Week Four Flashcards
What is the reflex arc?
When the body is able to respond to something without us thinking about it (Ex., when you touch a hot stove and your hand automatically recoils)
What is the Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous Systems (PNS) relationship?
The peripheral nervous system carries sensory afferent messages to the CNS
The central nervous system receives the message from the PNS, processes it, then sends motor or efferent messages back to the PNS
Which nervous system carries afferent messages?
Peripheral Nervous Systems
What is the difference between Afferent and Efferent neurons?
Afferent neurons are sensory neurons that carry nerve impulses from sensory stimuli towards the central nervous system and brain, while efferent neurons are motor neurons that carry neural impulses away from the central nervous systme and towards muscles to cause movement.
Which nervous system carries efferent messages?
Central Nervous System
What protects the Central Nervous System?
The meninges
What are the 7 components of the Central Nervous System?
1) Cerebral Cortex
2) Basal Ganglia
3) Thalamus
4) Hypothalamus
5) Cerebellum
6) Brainstem
7) Spinal Cord
What is the cerebral cortex also known as?
Cerebrum
The cerebrum is divided into how many hemispheres?
Left hemisphere and Right Hemisphere
How many lobes does the cerebral hemisphere have?
4 lobes
What does the Basal Ganglia control?
responsible primarily for motor control, as well as other roles such as motor learning, executive functions and behaviors, and emotions
(Shannon taught us this wrong: The basal ganglia controls autonomic (involuntary) associated movements (Ex., swinging of arms when walking))
What does the thalamus do?
Relay Station….
Main relay station that relays sensory and motor pathways to the brainstem and the spinal cord (synapses)
What does the Hypothalamus do? (4)
Control Centre…
1) Ex., body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, sleep
2) Controls the anterior and posterior pituitary gland
3) Coordinated the autonomic nervous system
4) Coordinates emotions
What does the cerebellum do?
Motor Coordination
- Voluntary movements
- Think of equilibrium, muscle tone, the ability to coordinate, and smooth movement (controlled and purposeful movement)
- Balance and movement
What is the brainstem?
Collection of nerve fibers
What are the 3 parts of the brainstem?
- Midbrain
- Pons
- Medulla Oblongata
What is the spinal cord?
main pathway of ascending and descending– spinal cord connects the brain to the spinal nerves
The ascending tracts carry sensory information from the body, like pain, for example, up the spinal cord to the brain.
Descending tracts carry motor information, like instructions to move the arm, from the brain down the spinal cord to the body.
What are 2 components of the Spinal Cord?
- Ascending
- Descending
What are the 4 components of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
1) Cranial nerves
2) Spinal Nerves
3) Autonomic Nerve Fibers
4) Somatic Nerve Fibers
How many pairs of cranial nerves do we have?
12 pairs
How many pairs of spinal nerves do we have?
31 pairs
How are spinal nerves in the spinal cord named?
- Spinal nerves run the length of the spinal cord
- they are named by the region of the spine that they exit