Nervous System

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Created by
joannamarie1909frieda

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Cards (283)

  • Main parts of the Nervous System
    • Central Nervous System (CNS)
    • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
  • Central Nervous System (CNS)
    Includes the brain and spinal cord
  • Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

    Consists of all the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body
  • Brain

    • Control center of the body, responsible for processing sensory information, regulating bodily functions and enabling thought and emotion
    • Cerebrum: largest part, responsible for voluntary activities, intelligence, memory, and sensory processing
    • Cerebellum: Coordinates muscle movements and maintains posture and balance
    • Brainstem: Connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls involuntary functions such as breathing and heart rate
  • Spinal cord

    • A long, tubular structure that conveys information between the brain and the rest of the body and coordinates reflexes
  • Parts of the Peripheral Nervous System
    • Somatic Nervous System
    • Autonomic Nervous System
  • Somatic Nervous System

    Controls voluntary movements by transmitting signals to skeletal muscles
  • Autonomic Nervous System

    Regulates involuntary body functions
  • Parts of the Autonomic Nervous System
    • Sympathetic Nervous System
    • Parasympathetic Nervous System
  • Sympathetic Nervous System

    Prepares the body for stress-related activities (fight or flight response)
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System

    Conserves energy and restores the body to a state of calm (rest and digest response)
  • Neurons

    • Basic functional units of the nervous system, specialized cells that transmit nerve impulses
    • Cell body (soma): Contains the nucleus and organelles
    • Dendrites: Branch-like structures that receive signals from other neurons
    • Axon: Long fiber that transmits signals away from the cell body to other neurons or muscles
  • Myelin sheath

    Insulating layer around axons that increases the speed of signal transmission
  • Signal Transmission

    1. Action Potential: A rapid rise and fall in voltage across a cellular membrane allowing nerve impulses to be transmitted
    2. Synaptic Transmission: Process by which neurotransmitters are released by one neuron across the synaptic cleft to bind to receptors on the next neuron
  • Key Neurotransmitters

    • Acetylcholine
    • Dopamine
    • Serotonin
    • Norepinephrine
  • Acetylcholine

    Involved in muscle activation, attention and memory
  • Dopamine

    Associated with pleasure, reward, and motor function
  • Serotonin

    Regulates mood, appetite, and sleep
  • Norepinephrine

    Involved in arousal and alertness
  • Reflex Arc

    1. Receptor: Detects the stimulus
    2. Sensory Neuron: Transmits the signal to the CNS
    3. Integration Center: Processes the information in the CNS
    4. Motor Neuron: Transmits the signal from the CNS to the effector
    5. Effector: Muscle or gland that responds to the stimulus
  • Disorders of the Nervous System
    • Parkinson's Disease
    • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
    • Epilepsy
    • Alzheimer's Disease