Protection of the central nervous system

what are the protection in place for the central nervous system?

bone, membranes called meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

how strong is the central nervous system?

it is very fragile and does not heal or regenerate well

what is the function of the central nervous system?

interprets, coordinates, and integrates inout from the sensory nervous system and output from the motor nervous system

what is the outermost pretective layer of the central nervous system?

bone (it provides rigid structures to protect the structures underneath from penartrating and pressure injuries

what bone is the brain protected by?

the brain is protected by the cranium,

what bone protects the spine

the vertebral canal (the spine sits in the opening in the vertebra)

what are the meninges?

consists of the 3 layers of connective tissues that forms membranes on the brain and the spinal cord inside the bones

what is the name of the outermost meningeal layer?

dura mater or the tough mother

what is the function of the dura mater

is tough and fibrous, and therefore provides a layer of protection for the brain.

how does the dura mater fit into the brain and the spinal cord?

the dura mater sticks closely to the bones of the skull, but on the vertebral canal it is not as close fitting.

what is the inner layer of the meninges called?

arachnoid mater or the spider mother

what is the function go the arachnoid mater?

is a loose mesh of fibres that allows for cerebrospinal fluid to flow through

what is the subarachnoid space?

space in the loose mesh of fibres from the arachnoid mater where the cerebrospinal fluid flows through

what is the inner layer of the meninges called?

pia mater or the gentle mother

what is the structure of the Pia mater

is a more delicate. and contains many blood vessels and sticks closely to the spinal cord

what is the cerebospinal fluid

it is the third protective structure of the central nervous system. it occupies the space between the middle and inner layers of teh meninges

wheere does the ceerebospinal fluid circculate through

it circulates through cavities in brain through a canal in the centre of spinal cord

what is the cerebrospinal fluid made up of?

contains few cells, some glucose, protein, urea, and salts

what are the functions of the cerebralspinal fluid?

to protect, support and transport

what are the protection functions of eh cerebralspinal fluid?

the fluid acts are a shock absorber and It provides a barrier between blood vessels and the cerbralspinal fluid is quite tight ‘blood brain barrier”. therefore it protects against the entry of bacteria and some other particles in the central nervous system

what are the support functions of the cerebralspinal fluid?

brain is suspended inside the cranium and floats in a fluid that surrounds it

what are the transport functions of the cerebral spinal fluid?

the cerebral spinal fluid is formed from blood, it circulates around and through the central nervous system before eventually re entering blood capillaries. during its circulation it takes nutrients to the cells of brain and spinal cord and carries away their wastes

what are some substances that act as hormones and neurotransmitters?

noradrenaline, dopamine and ADH (anti diuretic hormone)

give an example how the nervous and the endocrine system interacts?

Hypothalamus receives neural messages and can respond by triggering an endocrine message.Sympathetic NS simulation during fight or flight triggers release of adrenalin from adrenal medulla.

what is a hormone that is secreted by neurons?

the hormone oxytocin is released by posterior pituitary neurons. whilst adrenaline is secreted by neurons into the extracellular fluid.

what are some hormones and neurotransmitters that have the same effect on target cells?

Noradrenalin and Glucagon both act on liver to cause glycogen to glucose.Noradrenalin and Adrenaline have very similar effects on tissues

what are some differences between the nervous and hormonal systems?

the nervous system responses are more rapid, because nerve impulses move more rapidly along the nerve fibres, while hormones travel through the bloodstream. when a stimulus ceases, the nervous system stops getting nerve impulses and the response stops almost immediately, thus a nerve impulse can bring about an immediate response that lasts only a short time, while the hormones are slow acting but can last way longer (up to years). A nervous message is an electronchemical charge that travels along the membrane of a neuron. whilst endocrine messages are chemicals (hormones) that are transported through the blood. nerve impulses travel along a nerve fibre to a specific part of the body and often only influence just one effector, whilst the hormonal system can often effect a number of organs.

how fast is a nervous system response compared to hormonal response?

nervous system in milliseconds while the release of hormones may take up to several seconds to days

what are the similarities between the nervous and the hormonal systems?

some hormones are both hormones and neurotransmitters e.g doppamine, noradrenaline, ADH. some hormones such as oxytocin and noradrenalin are secreted by neurons into extracellular fluid and some hormones and neurotransmitters have same effects on target hormones like glucagon and noradrenaline.