Nervous System Exam

What is the function of the CNS?

process information from sensory and motor nerves

What is the PNS made up of?

all of the nerves that branch off of the spinal cord

What is the function of the PNS?

connects the brain and spinal cord to your skin and allow you to feel pain and other sensations

What are the two parts of the PNS?

autonomic and somatic nervous systems

What does the ANS do?

controls involuntary bodily functions and regulates glands

What does the SNS do?

controls muscle movement and relays information from the ears, eyes, and skin to the CNS

What are efferent nerves also called?

motor neurons

What are afferent nerves also called?

sensory neurons

What do efferent nerves do?

transmit impulses from the CNS out to the muscles, skin, and glands

What do afferent nerves do?

bring sensory information from the outside world into the brain like vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, pain, and temperature

Which part of the nervous system is involuntary?

Autonomic nervous system

Which part of the nervous system is voluntary?

Somatic nervous system

What does the autonomic nervous system control?

blood pressure, digestion, heart rate

What does the somatic nervous system control?

muscle movement

Which glial cells are in the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

Schwann and satellite cells

What are astrocytes?

found between neurons and capillaries. give nutrients to neurons and control the chemical environment. make up nearly half of the neural tissue in the body.

What are microglia?

absorb and dispose of dead cells and bacteria.

What are the three kinds of neurons?

Sensory, motor, and interneuron

What are interneurons/association neurons?

mostly found in the brain and spinal cord and carry sensory information and regulate motor activity by connecting spinal motor and sensory neurons (basically the communication neuron between other neurons)

What are unipolar neurons?

have a single axon with dendrites on the peripheral end and axon terminals on the central end, rarest to find in skin in the PNS

What are ependymal cells?

form a protective covering around the spinal cord and central cavities within the brain.

What are oligodendrocytes?

wrap around nerve fibers and produce a fatty insulating material called myelin.

What are Schwann cells?

maintenance and regeneration of axons of neurons in the PNS.

What do sensory neurons do?

transmit impulses from a receptor (like the eye or ear) to the central nervous system (brain or spinal cord)

What do motor neurons do?

allow our bodies to speak, swallow, and breathe by sending commands from the brain to the muscles that carry out those functions and they have the longest nerve fibers (spinal cord to the toes).

What are bipolar neurons?

have one axon and one dendrite, found in the eyes and nose

What are multipolar neurons?

have one axon and multiple dendrites, all motor neurons and interneurons are multipolar

conductivity

the ability to transmit nerve impulses

nerve impulse

an electric change that transmits information to and from the brain

Polarized?

inside of the membrane is more negatively charged than the outside

Depolarized?

electrical charge inside of the membrane becomes more positive

Repolarization?

restoring the membrane to its original polarized resting state

Refractory period?

the time between the completion of the action potential and repolarization when the neuron is temporarily “fatigued”

Saltatory conduction

an action potential that rapidly skips from node to node on myelinated neurons

Impulse conduction?

the movement of action potentials along a nerve cell

What are the four types of reflexes?

Stretch, withdraw, crossed-extensor, and Golgi tendon reflex

What does the stretch reflex do?

It prevents strains and tear injuries to the muscles and tendons

What does the withdrawal reflex do?

protects humans against tissue necrosis from contact with pain or heat

What does the crossed extensor reflex do?

It allows the body to compensate on one side for a stimulus on the other

What does the Golgi tendon reflex do?

It acts as a protective feedback mechanism to control the tension of an active muscle by causing relaxation before the tendon tension becomes high enough to cause damage

What divides the left and right hemispheres of the brain?

Medial longitudinal fissure

What makes up the brainstem (in order from top to bottom)?

Midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata

What are the different meninges (in order from inner to outer)?

pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura mater

What is Broca's area?

It is the part of the brain responsible for speech production and controlling the speech network

What is Wernicke's area?

It is a part of the brain responsible for the comprehension of speech

What are the different lobes of the brain?

Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

What is the frontal lobe responsible for?

Important for voluntary movement, expressive language, collecting cognitive skills, managing higher level executive functions

What is the parietal lobe responsible for?

Sensory perception and integration, including the management of taste, hearing, sight, touch, and smell

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

Important for processing auditory information and with the encoding of memory

What is the occipital lobe responsible for?

Important for visual perception, including colour, form and motion

Can nicotine pass the blood-brain barrier?

Yes.

Can alcohol pass the blood-brain barrier?

Yes.

Can ibuprofen pass the blood-brain barrier?

Yes.

Can antibiotics pass the blood-brain barrier?

Yes.

What are the causes of Alzheimer's disease?

Age-related changes to the brain, genetics, and environmental/lifestyle factors

What are the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

Memory loss, poor judgement, repeating questions, forgetting information

What system is affected by Alzheimer's disease?

The brain and nerve cells

What are the causes of cerebral palsy?

Gene mutations, maternal infections, bleeding into the brain in the womb

What are the symptoms of cerebral palsy?

Delays in development milestone, stiffness, floppiness, fidgeting

What system is affected by cerebral palsy?

What are the causes of dementia?

Diet, exercise, excessive alcohol use, smoking

What are the symptoms of dementia?

Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, struggling with daily tasks, mood changes

What systems are affected by dementia?

What are the causes of epilepsy?

Stroke, brain tumor, severe head injury, lack of oxygen at birth

What are the symptoms of epilepsy?

Uncontrollable jerking and shaking, stiffness, loss of awareness

What systems are affected by epilepsy?

The vagus nerve

What are the causes of meningitis?

Bacterial or viral infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, injuries, cancer, drugs

What are the symptoms of meningitis?

High fever, headache, sickness, stiff neck, seizures

What systems are affected by meningitis?

The brain and spinal cord

What are the causes of multiple sclerosis?

Immune system attacking the brain and nerves, genetic and environmental factors

What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

Fatigue, vision issues, numbness, muscle spasms

What systems are affected by multiple sclerosis?

The brain and spinal cord, myelin sheaths

What are the causes of paraplegia?

Cerebral palsy, cancer, nerve conditions, stroke

What are the symptoms of paraplegia?

Inability to feel limbs, loss of control of bladder and bowel movements, tingling in the limbs

What systems are affected by paraplegia?

Spinal cord

What are the causes of Parkinson's disease?

Loss of nerve cells in part of the brain

What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

Tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness

What systems are affected by Parkinson's disease?

Nerve cells in the basal ganglia

What are the causes of quadriplegia?

Damage to the base of the neck or skull, trauma, car accident, fall, multiple sclerosis

What are the symptoms of quadriplegia?

Back pain, weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, difficulty walking

What systems are affected by quadriplegia?

The brain and spinal cord

What are the causes of a traumatic brain injury?

Fall, firearm-related injury, car accident, assault

What are the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?

Loss of consciousness, headache, vomiting or nausea, seizures

What systems are affected by a traumatic brain injury?

The cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, hippocampus

What neurotransmitter is released by the postganglionic neurons of the sympathetic nervous system?

Norepinephrine

What is gyri?

A ridge on the surface of the brain

What is the sulci?

A groove or furrow on the surface of the brain

What is a fissure?

A deeper groove than the sulcus

What is gray matter?

Tissue that contains cell bodies

What is white matter?

Tissue that contains axons

What causes saltatory conduction?

The ensheathment of neurons with the myelin

What is a spinal nerve?

A nerve that interacts directly with the spinal cord to modulate motor and sensory information from the PNS

What is a plexus?

a network of interlacing blood vessels or nerves