmits Action potential through)
- large number of connections
- Many short dendrites
- one long axon
Myelin Sheath
Faster Action Potential (faster action potentials)
- electrical insulator
- comprised of schwann cells (lipid bilayer)
- gaps between each S cells = nodes of Ranvier (sodium ion channels concentrated here)
Nodes of Ranvier
Site of depolarisation (Na+ channels)
- neurones cytoplasm conducts enough charge to depolarise next node
- impulse jumps from node to node
= saltatory conduction (v. fast)
Nervous System
Complex neurone network
Nervous pathway
Stimulus -> receptor -> sensory neurone -> CNS -> motor neurone -> effectors -> response
Eyes reaction to dim light
-> photoreceptors -> sensory neurone -> CNS processes info -> motor neurone -> Radial muscles in the Iris stimulated -> radial muscles contract (pupil dilates)
Eyes reaction to bright light
-> photoreceptors -> sensory neurone -> CNS processes info -> motor neurone -> Circular muscles in the Iris stimulated -> Circular muscles contract (pupil constricts)
Hormonal Systems
Comprised of Glands + hormones
- hormones secreted when glands stimulated (via change in concentration of another substance or an electrical impulse)
- hormones diffuse directly into the blood -> circulatory system transports
- > diffuse out of the blood all over the body
- > only bind to specefic receptors on membranes of target cells
- > trigger response in target cells
E.g. Stimulus = low blood glucose concentration
- receptor = pancreas cell’s receptors detect low levels
- hormone = pancreas release glucagon
- effector = target cells in liver detect glucagon; converts glycogen -> glucose
- response = glucose released into blood
Gland
Cell group specialised to secrete a substance
Hormones
Chemical messengers
- protein/peptides e.g. insulin
- steroids e.g. progesterone
Nervous Communication
Electrical impulses -> faster response
- localised response (neurone’s carry electrical impulses to specific cells)
- short-lived responses (neurotransmitters usually quickly removed)
Hormonal Communication
Chemical -> slower response (speed of ‘blood’)
- widespread response (target cells can be all over the body)
- long-lived response (hormones break down very slowly)
Receptors
Specific to one stimulus
- some = cells (e.g. photoreceptors)
- others = proteins on cell surface membranes (e.g. glucose receptors)
Nervous system receptors (resting state -> stimulus detected)
Resting state:
- difference in charge between the internal and external of cell
- voltage across membrane (making the receptor polarised) = potential difference
- potential difference generated by ion pumps + channels
Stimulus detected:
- permeability of cell membrane to ions is altered
- changes potential difference
- > bigger enough change triggers action potential (electrical impulse along neurone), but only if the threshold level reached
Potential difference
Voltage across a cell membrane
Photoreceptors
light receptors in the eye
Diagram of the eye
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Pathway of light entering the eye
- Light enters via pupil (amount controlled by iris muscles)
- light rays focused by lens onto retina (lines inside of eye)
- retina contains photoreceptors - Fovea = area of retina with lots of photoreceptors
- Nerve impulses from the photoreceptors are carried from retina to the brain by optic nerve = neurone bundle
- where the optic nerve leaves the eye = blind spot (no photoreceptors)
Effect of light hitting photoreceptor
- light enter eye -> hits photoreceptor & is absorbed by light-sensitive pigments
- light bleaches the pigment causing a chemical change
- triggers nerve impulse along bipolar neurone
- bipolar neurones connect photoreceptors to optic nerve
- light passes straight through the optic nerve & bipolar neurone to the photoreceptor which feeds it back
- optic nerve -> brain
(light -> photoreceptor; (EI) photoreceptor -> bipolar neurone -> optic nerve -> brain) - Human eye = 2 potoreceptors
- Rods = monochramatic; usually in peripheral part of retina
- Cones = trichomatic; packed in fovea
-> three types: R/G/B - sensitive
-> stimulated in different proportions -> colours
Cone
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Rod Cells
Contain light sensitive pigment = Rhodopsin
- rhodopsin = retinal + opsin (joined)
Rod Cells in the dark (no stimulation)
- Sodium ions (Na+) pumped out of cell using active transport
- Na+ diffuses back into the rod cell via open Na+ channels
- Inside cell becomes slightly -ve -> cell membrane = depolarised
- Triggers neurotransmitter release
- Neurotransmitters inhibit bipolar neurone
- > no action potential fired, so no info is relayed
Rod Cells in the light (stimulated)
- light energy causes Rhodopsin to break down into Retinal + Opsin = bleaching (process)
- bleaching triggers Na+ channels to close
- Na+ actively transported out, and stopped from diffusing back in
- Na+ builds up outside the cell
- makes the inside of the cell much more -ve (than outside)
- cell membrane = hyperpolarised - Hyperpolarised -> no neurotransmitter released by Rod cell
- bipolar neurone is not inhibited - Bipolar neurone depolarises
- if change in potential difference reaches threshold
- > action potential transmitted to the brain (via optic nerve)
Dendrite
An extension from the cell body that carried impulses to the cell body
Axon
An extension from the cell body that carries impulses away from the cell body
Neurone diagrams (Motor, Relay. Sensory)
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Neurone cell membranes
Resting state:
- outside membrane is more positive compared to inside as more +ve ions there
- > polarised
- resting potential = -70mV
- resting potential created + maintained by sodium-potassium pumps & potassium ion channels in neurone membrane