Studying The Nervous System

Front 1

What cells are specialized for electrical signaling over long distances?

Back 1

Nerve cells, or neurons.

Hint 1

These cells are also specialized for intercellular communication.

Front 2

What cells provide support and protection for neurons in the brain, and for neurons in other parts of the nervous system?

Back 2

Neuroglia, or glia.

Hint 2

These cells are not capable of significant electrical signaling.

Front 3

What specific area of the neuron are the primary target for synaptic input from other neurons?

Back 3

Dendrites.

Hint 3

This area of the neuron branches out into a structure that is known as a dendritic tree.

Front 4

The number of inputs to a single neuron reflects the degree of...

Back 4

...convergence.

Front 5

The number of targets innervated by any one neuron represents its...

Back 5

...divergence.

Front 6

What is the space between neurons at a nerve synapse across which a nerve impulse is transmitted by a neurotransmitter?

Back 6

Synaptic cleft.

Hint 6

This area is not simply empty space, it is the site extracellular proteins that influence the diffusion, binding, and degradation of molecules secreted by the presynaptic terminal.

Front 7

What is the region of the neuron conducting signals towards the synapse?

Back 7

Presynaptic terminal, synaptic ending, axon terminal, or terminal boutons

Hint 7

The distal terminations of axons which are specialized for the release of neurotransmitters.

Front 8

A unique extension from the soma that may travel a few hundred micrometers (microns) or much farther depending on the size of the species.

Back 8

What is an axon?

Hint 8

This typically conducts electrical impulses away from the soma, the function is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles and glands

Front 9

What is the term used to describe relatively short axons that only connect with nearby neurons?

Back 9

Local circuit neurons or interneurons.

Hint 9

These neurons are distinguish from the axons of projection neurons, whose axons (projection fibers) project to more distant regions of the brain or spinal cord.

Front 10

The axons of what neurons extend to distant targets?

Back 10

Projections neurons.

Hint 10

The neurons run that from the human spinal cord to the foot are about a meter long.

Front 11

What is the event that carries signals over the axons of neurons?

Back 11

Action potential.

Hint 11

This event is a self-regenerating wave of electrical activity that propagates from the axon hillock (located in the soma) to the terminus of the axon, at which point synapses are made.

Front 12

What is the chemical and eletrical process by which the information encoded by action potentials is passed on at synaptic contacts to the next cell pathway called?

Back 12

Synaptic transmission.

Front 13

What is the most abundant type of synapse in the nervous system?

Back 13

Chemical synapse.

Hint 13

The synaptic vesicles in this case are filled with neurotransmitter molecules, these neurotransmitters modify the electrical properties of the target cell.

Front 14

What part of the neuron recieves neurotransmitters released from synaptic vesicles?

Back 14

Neurotransmitter receptor or neuroreceptor.

Front 15

What term is used to refer to the component of a synapse specialized for transmitter reception?

Back 15

Postsynaptic.

Hint 15

Downstream at a synapse.

Front 16

What are the three types of glial cells in the mature central nervous system?

Back 16

Astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglial cells.

Front 17

Restricted to the CNS, have elaborate local processes that give these cells a starlike appearance, maintain chemical environment for neuronal signaling. What glia cell am I?

Back 17

Astrocytes or collectively astroglia.

Hint 17

This glia cell is twenty times larger in human brains incomparison to rodent brains. A single human ________ encompasses 2 million synapses compared to 100,000 in rodents. A team of neuroscientists has grafted these human brain cells into the brains of mice and found that the rodents’ rate of learning and memory far surpassed that of ordinary mice.

Front 18

Restricted to the CNS, lay down a laminated, lipid-rich wrapping called myelin around some, but not all axons. What glia cell am I?

Back 18

Oligodendrocytes.

Front 19

Primarily derived from hematopoietic precursor cells, remove cellular debris from site of injury or normal cell turnover, secrete signaling molecules. What glia cell am I?

Back 19

Microglial cell.

Front 20

Neurons are organized into ensembles that process specific kinds of information and provide the foundation of sensation, perception, and behavior.

