topic 8 - grey matter Flashcards
neurone definition
specialised cells of the nervous system which carry electrical impulses around the body
nerve definition
bundle of neurons
what are the three types of neurones and what do they do
- sensory - carry impulses from receptors to the brain and spinal cord in the CNS
- relay - found entirely in the CNS and connect sensory and motor neurones
- motor - carry impulses from CNS to effector muscles or glands
motor neurone structure
- large cell body at one end that lies within the spinal cord or the brain
- many highly branched dendrites, providing many connections with axon terminals of other neurones
relay neurone structure
- short neurones with axons and highly branched dendrites
sensory neurone structure
- cell body that branches off in the middle of the axon and has no dendrites
- axon terminal is attached to a receptor cell
- section of neurone that links axon terminal with cell body is a dendron
- section of neurone that connects cell body with the CNS is the axon
explain the nervous system pathway
- receptor cells detect changes in the environment, or stimuli
- nerve impulses travel from the receptor cells along sensory neurones to the CNS
- the CNS acts as a coordinating centre for the impulses that arrive from the receptors, determining what part of the body needs to respond and sending out a new set of impulses along motor neurones
- motor neurones send impulses to the effectors to bring about a response. effectors are muscles or glands.
what does the human nervous system consist of?
the CNS and the PNS
what does it mean to say that neurones are myelinated
- their axon is insulated by a fatty layer known as the myelin sheath
- the myelin sheath is made up of Schwann cells which wrap themselves around the axon
- there are insulated gaps between the Schwann cells known as the nodes of Ranvier
- electrical impulses in myelinated cells do not travel the whole axon but jump one node to the next, speeding up transmission
- in unmyelinated neurones electrical impulses travel more slowly
what two factors establish and maintain resting potential
- the active transport of sodium and potassium ions
- difference in membrane permeability to sodium and potassium ions
explain pupil response in bright light
- photoreceptors detect change in environment
- radial muscles relax
- circular muscles contract
- pupil constricts
- less light enters the eye
(dim light is opposite)
what are the stages of nerve transmission
- resting potential
- action potential generated
- repolarisation
- transmission of action potential
explain synaptic transmission
- when an action potential arrives at the end of the axon of the presynaptic neurone, the membrane becomes depolarised, causing calcium ion channels to open
- calcium ions diffuse into the synaptic knob via calcium ion channels
- calcium ions cause vesicles in the synaptic knob to move towards the presynaptic membrane where they fuse with it and release neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft via exocytosis
- neurotransmitters diffuse across synaptic cleft and bind with receptor molecules on the postsynaptic membrane
- this causes associated sodium ion channels on the postsynaptic membrane to open, allowing sodium ions to diffuse into postsynaptic cell
- if enough neurotransmitters bind with receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, then an action potential is generated
- neurotransmitters are then broken down to prevent continued stimulation of postsynaptic neurone
what are the additional roles of synapses
- unidirectionality of impulse transmission
- ensures the one way transmission of nerve impulses - divergence of nerve impulses
- one neurone can connect to several others at a synapse, allowing nerve signals to be sent in several directions from a single presynaptic neurone - amplification of nerve signals by summation
receptor definition
specialised cell that can generate a electrical impulse in a sensory neurone when stimulated by a particular stimulus
what are the 2 photoreceptors in the retina
rod cells
- located on the outer retina
- sensitive to light intensity so detects brightness and presence of light
- images generated are black and white
cone cells
- found in fovea
- sensitive to different wavelengths of visible light and so detect colour
iris function
controls the amount of light that enters the eye
how do photoreceptors generate nerve impulses
- photoreceptors in the eye generate action potentials when stimulated by light
- light sensitive pigments inside the photoreceptors are bleached when light falls on them e.g.
