Unit 4- The Regulatory System Flashcards
Where are the kidneys?
Back of the abdominal cavity, either side of the spinal column, below ribline
What are the three main functions of the kidney?
Ultrafiltration
Reabsorption
Osmoregulation
How does ‘dirty’ blood enter the kidney?
Under high pressure via the aorta
How does ‘clean blood’ leave the kidneys?
Via the vena cava
Where is urine stored and where does it come from?
Passes down the ureters and is stored in the bladder
How does urine pass out of the body?
Via the urethra
What are the two sections the kidney is divided into?
Cortex
Medulla
How is dirty blood fed to the cortex?
Renal artery
Which part of the kidney does urine leave?
Medulla, via the renal pelvis
What is the Central Nervous System composed of?
Brain and spinal chord
What are Nerve Impulses?
Signals flowing from nerves to the spinal chord, to the brain and back again
What is the Peripheral Nervous System composed of?
Branching web of nerves to all parts of the body
What are sensory nerves?
Send messages to the brain and connect through spinal chord inside the back bone
What are motor nerves?
Send messages from brain to all muscles and glands in the body
What is the peripheral nervous system composed of?
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
What does the somatic nervous system consist of?
Motor neurons that stimulate skeletal muscles
What does the Autonomic nervous system consist of?
Motor neurons than control muscle movement
What is the Autonomic nervous system composed of?
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
What is the brain made up of?
100 billion neurons knotted together like pieces of thread
What is the function of neurons?
Carry and send electrical signals from peripheral nerves to the brain and back again
What does a neuron consist of?
Cell body
Dendrites
Axon
How many dendrite branches can a single neuron have?
50000
What is the function of the Axon?
Carries nerve impulses from the cell body to the dendrite of the next neuron
How do electrical signals travel from the axon terminal to the next dendrite?
Crosses the synaptic gap via neurotransmitters
What is the myelin sheath?
Lining of the axon that speeds up the passage of nerve impulses
What is the top speed of a nerve impulse?
395ft/s
What is the ratio of sensory neurones to motor neurones?
4:1
Describe the structure of a motor neuron
long axons
don’t have a receptor
cell body at the end with dendrites
many short dendrons
Describe the structure of a sensory neuron
short axon
receptor
cell body at the side, no dendrites
one long dendron
Which part of the brain is the largest?
Cerebrum
How are each hemispheres of the brain connected to each other?
By the corpus callosum
What is the white inside layer of a hemisphere called?
White matter
What is the outisde layer of grey matter on a hemisphere called?
Cerebral cortex
What is the function of the cortex?
Control voluntary actions such as running and walking
Responsible for sensations such as pain, learning and emotions
Which side of the body does the right side of the brain connect to?
Left side of the body
Which side of the body does the left side of the brain connect to?
Right side of the body
What are the cranial nerves?
12 pairs of nerves found on the underside of the brain
What is the cerebellum?
Second largest part of the brain
Located below the cerebrum
Looks like a ball of yarn
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Co-ordinate movement, posture and balance
What are the conseqences of damage to the cerebellum?
Jerky and uncooridinated movements
Where is the brain stem located?
Found on top of the spinal chord
What is the function of the brain stem?
Controls basic functions for life, such as breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure and circulation
Define metabolism
All chemical processes that take place within the body
What is Urea?
Waste product of kidneys
What is the function of the renal arteries?
Supply kidney with blood
What is the function of the bladder?
Store urine
What is the urethra?
Where urine exits the body
What is the ureter?
Tube that carries urine from kidneys to bladder
What is the function of the renal vein?
Carry filtered blood away from kidneys
Define egested
Removal of undigested waste (faeces)
Define excreted
Expelling waste
What is urea made up of?
Excess proteins or amino acids
What are some examples of excretory products?
Soluble vitamins Nitrogen waste Mineral salts Bile salts CO2 Water
What is the function of the kidneys?
Remove urea from the blood
What is urine made up of?
Urea diluted with water
What are the 4 sections of the kidney?
Cortex
Medulla
Pelvis
Ureter
What is the Cortex and what is its function?
Outer layer of kidney full of nephrons
Filters the blood
What is the medulla and what is its function?
Middle layer of kidneys containing Loop of Henle
Carries filtered waste to the centre of the kidney
What is the Pelvis and what is its function?
Area where all collecting ducts come together and connect with ureter
What is the function of the ureter?
Transport urine to the bladder
How is urea filtered out of the blood?
Blood from the renal artery enters the Glomerulus which sits in the renal capsule
Waste leaves capillary and enters the capsule
What is the function of the convoluted tubes?
Reabsorb useful substances including glucose, water and salts
What is the function of the Bowman’s Capsule?
Where filtration takes place. Filtrate contains useable and waste products
What is the function of the collecting duct?
Collect urine from the nephrons and take it to the pelvis
What is urine composed of?
Water
Urea
Sodium Chloride
Potassium Chloride
What is deamination?
The break down of amino acids in the liver
What does deamination produce?
Urea
Why must water content in the body be kept regular?
To stop cells taking on too much water and dying
What can the colour of pee tell us?
Dark= dehydrated Light= hydrated