Unit 1.2 and 1.3 Flashcards
Central Nervous system
- controls and manages almost everything the body does
- made up of the brain and spinal cord
Autonomic nervous system
a network of nerves that controls involuntary bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration
Sympathetic nervous system
fight or flight
Peripheral nervous system
part of your nervous system that lies outside your brain and spinal cord
Somatic nervous system
a part of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement and sensory input:
Parasympathetic nervous system
rest and digest
Neuron
A nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system
Glial cells
supportive cells in the nervous system that help protect, connect, and support neurons.
Reflex arc
a neural pathway that controls a reflex, which is an involuntary response to a stimulus
Sensory neurons
Neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Motor neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Interneurons
Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
All or nothing principle
a nerve or muscle cell will respond to a stimulus with the same force, regardless of the strength of the stimulus
Depolarization
a change in the distribution of electrical charge within a cell, resulting in a less negative charge inside the cell than outside.
Refractory period
a recovery phase after orgasm and a period when axons have difficulty producing action potentials
Resting potential
the electrical charge difference across the membrane of a cell when it’s not actively sending signals
Reuptake
the process by which a neuron reabsorbs a neurotransmitter after it has been released to transmit a nerve impulse:
Threshold
The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Multiple sclerosis
the loss of muscle control resulting from a deterioration of myelin sheaths
Myasthenia Gravis
a chronic autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the receptors at the neuromuscular junction, preventing proper muscle contraction and leading to muscle weakness and fatigue, particularly in the eye and facial muscles
Excitatory neurotransmitter
a chemical messenger that stimulates a neuron, making it more likely to fire an electrical signal (action potential) and pass on a message to the next cell, essentially “exciting” the neuron and promoting further neural activity
Inhibitory neurotransmitter
chemical messengers that block or prevent the transmission of chemical messages from one cell to another
Dopamine
a neurotransmitter primarily associated with feelings of pleasure, reward, motivation, and movement
-feel good chemical
Examples of malfunctions
excess dopamine receptor activity is linked to schizophrenia. Starved of dopamine, the brain produces the tremors and decreased mobility of parkinsons disease
Serotonin
affects mood, hunger, sleep and arousal
Examples of malfunctions
undersupply linked to depression