Rod cells contain a light-sensitive pigment called rhodopsin
When light hits rhodopsin it breaks apart into constituent parts retinal and opsin
The breaking apart of rhodopsin is known as bleaching - the bleaching of light sensitive pigments causes a chemical change in the photoreceptor which generates a nerve impulse
- nerve impulses travel along a bipolar neurone to the optic nerve
how do rod cells pass information to the optic nerve in the dark
- sodium ions are actively pumped out of rod cells, generating a conc gradient
-sodium ions diffuse back down this conc gradient into the rod cell via sodium channels - the cell is now depolarised
- the depolarised rod cell releases neurotransmitters which diffuse across a synapse to a bipolar neurone
- this neurotransmitter inhibits the generation of an action potential, preventing a nerve impulse from being sent to the optic nerve
how do rod cells pass information to the optic nerve in the light
- Light bleaches rhodopsin, causing it to break apart into retinal and opsin
- this causes sodium ion channels to close, , preventing sodium ions from diffusing back into the rod cell
- the rod cell becomes hyperpolarised
- The hyperpolarised rod cell stops releasing an inhibitory neurotransmitter
- action potential is generated, and sends impulse to optic nerve
cerebrum structure and function
function:
- conscious activites including vision, hearing, speech and memory
structure:
- divided into two halves known as the cerebral hemispheres, joined together by the corpus callosum
- has a thin outer layer called the cerebral cortex
- the cerebral cortex consists of neurones
- it is highly folded, which increases surface area allowing it to contain more neurones
- beneath the cerebral cortex is the ‘white matter’ which consists of myelinated axons of neurones
hypothalamus functions
- regulates body temp: monitors blood temperature and initiates homeostatic response
- osmoregulation: monitors water balance of blood and releases ADH hormone is blood is too concentrated
- regulating digestive activity: regulates hormones that control appetite and the secretion of digestive enzymes
- controls endocrine functions:
causes pituitary gland to release hormones
cerebellum function
coordinates movement
medulla oblongata function
contains co-ordination centres that control different functions eg heart rate
how do CT scans work
- a beam of x rays are aimed at a patient from all angles around the body
- digital x-ray detectors are used to pick up the x-ray as they exit the patients body
- denser tissue absorbs more of the x-ray radiation so shows up as a lighter region on a scan
who are CT scans not recommended for
pregnant patients or children
- due to risks of exposure to the x-ray radiation, which is given at a higher level than in a normal x-ray
MRI
- uses magnetic field and radio waves to generate images through the body
- soft tissues can be seen clearly
- images have a higher resolution compared to CT scans
- useful for identifying areas of abnormal or damaged tissue so especially useful for tumour diagnosis
problems with MRI
- more expensive than CT scans BUT do not carry the risk associated with x-rays
- magnetic field of MRI scanner can interfere with medical devices such as pacemakers
difference between MRI and fMRI
fMRI scans allow brain function to be studied in real time
- show the location of oxygenated blood in the brain, therefore indicating which brain regions are active at any one time
PET scans
- radioactive tracers which collect in areas where there is increased blood flow, metabolism, or neurotransmitter activity
- The scanner can detect emissions of positrons and so the movement of the tracer through the body and any accumulation of tracer in the brain can be seen
- The amount of radioactive tracer present in a brain region can indicate whether that region is active or inactive
- provides a 3d image
what is the visual cortex
the region of the cerebral cortex where visual information is processed
how did the visual cortex develop
- soon after birth, the neurones in the visual cortex begin to form synapses
- both eyes need to be visually stimulated for the neurones to be organised correctly during this period of development known as the critical period
- Synapses that pass on nerve impulses during this critical period are strengthened and become permanent parts of the structure of the visual cortex
- Synapses that do not receive nerve impulses during this critical period are lost and cannot be re-formed
why are animal models used in brain research
- some animals have similar brain structure to humans, so the findings can be applied to the human brain
- experimenting on animals is MORE ethically acceptable than on humans
pros and cons of using animals in research
pros:
- drugs need to be tested on the whole organism rather than just on groups of cells
- testing medications on humans before we know they are safe is unethical
- animal anatomy is similar to humans
cons:
- testing on cells and tissues provides an alternative option
- many believe that animals should have the same rights as humans in welfare and consent
- many animals suffer pain during research
- animal and human anatomy are not identical
habituation definition
where an organism becomes insensitive to repeated stimuli over time which does not threaten their survival or does not benefit them in any way
how does the process of habituation occur
- animals become habituated due to changes in the transmission of nerve impulses from one neurone to the next
- repeated stimulus decreases permeability of pre synaptic membrane
- fewer calcium ions enter the presynaptic neurone
- so fewer vesicles fuse with the presynaptic membrane
- therefore less neurotransmitter binds to receptors on the post synaptic membrane
- an action potential is less likely to be generated in the post synaptic membrane
- the nerve impulse therefore, does not reach the effector organ
neurotransmitters definition
chemicals that transmit nerve impulses across synapses
what is parkinsons disease
- what neurones are lost
- a brain disorder than affects the co-ordination of movement, caused by the loss of neurones in some parts of the brain
- the lost neurones normally produce the neurotransmitter dopamine (dopamine is involved in muscle control)
how does a loss of dopamine affect parkinsons disease
- less dopamine is released into the synaptic cleft meaning less is able to bind with receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
- fewer sodium channels on the membrane are opened so depolarisation does not occur
- thus, fewer action potentials are generated
what drugs can be used to treat parkinsons
- dopamine agonists: produce the same effect as dopamine by binding to and activating dopamine receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
- dopamine precursors: chemicals that can be converted into dopamine in the neurones
- enzyme inhibitors: MAOB inhibitors inhibit the activity of enzymes that would normally break down dopamine in the synaptic cleft