Basic Concept Review for Microscopic Muscle, Nervous System, & Brain

Which division of the nervous system carries sensory information toward the CNS?

Sensory (afferent) division

Which division of the nervous system sends commands to muscles and glands?

Motor (efferent) division

Which branch of the nervous system controls smooth muscle and glands?

Autonomic nervous system

What structures allow the nervous system to collect information about the environment?

Receptors

What are muscles and glands collectively called in the nervous system?

Effectors

What is the most common structural type of neuron?

Multipolar neuron

What type of neuron makes up the majority of neurons in the nervous system?

Interneurons

What part of a neuron conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body?

Axon

What part of a neuron receives incoming signals?

Dendrites

Where are action potentials typically generated in a neuron?

Axon

Which type of gated channels open to generate an action potential?

Voltage-gated channels

What is the typical resting membrane potential of a neuron?

-70 mV

Which ion is more concentrated outside the cell?

Sodium

Which ion is more concentrated inside the cell?

Potassium

What maintains ion gradients after action potentials occur?

Sodium-potassium pump

In what type of axon does saltatory conduction occur?

Myelinated axons

Where do action potentials occur during saltatory conduction?

Nodes of Ranvier

Which neurotransmitter is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain?

GABA

How is acetylcholine primarily removed from the synapse?

Enzymatic degradation

What structure releases neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft?

Synaptic knob

What is the small gap between communicating neurons called?

Synaptic cleft

What cell forms the blood-brain barrier?

Astrocyte

Which glial cell forms myelin in the CNS?

Oligodendrocyte

Which glial cell helps circulate cerebrospinal fluid?

Ependymal cell

What is the most abundant glial cell in the CNS?

Astrocyte

Which part of the brain is responsible for conscious thought?

Cerebrum

Which structure coordinates smooth voluntary movements?

Cerebellum

Which structure contains the arbor vitae?

Cerebellum

Which part of the brain controls vital autonomic functions such as breathing?

Medulla oblongata

Which brain structure regulates endocrine activity and homeostasis?

Hypothalamus

Which structure secretes melatonin?

Pineal gland

Which region of the brain contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus?

Diencephalon

Which lobe is responsible for vision?

Occipital lobe

Which lobe is responsible for general sensory processing?

Parietal lobe

Which lobe is involved in planning behavior and personality?

Frontal lobe

Which lobe processes hearing?

Temporal lobe

Which hemisphere typically controls speech?

Left hemisphere

What structure connects the two cerebral hemispheres?

Corpus callosum

What are the shallow grooves between brain folds called?

Sulci

What are the raised folds of the brain called?

Gyri

What produces cerebrospinal fluid?

Choroid plexus

What structures reabsorb cerebrospinal fluid into the bloodstream?

Arachnoid villi

Which meningeal layer is the outermost?

Dura mater

Which meningeal layer is the deepest and adheres to the brain?

Pia mater

Which meningeal layer lies between the dura and pia mater?

Arachnoid mater

What structure attaches muscle to bone?

Tendon

What flat sheet of connective tissue attaches muscles?

Aponeurosis

What is the functional unit of skeletal muscle contraction?

Sarcomere

A sarcomere extends from what structure to the next identical structure?

Z disc

Which protein makes up thick filaments?

Myosin

Which protein makes up thin filaments?

Actin

Which regulatory proteins are found on thin filaments?

Troponin and tropomyosin

What structure stores calcium for muscle contraction?

Sarcoplasmic reticulum

What invaginations of the muscle cell membrane conduct electrical signals inward?

T-tubules

What neurotransmitter initiates skeletal muscle contraction?

Acetylcholine

Where is acetylcholine stored before release?

Synaptic vesicles

Which ion enters the synaptic knob to trigger neurotransmitter release?

Calcium

Which muscle fibers are specialized for rapid movements?

Fast-twitch fibers

What type of contraction occurs when muscle length does not change?

Isometric contraction

What muscle opposes the action of a prime mover?

Antagonist