William Flashcards
Neurons
specialized cells that make up the nervous system
Neurons have three parts (list them and explain):
Cell body: nucleus, most organelles and cytoplasms
Dendrites: extensions of the cell membrane that receive messages from other neurons
Axons: an extension of the cell membrane that transmits messages away from the cell body to other neurons
Neurons rely on _____ and _____ for communication
action potentials and neurotransmitters
Excitatory pyramdial cells
these cells use glutamate and other excitatory neurotransmitters to communicate with other neurons, triggering action potentials in their targets
Inhibitory interneurons
these cells use GABA and other inhibitory neurotransmitters to communicate with other neurons, suppressing action potentials in their target cells
Motor neurons
located in the ventral horn of the spinal cord, these neurons synapse with muscle cells, causing them to contract
sensory neurons
located in ganglia throughout the peripheral nervous system, these neurons fire action potentials in response to sensory stimuli and transmit this information to the brain and spinal cord
Astrocytes
supporting cells in the brain; important for recycling neurotransmitters and controlling the interstitial environment
Microglia
important for responding to injury and infection in the central nervous system
Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes (where do they produce myelin?)
produce myelin in the peripheral and central nervous system, respectively
Central Nervous System consists of ?
the brain and spinal cord
brainstem
medulla, pons, and midbrain, regulates basic body functions like heart rate, respiration, etc
cerebellum
coordination of movement and balance
diencephalon consists of?
thalamus and hypothalamus
thalamus
a relay station for directing incoming sensory information to the appropriate brain region
Hypothalamus
regulates the endocrine system and motivated behaviors like eating, drinking and mating
Cerebrum
critical for processing and perceiving sensory information, initiating movements and for cognitive processes like attention, learning and memory, and decision making
frontal lobe
speech, movement, decision making
parietal lobe
touch sensation, attention
occipital lobe
basic visual processing
temporal lobe
language comprehension, memory, hearing
spinal cord relays sensory and motor signals between the
brain and the rest of the body
central gray matter is composed of what
cell bodies
white matter is composed of what
axons
Dorsal horn
contains neurons that receive sensory info from the periphery and transmit it to the brain
ventral horn
contains motor neurons that project axons to skeletal muscle in the periphery, causing them to contract
peripheral nervous system
everything else, including the nerve fibers (axons) emanating from the spinal cord and sensory neurons in ganglia located throughout the body
peripheral nervous system consists of what two systems:
somatic system and autonomic system
Somatic system
conveys sensory information about the external environment to the brain (sensory division) and signals to skeletal muscles causing voluntary contraction (motor division)
