Nervous System
What is the central nervous system composed of?
Brain & Spinal Chord
What are the 4 lobes and their associated functions?
Frontal Lobe- higher order thinking
Occipital Lobe (Vision)
Parietal Lobe (Spatial Lobe)
Temporal Lobe (Hearing)
What is the purpose of the dendrites?
To receive incoming electrical signals and send them down the axon.
Wernicke’s area
important for speech comprehension.
- Damage to Wernicke’s
area results in difficulty
understanding
language.
Who is Phineas Gage?
A man who got in an accident where an iron rod penetrated his brain. Became a case study- to understand the frontal lobe.
What is the peripheral nervous system composed of?
Nerves. Everything to the side of the central nervous system
The forebrain is the largest part of the brain and contains:
-The cerebral cortex – higher level processes
- Thalamus - sensory relay
- Hypothalamus - homeostasis
- Pituitary gland – master gland of the endocrine system
- Limbic system – emotion and memory circuit
True or False:
Axons are covered in a myelin sheath made of a fatty substance that insulates axons and allows the signal to travel down the axon quicker.
TRUE :)
Cerebral cortex
surface of the brain that is associated with out
highest mental capabilities such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language and memory
What does Norepinephrine do?
Increases heart rate, decreases blood flow to
intestines, and increases alertness
What does the somatic nervous system do?
relays sensory and motor information to
and from the CNS.
What is the function of the thalamus?
The thalamus serves as the relay center of the brain where most senses (excluding smell) are routed before being directed to other areas of the brain for processing.
Where are the terminally buttons located?
At the end of the axon
Genotype
the genetic makeup of an individual based on the genetic material (DNA) inherited from one’s parents.
What gland is known as the master gland? Slide 18
Pituitary Gland
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are a part of the somatic or autonomic NS?
Autonomic
What is the limbic system and what are the different structures that makes it up?
The Limbic system is involved in mediating emotional response and memory.
- amygdala
-hippocampus
-hypothalamus
At the end of the axons are terminal buttons which contain synaptic vessels storage sites for chemical messengers called...
Neurotransmitters!!
Threshold of excitation
level of charge in the membrane that
causes the neuron to become active.
What is the all or none principle?
the incoming signal is either sufficient to reach the threshold of excitation or it is not.
What is the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS associated with?
Sympathetic (Fight or flight)
Parasympathetic (Rest & Digest)
What three structures a in the hindbrain?
Medulla, Pons, Cerebellum
What is the synapse?
The synapse is the space between the terminal button of one neuron and the dendrite of
another neuron.
Neurotransmitter
chemical messenger of the nervous system
Explain Action Potential
Neuron reaches a level of threshold causing it to fire up and send an electrical signal down the axon.