What are the two divisions of the nervous system?
The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
What is the CNS composed of?
Brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS composed of?
Everything outside of the skull and spine.
What are the two divisions of the PNS?
Somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
What is the autonomic nervous system composed of?
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
What is the function of the SNS?
To interact with the external environment. Composed of motor efferent nerves and sensory afferent nerves.
What is the function of the ANS?
To regulate the internal environment.
What are the 2 types of efferent nerves in the ANS?
Sympathetic nerves which project from the lumbar and thoracic region of the spinal cord and parasympathetic nerves which project from the brain to the sacral region of the spinal cord.
What is a 2-stage neural path?
Nerve signal travels part of the way to target organs before synapsing on second stage neurons which carry the signal the rest of the way. Found in ANS efferent nerves.
What is the function of parasympathetic nerves?
To conserve energy.
What is the function of sympathetic nerves?
To stimulate, mobilize, and organize energy in threatening situations.
What are cranial nerves?
12 pairs of PNS nerves that extend from the brain.
What is the vagus nerve?
The longest cranial nerve, which extends from the brain to the gut.
What are the 3 layers of the meninges and what is their purpose?
The tough dura mater, the weblike arachnoid membrane and subarachnoid space (filled with CSF), and the delicate pia mater. They act to protect the brain and spinal cord.
Where is CSF produced?
In the lateral ventricles from choroid plexuses. It then flows down to the fourth ventricle and enters the subarachnoid space, where it is absorbed by the dural sinuses and drained through the jugular vein.
Define the blood-brain barrier.
The mechanism that impedes the passage of toxic substances from the blood into the brain. Composed of tightly packed capillaries that restrict larger molecules from entering the brain. Some large molecules such as glucose are actively transported through.
Why is myelin important?
It makes transportation of electrical signals more efficient, insulates axon.
Are dendrites generally presynaptic or postsynaptic?
Postsynaptic
What is the function of the Golgi complex?
It packages molecules into synaptic vessicles.
What are microtubules?
Tubules responsible for the rapid transport of molecules throughout the neuron.
How is a multipolar neuron different from a unipolar neuron?
Multipolar neurons have more than two processes extending from its body, while unipolar neurons only have one.
What is an interneuron?
A neuron with short axons or none, whose function is to integrate neural activity within a single brain structure.
What is the key role of the mitochondria?
To produce ATP.
What is the difference between ganglia and nuclei?
Ganglia are clusters of neuronal cell bodies in the PNS, while nuclei are clusters of neuronal cell bodies in the CNS.