Back 20

What are neural circuits?

Front 21

The dense tangle of axonal and dendritic branches, and the synapses between them, that lies between neuronal cell bodies in the gray matter of the brain and spinal cord.

Back 21

What is neurophil?

Hint 21

The regions between nerve cell bodies where most synaptic connectivity occurs.

Front 22

Nerve cells that carry information from the periphery toward the brain.

Back 22

What are afferent neurons?

Front 23

Nerve cells that carry information away from the brain or spinal cord (or away from the circuit in question).

Back 23

What are efferent neurons?

Front 24

What constitutes the basics of all neural circuits?

Back 24

Afferent neurons, efferent neurons, and interneurons.

Front 25

A fundamental spinal reflex that is generated by the motor response to afferent sensory information arising from muscle spindles.

Back 25

What is the myotatic spinal reflex?

Front 26

A nodule on a dorsal root of the spine that contains cell bodies of neurons that carry signals from sensory organs toward the appropriate integration center, the first-order neurons of the dorsal column medial lemniscus pathway.

Back 26

What is a dorsal root ganglion?

Hint 26

In the peripheral nervous system, afferents refer to the axons that relay sensory information into the central nervous system (i.e. the brain and the spinal cord).

Front 27

A structure containing a number of nerve cell bodies.

Back 27

What is a ganglion (plural: ganglia)?

Front 28

The 12 pairs of nerves arising from the brainstem that carry sensory information toward (and sometimes motor information away from) the CNS.

Back 28

What are cranial nerves?

Front 29

What is the term applied to neurons located in the CNS that project their axons outside the CNS and directly or indirectly control muscles?

Back 29

Motor neurons.

Hint 29

These are efferant neurons that carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement.

Front 30

An electrode is placed near the neuron of interest to detect its activity.

Back 30

What is an extracellular recording?

Hint 30

This type of recording primarily detects actions potentials, the all-or-nothing changes in the potential (voltage) across nerve cell membranes that convey information from one point to another in the nervous system.

Front 31

An electrode is placed inside the cell.

Back 31

What is an intracellular recording?

Hint 31

This type of recording can detect the smaller, graded potential changes that trigger action potentials, and thus allow a more detailed analysis of communication between neurons within a circuit.

Front 32

The difference in electrical potential between the interior and the exterior of a biological cell.

Back 32

What is the membrane potential (also transmembrane potential or membrane voltage)?

Hint 32

Typical values range from –40 mV to –80 mV.

Front 33

A type of graded potential, the membrane potential difference of a sensory receptor.

Back 33

What is a receptor potential?

Hint 33

A graded potential that triggers actions potential and arises at the sensory receptor.

Front 34

Graded potential changes that trigger action potentials at the synapse.

Back 34

What is a synaptic potential?

Front 35

Circuits that process similar types of information and serve broader behavioral purposes.

Back 35

What are neural systems?

Hint 35

Example: sensory systems, motor systems, etc.

Front 36

Neural systems that acquire and process information from the environment.

Back 36

What are sensory systems?

Hint 36

e.g., the visual system or the auditory system

Front 37

Neural systems that respond to sensory information by generating movements and other behavior,

Back 37

What are motor systems?

Front 38

A large number of cells and circuits that lie between well-defined input and output systems.

Back 38

What are associational systems?

Hint 38

These systems mediate the most complex and least well-characterized brain functions.

Front 39

What is the CNS?

Back 39

The central nervous system, compromises the brain and the spinal cord.

Front 40

One of the two regions of the vertebrate brain that are delineated by the median plane.

Back 40

What is a cerebral hemisphere?

Hint 40

The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right ________ ___________.

Front 41

The "interbrain" is the region of the vertebrate neural tube which gives rise to posterior forebrain structures.

Back 41

What is the diencephalon?

Front 42

A region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control and has the appearance of a separate structure attached to the bottom of the brain, tucked underneath the cerebral hemispheres.

Back 42

What the cerebellum?

Hint 42

Latin for little brain.

