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Branches & divisions of the nervous system
Central
nervous system (CNS)
Peripheral
nervous system (PNS) -
Sensory
(afferent),
Efferent
(motor), Somatic division, Autonomic division (Sympathetic, Parasympathetic)
Enteric nervous system
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Glia
Non-neuronal cells that provide support for
neurons
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Neurons
The basic
signaling
units of the nervous system, specialized for receiving and transmitting information via electrical and chemical means
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Neuron types
Interneurons
Afferent
(sensory) neurons
Efferent
(motor) neurons
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Sensory receptors
Main sensory inputs for
movement
are vision and
proprioception
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Proprioceptors
Vestibular
receptors
Kinesthetic
receptors (joint, cutaneous, muscle, tendon)
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Somatic
division
3 basic functions: sensory reception, integration of inputs, motor output/movement
Movement types: reflexive, rhythmic, voluntary
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Graded potentials
Local,
decreasing-amplitude
electrical signals that originate in the
input
region of a neuron
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Types of graded potentials
Receptor
potential
Synaptic
potential (PSP)
End-plate
potential (EPP)
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Graded potential integration
Summation
of graded potentials at the
integrative
region (trigger zone, spike initiating zone)
Threshold for generating an action potential
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Action potentials
All-or-none, regenerative, long-distance electrical signals that originate at the
integrative
region
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Neurocrine
secretion
Chemical
signals that include neurohormones, neurotransmitters, and neuromodulators
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Action potentials
All-or-none, regenerative,
long
distance signals
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Action
potentials
Originate at
integrative
region (trigger zone)
Have a threshold
Do NOT
summate
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Synapses
Neurons communicate with other cells at
synapses
Presynaptic neuron
Neurotransmitter (stored in
vesicles;
exocytosed)
Postsynaptic cell
Ligand-gated ion channels
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Agonists and antagonists
Agonists
are chemical substances capable of activating a receptor to produce a typical response
Antagonists
are chemical substances that neutralize or impede the action/effect of something else
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Somatic
(alpha) motor neurons
Receive ~50,000 to 80,000 inputs
Receive both excitatory & inhibitory inputs
Are always
active
at some level -> muscle tone
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Somatic
motor neurons
Have
TONIC
control over skeletal muscle
More excitation = contract
Less excitation = relax
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Neurophysiology is a subdiscipline of the field of physiology and has to do with the function of the nervous system
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Key principles of neural
function
The nervous system is comprised of 2 basic types of cells:
glia
and
neurons
Neurons
are the basic signaling unit
Neurons coordinate body functions using electrical and chemical signals
Nervous system serves 3 basic functions: sensory reception, integration, and motor output
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Glia
Act as
support
cells
Myelin-producing glial cells:
oligodendrocytes
and
Schwann
cells
Other types of glia serve important functions (e.g., astrocytes and microglia)
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3 basic types of neurons
Sensory (
afferent
)
Interneurons
Motor (
efferent
)
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Excitatory and inhibitory effects
Sensory neurons & somatic motor neurons have
excitatory
effects
Interneurons
may have excitatory or inhibitory effects, depending on the
neurotransmitter
released and the receptor present in the target cell
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Excitatory and inhibitory signals
Excitatory
signals are ones in which the target cell depolarizes
Inhibitory
signals are ones in which the target cell hyperpolarizes
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Antagonist and agonist
Antagonist
: something that neutralizes or impedes action/effect of something else
Agonist
: a chemical substance capable of activating a receptor to produce a typical response
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The somatic nervous system controls
skeletal
muscles and generates 3 basic types of movements: reflexive, rhythmic and voluntary
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2 main types of sensory information important for movement
Vision
Proprioception
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Main proprioceptors
Muscle
spindle
Golgi
tendon organ
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Muscle spindle afferent
Ia
afferent
Detects changes in muscle
length
(e.g., stretch)
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Golgi tendon afferent
Ib
afferent
Detects changes in muscle
force
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Electrical signals convey information within neurons about the
amplitude
(magnitude) and
duration
of sensory stimuli
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Graded
potentials convey information about amplitude based on their
amplitude
, and about duration based on their
duration
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Action
potentials convey information about amplitude based on their
frequency
, and about duration based on the
duration
of the spike train
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Electrical signals are due to
ion
flow which changes the membrane
potential
in excitable cells
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Excitable
cells
Have electrical properties that influence ion flow and changes in membrane potential
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Potential difference (
V)
Measure of
potential
energy, exists when positive & negative charges are
separated
, stored energy can be used to do
work
(e.g. ion flow = current)
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Current (
I
)
Produced when charged particles (ions) move, requires a
potential
difference, defined relative to
movement
of positive charges (cations)
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Conductance (
g
)
Capacity to transmit a
current
- allows
flow
, reciprocal (
1/g
) is resistance (
R
) -
hinders
flow
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Ion channels act as
conductors
, allowing rapid ion flow and being ion-selective
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Leakage
ion channels
Contribute to
resting
membrane potential
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