Vocabulary
What does bidirectional communication mean?
Two Way Street. Nerve signals can go in all directions.
What is the function of the cerebellum? List at least 2.
Balance, motor movements
What are the 3 main purposes of the Nervous System?
Receive, process and respond.
How is the neuron similar to any other type of cell in the body?
- contains a nucleus
-contains a cell membrane
What is one food that even the smell triggers Ms. Kaduku?
Peanut Butter
Distinguish between afferent and efferent signals.
Efferent are signals from the brain and to the body.
What are the TWO functions of the corpus callosum?
1. Connects the two hemispheres of the brain
2. Provides communication between the two hemispheres
Which nervous system pathway is used when you feel the sweet taste of a mango?
Sensory
Determine the 3 types of neurons. How are they different?
Sensory Neurons- send messages to the brain.
Motor Neurons - send messages from the brain and to the body.
Interneurons - connect the motor and sensory neurons at the spinal cord.
What languages does Ms. Kaduku speak?
Albanian
English
French
*a bit of sign language
Define the term 'Cerebrum'
Cerebrum = Forebrain = the part of the brain that contains the foldings
Ms. Kaduku has been having trouble sleeping since her car accident a few weeks ago. What part of the brain must have been affected?
Pons - it regulates sleep, waking up and dreaming.
OR
Midbrain - it also helps regulate sleep.
Why does your heartbeat need to increase in a sympathetic response and not a parasympathetic response?
Energy needs to be used when fighting or fleeing. By increasing the heartbeat, more energy and blood flow will be circulating, which helps prepare the body for this response. Parasympathetic nervous system requires you to be frozen and in shock so your body needs to relax to process what is going on.
Define the 6 main structures of the neuron and explain their role.
Dendrite - receives a chemcial signal and relays the electric signal
Soma - takes the electric signal and determines if it is strong enough to be passed to the axon
Nucleus - contains DNA that tells the cell what to do
Axon - Tail like and relays the signal away from the soma
Myelin Sheat - fatty substance around the axon as a protective layer and helps facilitate the electric message
Axon Terminal - Receive electric signal and releases that signal to the dendrites of the next neuron
Explain how an adult's brain and a teenager's brain are different.
The brain develops from the back to the front. The frontal lobe developes last and it's fully done at 25 years old. This means that teenagers tend to make irrational decisions, partake in risky behaviour and don't have the best judgement.
Define the term 'cerebral cortex'.
The most outer layer of the cerebrum.
Shiraz got into a car accident and injured his medulla. What is most likely a result of an injured medulla and why?
Because the Medulla is responsible for breathing, heart rate, swallowing and coughing, any injury to this part of the brain will automatically result in death.
Explain the pathway of a reflex reaction in full detail.
Signal enter the nerve cell and it gets relayed from one neuron to another until it reaches the spinal cord. The interneurons in the spinal cord detect danger and at the same time they relay the message to the brain as well as send out a respond message to the body. This is why you don't understand why you are reacting the way you do until after the reaction.
Explain the whole process of how a neuron relays messages to the next neuron.
Dendrites receives chemical messages which are then transformed into electric messages. They are relayed to the soma. If the soma detects the message is strong enough it will send it to the axon. If not, it will keep it in the cell body. Once it hits the axon it is then relayed to the axon terminals which is then sent off to the dendrite of the next neuron.
Which part of the brain must be damaged if someone ends up in a coma? Why?
Midbrain because it regulates consciousness.
Define the term 'action potential'. Be as specific as possible.
As an electric signal is relayed from the dendrites into the soma, the soma has the power to determine if the signal is powerful enough to be passed on into the axon. If it is, then as the signal moves to the rest of the neuron it is known as action potential.
What are the 3 main functions of the reticular formation?
- Maintains Consciousness
- Screens for important sensory info
- Regulates arousal
- Regulates muscle tone
Explain the Nervous System Flow Chart including all the subdivisions and the important characteristics within each subdivision.
NS -> CNS (brain + spinal Cord) / PNS -> Somatic (afferent) / Autonomic (Efferent) -> Voluntary / Involuntary -> Parasympathetic (rest/digest/dec heartrate) / sympathetic (flight / fight / inc. heartrate)
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease in which the body attacks the myelin sheath or the cells that produce it thinking that they are dangerous to the body. Explain why this is detrimental to your health.
Myelin Sheath helps protect the axon and facilitates a smooth relay of electric signals. If this is damaged the axon has no protection from the environment and can easily be damaged. This damage prevents important signals from being relayed. This can lead to people not being able to have feeling in certain areas of the body.
Ms. Kaduku has been to 11 countries so far. Name at least 8 of them.
Albania, Italy, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, United States, Canada, Netherlands, Australia, Montenegro, Fiji