Nervous System Flashcards

Flashcards on the Nervous System

Nervous System

The network of nerve cells and fibers which transmit nerve impulses between all parts of the body.

Nervous System

The major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body; the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory.

Voluntary Action

Transmits impulses from peripheral organs to the CNS.

Voluntary Action

Voluntary movement/control.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Rest & Digest.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Fight or Flight.

Involuntary Action

Involuntary movement/control.

Involuntary Action

Transmits impulses from the CNS to the periphery.

Sensory Neurons

The brain and spinal cord communicate via these.

Ascending Tracts

Receive information and transmit them to the brain from the spinal cord.

Descending Tracts

Receive information from the brain and convey them to the PNS.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Carry sensory information from the body to the CNS and motor information from the CNS to the rest of the body.

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary movement; motor messages from CNS to skeletal muscle to movement.

Reflex

Sensory messages from PNS to CNS to motor messages from CNS to skeletal muscle to reflex.

Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight/Flight)

A high energy/emotional system (arousing) due to preparation for the body to either attack or flee.

Cortisol, Epinephrine, and Norepinephrine

Hormones produced in excess during fight or flight situations.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The system that reverses the effects of the sympathetic NS; the 'rest and digest' side of your NS (calming).

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Carries out day to day functions such as metabolism, sleep regulation, and heart rate.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Control movements through the spinal motor neurons, which serve as the final common pathway to the muscles