Nervous Sytem

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Neurons

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Networks of nerve cells

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Central Nervous System

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Consists of brain and spinal cord

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Sensory Neurons

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A neuron that receives sensory information

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effectors

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Anything that receives signal from an efferent neuron

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Motor Neuron

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Efferent neurons that signal muscles

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peripheral Nervous System

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Nerves and receptors that lie outside the central nervous sytem

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Cell Body

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Contains nucleus, bulk of cytoplasm, and most of organelles

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Dendrites

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typically short, highly branched processes specialized to receive stimuli and send signals to the cell body

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Axon

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conducts nerve impulses away from cell body to another neuron or to a muscle or gland

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Neurotransmitters

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chemicals that transmit signals from one neuron to another or from a neuron to an effector

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Synapse

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Junction between a synaptic terminal and another neuron

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Schwann cells

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surround axons of neurons outside CNS

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myelin

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a white fatty material in schwann cells

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myelin sheath

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insulating covering of axon consisting of schwann cells

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Nerve

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consists of hundreds or even thousands of axons wrapped together in connective tissue

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Ganglia

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masses of cell bodies of neurons outside CNS

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Neuroglia

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consist of glial cells

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astrocytes

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star-shaped glial cells that provide physical support for neurons with nutrients

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oligodendrocytes

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glial cells that envelop neurons in the CNS, forming insulating myelin sheaths around them

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ependymal cells

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ciliated glial cells that line the internal cavities of the CNS

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Microglia

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perform in immune respons

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Membrane potential

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voltage measure across the plasma membrane

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Depolarized

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a stimulus causes the membrane potential to become less negative than the resting potential

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Graded potential

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add up to create an action potential

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threshold level

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critical depolarization of membrane

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action potential

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activation of motor neuron

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all-or-none response

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either it occurs or does not. applies to action potential

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presynaptic neuron

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a neuron that terminates at a specific synapse

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postsynaptic neuron

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a neuron that begins at the synapse. receives the message

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Neurotransmitters

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chemical messengers that conduct the neural signal across the synapse and bind to chemically activated ion channels

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dopamine

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a transmitter of the biogenic amine groups

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gamma-aminobutryic acid (GABA)

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neurotransmitters that inhibit neurons in the spinal cord and brain

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Synaptic Vesicles

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hundreds of small membrane enclosed sacs that store neurotransmitters

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summation

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process of adding together EPSPs

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temporal summation

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repeated stimuli cause new EPSPs to develop before previous EPSPs have decayed

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spatial summation

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several closely spaced synaptic terminals release neurotransmitters simultaneously

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Spinal cord

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dorsal, tubular nerve cord

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cerebellum

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a convoluted subdivision of the vertebrate brain concerned with the coordination of muscular movements, muscle tone, and balance

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brain stem

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the part of the vertebrate brain that includes the medulla, pons, and midbrain

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nucleus

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a group of cell bodies within the CNS

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diencephalon

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gives rise to thalamus and hypothalamus

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thalamus

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a relay center for motor and sensory messages

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hypothalamus

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regulates pituitary gland, the autonomic system, emotional responses, body temperature, water balance, and appetite

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cerebrum

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functions as the center for learning, voluntary movement, interpretation of system

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cerebral hemispheres

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Two main divisions of cerebrum

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white matter

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consists mainly of myelinated axons that connect various parts of the brain

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gray matter

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unmyelinated and contains cell bodies and dendrites

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cerebral cortex

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outer layer of the cerebrum composed of gray matter and consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies

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meninges

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the three membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord: the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater

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dura mater

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tough outer layer, the epidural space between the dura mater and the bone of the vertebrate is a place for an epidural

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arachnoid mater

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middle layer, the subarachnoid space contains cerebrospinal fluid

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pia mater

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blood vessel supplying the spinal cord follow this layer

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cerebrospinal fluid

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shock absorbing fluid cushions the brain and spinal cord against mechanical injury

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spinal cord

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extends from the base of the brain to the level of the second lumber vertebra

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reflex action

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a relatively simple involuntary motor response to a stimulus

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sensory areas

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receive incoming signals from the sense organs

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motor areas

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control voluntary movement

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association areas

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link the sensory and motor areas and are responsible for thought, learning, language, memory, judgement, decision making and personality

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basal ganglia

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play an important role in coordinating movement

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substantia nigra

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communicate with basal ganglia

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circadian cycle

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day night cycle

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suprachiasmatic nucleus

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most important of body's biological clocks, located in hypothalamus

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electroencephalogram

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a recording of electrical activity of the brain

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alpha waves

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healthy awake adults at rest with their eyes closed

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beta waves

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when person is concentrating or mentally stressed

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theta waves

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found in children or intensely frustrated adults; may indicate brain disorder in adults

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delta waves

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seen during sleep

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sleep

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alteration of consciousness with decreased electrical activity

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non REM

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least deep kind of sleep. four stages

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REM

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rapid eye movement. deepest sleep

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limbic system

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influences the emotional aspects of behavior, evaluates rewards and is important in motivation

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emotions

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feeling states that we experience both physiologically and cognitively

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amygdala

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filters incoming sensory information and interprets it in the context of emotional needs and survival

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memory

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process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information or learned skills

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short-term memory

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lasts only for a few seconds or minutes

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long term memory

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processed and encoded memory

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hippocampus

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important in long term memory consolidation

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memory consolidation

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allows memories to be transferred to the cerebral cortex and stored for long periods

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language

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form of communication using words

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cranial nerves

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12 pairs emerge from brain. transmit information to the brain from sensory receptors

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spinal nerves

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31 pairs emerge from spinal cord

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sympathetic system

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general effect is to mobilize energy, especially during stress situations

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parasympathetic system

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concerned with control of inner organs