What are the three stages when responding to “bend your arm”?
Think/decide → transmit decision → respond/contract
Which systems are involved in executing movement?
Brain, spinal cord, and muscles
What is the role of upper (pyramidal) motor neurons?
Transmit signals from the brain to lower motor neurons
What is the role of lower motor neurons?
Directly stimulate muscles to contract
What are the two main mechanisms of neuronal communication?
Action potentials and synaptic transmission
What is a stem cell?
A cell capable of self-renewal and differentiation
What determines stem cell potency?
Its ability to differentiate into different cell types
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?
Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Which brain region is responsible for decision-making?
Frontal regions
Which brain region processes sensory information?
Parietal regions
Which brain region is responsible for vision?
Occipital lobe
Which brain region is responsible for hearing and memory?
Temporal lobe
What are the main parts of a neuron?
Dendrites, cell body, axon, presynaptic terminal
Do neurons all have the same shape?
No, they vary widely in shape and size
What is neuronal determination?
The process by which a cell becomes a neuron
What stage precedes nervous system development?
Blastulation
What forms from the ectoderm during neurulation?
Neuroectoderm forming the neural plate
What happens to the neural plate during neurulation?
It bends dorsally and forms the neural crest
What forms when the neural plate closes?
The neural tube
What happens to the notochord?
It degenerates into the nucleus pulposus
What gives rise to the peripheral nervous system?
Neural crest cells
What is the neural crest?
A transient embryonic stem cell structure
What happens to neural crest cells?
They migrate and form diverse cell types
What patterns the neural tube along the dorsal-ventral axis?
Morphogen (protein) gradients
