/
Nervous System Fundamentals
Save to my account
Sign up
Nervous System Fundamentals
Nervous System Fundamentals
Study
1
Question
What is the most complex system in the body?
Answer
The Nervous System.
2
Question
What assists the nervous system in processing information and generating responses?
Answer
Glial cells.
3
Question
What are the two major divisions of the nervous system?
Answer
CNS (central nervous system) which includes the brain and spinal cord, and PNS (peripheral nervous system) which includes cranial nerves, spinal nerves, peripheral nerves, and ganglia.
4
Question
What are the two kinds of cells in the nervous system?
Answer
Neurons and Glial Cells.
5
Question
What are neurons?
Answer
Nerve cells that have numerous long processes, respond to stimuli, and have glial cells.
6
Question
What are glial cells?
Answer
Supporting cells of the nervous system that have short processes, support and protect neurons, and participate in many neural activities such as neural nutrition and defense of cells in the CNS.
7
Question
How do neurons respond to stimuli?
Answer
By altering the ionic gradient that exists across their plasma membranes and by membrane depolarization.
8
Question
What is membrane depolarization?
Answer
The reversal of the ionic gradient.
9
Question
What is an action potential?
Answer
Also known as a depolarization wave, it is the propagation of a stimulus across the neuron’s entire plasma membrane.
10
Question
From what does nervous tissue develop?
Answer
Nervous tissue develops from the ectoderm.
11
Question
What is the notochord?
Answer
The underlying axial structure of the ectoderm that sends signals during development.
12
Question
What is the neural plate?
Answer
The epithelium formed from the thickened mid-dorsal side of the embryo.
13
Question
What is formed from a fused neural plate?
Answer
The neural tube.
14
Question
What do the cells of the neural tube give rise to?
Answer
The entire CNS, including neurons and most glial cells.
15
Question
What are neural crest cells?
Answer
A large population of developmentally important cells that separate from the neuroepithelium and become mesenchymal.
16
Question
What is neurulation?
Answer
The stages in the process by which cells of the CNS and PNS are produced.
17
Question
What is the functional unit in both the CNS and PNS?
Answer
Neurons.
18
Question
What are the three main parts of the neuron?
Answer
Cell Body (Perikaryon or Soma), Dendrites, and Axon.
19
Question
What does the cell body of a neuron contain?
Answer
The nucleus and cell organelles, serving as the synthetic or trophic center for the entire neuron.
20
Question
What is the function of dendrites?
Answer
To receive stimuli from other neurons.
21
Question
What are synapses?
Answer
Unique sites where stimuli are received.
22
Question
What is the axon?
Answer
A single long process ending at synapses, specialized to generate and conduct nerve impulses.
23
Question
What are multipolar neurons?
Answer
Neurons that have multiple processes extending from the cell body.
24
Question
What characterizes bipolar neurons?
Answer
Neurons that have one dendrite and one axon.
25
Question
What are unipolar neurons?
Answer
Neurons that have one process extending from the cell body.
26
Question
What are anaxonic neurons?
Answer
Neurons that have many dendrites but no true axon.
27
Question
What is gray matter?
Answer
Where most neuronal perikarya occur in the CNS.
28
Question
What is white matter?
Answer
Where the axons of the neuronal perikarya in the gray matter are concentrated.
29
Question
What are ganglia?
Answer
Where most neuronal perikarya occur in the PNS.
30
Question
What is Parkinson's Disease?
Answer
A slowly progressing disorder affecting muscular activity, characterized by tremors, reduced activity of facial muscles, loss of balance, and postural stiffness.