Neuroscience Semester 1

• What are the two main areas of the nervous system?

  PNS and CNS
• What does PNS stand for?

  Peripheral Nervous System
• What do dorsal root ganglia house?

  Sensory neurons

  
• Where are autonomic ganglia located?

  Outside spinal cord near organs
• What is the function of the CNS?

  Control center for information processing
• What type of neuron is found in dorsal root ganglia?

  Pseudounipolar neuron
• What is a bipolar neuron commonly found in?

  Retina or olfactory tract
• What are neurons organized into?

  A functional network
• What is the axon initial segment?

  Start of the axon next to cell body
• What is the role of sodium channels in the axon initial segment?

  Start action potentials

  
• What do lesser organisms like hydra lack?

  A central nervous system
• What is cephalization?

  Centralization of the nervous system
• What do invertebrate nervous systems specialize in?

  Stimulus/response and reflexes
• What is the simplest form of nervous system in some invertebrates?

  Nerve nets

  
• How do nerve nets function?

  Allow for expansion and contraction
• What do nerve nets lack?

  Distinct central or peripheral regions
• What is the structure of the nervous system in starfish?

  A ring of neurons with radial nerves

  
• What is cephalization associated with?

  Bilateral symmetry in animals
• What do cephalopods possess in their nervous system?

  A CNS in the head region
• What happens to the diameter of a nerve as it increases?

  Decreases internal resistance
• What is the role of the limbic lobe?

  Deals with emotions
• What are the three vesicles that give rise to the CNS?

  Proencephalon, mesencephalon, rhombencephalon
• What is the function of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?

  Buoyancy and protection of the CNS
• Where is CSF produced?

  By the choroid plexus
• What does the thalamus do?

  Presents organized input to the cortex
• What connects the cerebral hemispheres?

  Corpus callosum
• What type of output does the neocortex produce?

  Excitatory output
• What neurotransmitter is used for excitatory output?

  Glutamate
• What does the cerebellum integrate?

  Ascending proprioceptive information
• What is the role of the spinal cord?

  Two-way impulse conduction pathway
• How many pairs of spinal nerves are there?

  31 pairs
• What type of behavior do reflexes represent?

  Innate or instinctive behavior
• What is a monosynaptic reflex?

  Knee-jerk reflex
• What do polysynaptic reflexes involve?

  Multiple synapses between neurons
• What is the role of interneurons in polysynaptic reflexes?

  Control more than one muscle group
• What is the function of Nissl substance?

  Important in protein synthesis
• What do multipolar neurons primarily do?

  Relay commands from brain to muscles
• What is the diameter range of cell soma in neurons?

  5 - 135 µm
• What type of neurons are excited by specific stimuli?

  Sensory neurons
• Where are sensory neurons found in the body?

  Dorsal root ganglia