Front 43

The posterior part of the brain, adjoining and structurally continuous with the spinal cord. It provides the main motor and sensory innervation to the face and neck via the cranial nerves.

Back 43

What is the brain stem?

Hint 43

Regulates the central nervous system, and is pivotal in maintaining consciousness and regulating the sleep cycle

Front 44

What is the PNS?

Back 44

The peripheral nervous system.

Hint 44

This includes the sensory neurons that link sensory receptors on the body surface or deeper within it with relevant processing circuits in the central nervous system.

Front 45

What are the two motor portions of the PNS?

Back 45

The somatic motor division and the visceral or autonomic motor division.

Front 46

The motor axons that connect the the brain and spinal cord to skeletal muscles.

Back 46

What is the somatic motor division?

Front 47

The cells and axons that innevate smooth muscles, cardiac muscle, and glands.

Back 47

What is the visceral or autonomic motor division?

Front 48

The glia cells of the peripheral nervous system.

Back 48

What are Schwann cells?

Front 49

Refers to accumlation of cell bodies and neurophil in the brain and spinal cord (e.g., nuclie or cortices)

Back 49

What is gray matter?

Front 50

Refers tp axon tacts and commissures.

Back 50

What is white matter?

Hint 50

Named for its relatively light appearance, the result of the lipid content myelin.

Front 51

The neuronal axons that are grouped together to form a pathway; a serial arrangement that serves a common function.

Back 51

What are tracts?

Front 52

Tracts that cross the midline of the brain are referred to as what?

Back 52

Commissures.

Hint 52

A line or place at which two things are joined.

Front 53

The part of the autonomic nervous system originating in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord. Its funtions include reduce digestive secretions, speeding up the heart, and contracting blood vessels.

Back 53

What is the sympathetic division of the autonomic motor system?

Hint 53

Behaves complementary to the physiological effects of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Front 54

Originates in the brain stem and lower part of the spinal cord; stimulates digestive secretions; slows the heart; constricts the pupils; dilates blood vessels

Back 54

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

Hint 54

Opposes physiological effects of the sympathetic nervous system.

Front 55

One of three parts of the autonomic nervous system, is made up of small ganglia as well as individual neurons scattered throughout the wall of the gut. It can and does operate independently of the brain and the spinal cord.

Back 55

What is the enteric system?

Hint 55

The esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines are lined with sheaths of tissue containing neurons that are "soaked" in the same neurotransmitters that exist in the brain and are influenced by them.

Front 56

Much of neuroscience rests upon observations made by purposefully damaging a distinct brain region, nerve, or tract in an experimental animal and observing and documenting the subsequent loss of function.

Back 56

What are lesion studies?

Front 57

A research method which is used to trace axonal projections from their source (the cell body or soma) to their point of termination (the synapse).

Back 57

What is anterograde tracing?

Front 58

A research method which is used in neuroscience to trace neural connections from their point of termination (the synapse) to their source (the cell body).

Back 58

What is retrograde tracing?

Front 59

What is an action potential?

Back 59

The electrical signal conducted along axons (or muscle fibers) by which information in conveyed from one place to another in the nervous system.

Front 60

The sensory ganglia associated with the cranial nerves; these correspond to the dorsal root ganglia of the spinal segmental nerves.

Back 60

What is cranial nerve ganglia?

Front 61

The bundle of axons that runs from the dorsal root ganglia to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, carrying sensory information from the periphery.

Back 61

What are dorsal roots?

Front 62

What term is used referring to the back?

Back 62

Dorsal.

Front 63

Major ascending tracts in the spinal cord that carry mechenosensory information from the first-order sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia to the dorsal column nuclei; also called the posterior funiculi.

Back 63

What are dorsal columns?

Front 64

Second-order sensory neurons in the lower medulla that relay mechanosensory information from the spinal cord to the thalamus; comprises the cuneate and gracile nuclei.

Back 64

What are dorsal column nuclei?

Front 65

The sensory pathway responsible for transmitting fine touch, vibration and conscious proprioceptive information from the body to the cerebral cortex.

Back 65

What is the dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway?