Unit 2: Respiratory System and Nervous System

Question 1

What are the 3 main functions of the respiratory system

Answer 1

supply oxygen to blood
remove carbon dioxide from blood
regulate blood pH

Question 2

what is respiration

Answer 2

movement of gases throughout body

Question 3

what is external respiration

Answer 3

processes that occur within lungs

Question 4

What is internal respiration

Answer 4

exchange of gases at tissue level i.e. between blood and muscle tissue

Question 5

what is celluar respiration

Answer 5

process where cells use oxygen to generate energy through metabolic pathways

Question 6

what is ventilation

Answer 6

combination of inspiration and expiration
volume of air that is moved by lungs in 1 minute

Question 7

What is tidal volume

Answer 7

volume of air in each breath

Question 8

what is respiratory frequency

Answer 8

number of breaths taken per minute

Question 9

What are the 3 static lung volumes and what are they determined by

Answer 9

Total lung capacity, Vital capacity, Residual volume, determined by actual structure of lung (not by breathing or flow of air)

Question 10

what is vital capacity

Answer 10

max amount of air that can be exhaled following max inhalation

Question 11

What is total lung capacity

Answer 11

maximum volume of air lungs can hold

Question 12

What is residual volume

Answer 12

air that remains in lungs following max exhalation

Question 13

what is diffusion

Answer 13

movement of gas, liquid or solid from region of high concentration to region of low concentration

Question 14

What is oxygen transport and how does it happen

Answer 14

oxygen binds to specialized protein (hemoglobin) found in erythrocytes (red blood cells) due to coopertivity.
only 2% of oxygen found in blood is dissolved in plasma (fluid component of blood), rest bound to hemoglobin

Question 15

What is blood pH

Answer 15

measure of how acidic or basic blood is

Question 16

does exercise make blood more acidic or basic

Answer 16

during exercise, where large amounts of acid released into blood (lactic acid), pH declines (becomes acidic)

Question 17

How does ventilation play an important role in maintaining blood pH

Answer 17

by expelling extra amounts of CO2, causing more H+ to combine with bicarbonate to eventually form CO2 and H2O, therefore lowering H+ ions and increasing pH back to normal levels

Question 18

What is VO2 Max

Answer 18

Maximal Rate of Oxygen Consumption (VO2max). Theoretically, VO 2 is a function of both O2 delivery to and O2 uptake by the working muscle and other tissues.

Question 19

When would VO2 Max take place

Answer 19

Therefore, the maximal rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max) would theoretically occur at maximum SV, HR, and a-vO2 diff.

Question 20

The combination of inspiration and expiration is known as

Answer 20

ventilation

Question 21

the primary factor that mediates gas exchange both at the lung and tissue level

Answer 21

diffusion

Question 22

the exhange of gasses at the level of the lungs

Answer 22

external respiration

Question 23

as the diaphargm contracts, the thorasic cavity

Answer 23

pulls downward and enlarges

Question 24

What are the two types of stretch reflexes

Answer 24

Monosynaptic and Polysynaptic

Question 25

What is a monosynaptic stretch reflex

Answer 25

Simplest spinal reflex
Only relies on the single connection between primary afferent fibres and motor neurons of the same muscle.
Extremely quick and automatic

Question 26

What is a polysynaptic stretch reflex

Answer 26

one or more interneurons lie between the primary sensory fibers and the motor neurons.

Question 27

What is an example of a monosynaptic reflex and how does it work

Answer 27

The knee-jerk is often used to demonstrate this type of reflex.
A tap below the kneecap stretches the patellar tendon and acts as a stimulus, initiating a reflex arc that causes the exterior muscle on top of the thigh to contract.
As the tendon and muscle fibre are stretched, information is sent to the spinal cord. These nerve signals act directly on motor neurons that then quickly proceed to contract the quadriceps femoris, the extensor muscle that serves to extend the lower leg
Sequence of nerve impulses:
The receptor muscle senses the action of the hammer against the patella ligament through the muscle spindle’s sensory neuron;
The message is transmitted along the afferent (sensory) nerve axon to the spinal cord;
The afferent neuron then synapses with the efferent pathway (motor neuron) of the same muscle;
An impulse is transmitted along the efferent pathway (motor neuron) to the muscle fibre; and
The motor units contract simultaneously, which in turn brings about a knee-jerk action to accommodate the additional stretch.

Question 28

What is an example of a polysynaptic reflex and how does it work

Answer 28

An example is the withdrawal reflex, which involves the withdrawal of a body part from a painful stimulus (such as a sharp or hot object).
the reflex action involves transferring the impulse from a sensory neuron to a motor neuron through a connecting interneuron in the spinal cord. The withdrawal reflex process occurs before the brain itself has time to interpret the information.
The sequence of nerve impulses and stages activated in the crossed leg extensor reflex action are as follows:
The stimulus is detected by receptors (say, on the skin)
The receptors initiate nerve impulses in the sensory neurons leading from the receptors;
The impulses travel into the spinal cord where the sensory nerve terminals synapse with interneurons;
Some of these interneurons synapse with motor neurons that travel out from the spinal cord to the effector organ;
The knee flexors withdraw the foot from the danger zone; and
Still other sensory neurons synapse with interneurons that affect motor neurons in the opposing leg and cause these muscles to come into action.

Question 29

What are the two types of nervous systems

Answer 29

Central nervous system and Peripheral nervous system

Question 30

What is the CNS and what does it do

Answer 30

Consists of brain and spinal cord
Processes information sent by PNS and acts as a command center
Can execute motor responses or regulate body mechanisms

Question 31

What is the PNS and what does it do

Answer 31

Provides sensory information for the CNS
Further divided into SNS and ANS

Question 32

What two categories is the PNS split into

Answer 32

Automatic nervous system and somatic nervous system

Question 33

What is the function of the ANS

Answer 33

deal with the internal environment: Can be divided into Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

Question 34

What is the function of the Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 34

Rest and Digest
Heart rate will decrease

Question 35

What is the function of the Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 35

Part of the quick flight or fight response
Increased heart rate
Increased breathing rate