Key Concepts on Neural Function and Nervous System Review

Neuron Resting Potential

  • Resting Potential Mechanism:
    • Neuron maintains resting potential by using Na+/K+ active transport pumps.
    • These pumps move 3 Na+ ions out of the cell using ATP.
    • Sodium (Na+) ions leak slowly into the cell, while Potassium (K+) ions leak rapidly out of the cell.
    • The process maintains a positively charged membrane on the outside and a negatively charged membrane on the inside.

Neuron Depolarization

  • Process of Depolarization:
    • Depolarization occurs when there are more positively charged ions inside the cell than outside.
    • A threshold stimulus (greater than -55 mV) triggers the opening of Na+ voltage-regulated channels.
    • Na+ ions diffuse inward, causing the membrane to depolarize.
    • The outside of the membrane becomes more negatively charged compared to the inside.

Neuron Repolarization

  • Process of Repolarization:
    • Repolarization restores the positive charge on the outside and negative charge inside the cell.
    • Sodium voltage-regulated channels close, preventing Na+ influx.
    • K+ ions diffuse outward through open K+ channels, repolarizing the membrane.
    • The movement of K+ to the outside creates a more positive exterior of the cell again.

Nervous System Review

  • Key Vocabulary for Exam:
    • Dendrites, Motor neuron, Effector, Sensory neuron, Pineal gland, Synapse, Neuroglia, Hypothalamus, Reflex, Schwann cells, SNS, PNS, Sensory memory, Short-term memory, Working memory, Long-term memory.
  • Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Pathways:
    • Understand their roles in homeostasis.
  • Action Potentials:
    • Describe how nerve impulses travel along a neuron.
  • Memory Types:
    • Identify the four types of memory.
  • Reflex Differences:
    • Compare 2-neuron reflexes and 3-neuron reflexes.
  • Brain Anatomy Diagram:
    • Label nucleus, dendrites, cell body, axon, neuromuscular junction, neurilemma, Schwann cell, nodes of Ranvier, myelin.
  • Functions of Brain Regions:
    • Frontal lobe, Temporal lobe, Parietal lobe, Cerebellum, Occipital lobe, Brain stem.