Ch.9 Nervous System

“islands of awareness” in a vegetative brain

when someone is put into an mri machiene and is asked yes or no questions and if the answer is yes the are told to think of something familiar to them and if they are not brain dead part of their brain will light up on the mri.

central Nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

cranial nerves and spinal nerves

autonomic nervous system

carries information to smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands

sympathetic nervous system

“fight or flight”

parasympathetic nervous system

“rest and digest”

axon

electrical impulses from the neuron travels away to be received by other neurons

dendrites

receive impulses from axons

myelin sheaths

allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells

neurilemma

protection of peripheral nerve fibers

nodes of ranvier

helps conduct nerve impulses faster

synaptic vesicles

store neurotransmitters used to communicate across the synaptic cleft

sensory neurons

* receive information
* afferent
* carry impulses to CNS
* uni + bipolar

interneurons

* multipolar
* association neurons
* link neurons to CNS
* deciding what to do about information
* used to create sensations, memory, thoughts, and decisions

motor neurons

* acting on information
* multipolar
* efferent
* carry impulses away from CNS to effectors

microglial

* CNS
* phagocytic cell

oligodendrocytes

* CNS
* myelinating cell

astrocytes

* CNS
* induce synapse formation
* scar tissue
* mop up excess ions
* connect neurons to blood vessels

ependymal cells

* CNS
* ciliated
* line central canal of spinal cord
* line ventricles of brain
* keeps CSF moving

Schwann cells

* produce myelin found on peripheral myelinated neurons
* speed up neuro-transmission

acetylcholine

regulating cardiac contractions and blood pressure, intestinal peristalsis, glandular secretion

norepinephrine

* monoamines
* feel good and well-being
* low levels can cause depression

dopamine

* monoamines
* well-being
* people with parkinsons have low levels of this
* treatment is aldopa

seraotonin

* monoamine
* well being
* induces sleepiness

histamine

* monoamine
* Promotes alertness
* Released by hypothalamus and used by CNS

Gaba

* amino acid
* Inhibitory: slows everything down
* Used in neurology to calm nerves

glutamic acid

* amino acid
* Excitatory
* Speed up neurotransmission

substance P

* neuropeptide
* excitatory
* speeds things up

Endorphins

* neuropeptide
* inhibitory
* slows things down

nitric oxide

* gas
* Causes vasodilation of blood vessels
* Used to open up blood vessels
* Plays a role in us remembering things

dura mater

* hard mother
* outermost layer
* Double layer with fluid and blood vessels
* Contains large veins - dural sinuses

arachnoid mater

* web like

pia mater

* inner
* delicate mother

subarachnoid space

CSF flows thru between archnoid and pia

epidural space

* outside the dura mater
* helps absorb shock

subdural hematoma

occurs when a blood vessel in the subdural space is damaged

olfacotry nerve (I)

* front + middle of brain
* smell

Optic nerve (II)

* behind olfactory nerve in the middle of the brain


* sight

Trigeminal nerve (V)

* center-ish back
* controls parts of the face

vagus nerve (X)

* back center-ish area
* speech and swallowing

spinal cord

31 pairs of nerves: grouped according to the level of the cerebral column from which they arise

Cerebrum

controls muscle functions, speech, thought, emotions, reading, writing and learning

cerebellum

balance and posture, movement, motorlearning, and vision

Corpus Callosum

ensures both sides of the brain are communicating

Cerebral Cortex

language, reasoning, thought, reading, decisioin-making, emotion, inteligence and personality

Thalamus

information processed through here before it is sent to your cerebral cortex

Hypothalamus

produces hormones that control boy temp, heart rate, and hunger

Pons

handles unconscious processes

midbrain

vision, hearing, motor control, alertness, and temperature regulation

medulla oblongata

helps control heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure

limbic system

part of brain that is involved in our behavioral and emotional responses

functional regions of the cerebral lobes

motor areas, sensory areas and association areas

REM sleep

phase of sleep where dreams occur

non-REM sleep

light-deep sleep, no dreams