How does the endocrine system communicate compared to the nervous system?
The endocrine system uses hormones carried in the blood.
How does the nervous system communicate compared to the endocrine system?
The nervous system uses nerve impulses.
What is the speed and duration difference between endocrine and nervous systems?
The endocrine system acts slowly but sustainably; the nervous system acts rapidly but briefly.
Which system acts more precisely: endocrine or nervous?
The nervous system acts more precisely.
How does the nervous system contribute to homeostasis?
It regulates digestion, respiration, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle contraction.
What role do the senses play for an organism?
They connect the organism with its environment.
Which mental functions does the nervous system support?
Reasoning, emotion, imagination, memory, thought, and intuition.
What are the three main steps of nervous system function?
Reception by receptors, integration and processing, and motor action.
What does the central nervous system consist of?
The brain and spinal cord.
What does the peripheral nervous system include?
All nervous tissue outside the central nervous system.
What does the afferent sensory pathway do?
Carries information from receptors to the central nervous system.
What is the role of the efferent motor pathway?
It carries commands from the central nervous system to tissues and organs.
What does the somatic nervous system control?
Skeletal muscle contractions.
What does the autonomic nervous system regulate?
Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands involuntarily.
What percentage of nervous tissue do neurons compose?
Neurons compose 10% of nervous tissue.
What percentage of nervous tissue do glial cells compose?
Glial cells compose 90% of nervous tissue.
How do neurons carry messages in nervous tissue?
Neurons carry messages through nerve impulses.
What are three functions of glial cells?
Glial cells support, isolate, and protect neurons.
Which fluid do glial cells produce?
Glial cells produce cerebrospinal fluid.
What structure do glial cells form around neurons?
Glial cells form the myelin sheath.
Which nervous tissue cells lose their ability to divide?
Neurons lose their ability to divide.
What support do glial cells provide to nervous tissue?
Glial cells provide structural and functional support.
What organelles does the cell body contain?
The nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, and other organelles.
What is the role of the cell body in neurotransmitter synthesis?
It synthesizes neurotransmitters.
What is a dendrite in a neuron?
A highly branched structure that receives messages.
Which parts form the receptive structure of a neuron?
The dendrites and the cell body.
What is the function of an axon?
It sends a message from the axon hillock to the terminal corpuscles.
What do terminal buttons of an axon do?
They transmit information to another neuron or a receptor cell.
What is a synapse?
The meeting point between an axon terminal and a target cell.
In which direction does a nerve impulse travel?
From the dendrites toward the terminal buttons.
Which neurons include some neurons of the special senses?
Unipolar neurons include some neurons of the special senses.
Which neurons include most sensory neurons?
Bipolar neurons include most sensory neurons.
Which neurons include all motor neurons and most interneurons?
Multipolar neurons include all motor neurons and most interneurons.
What is the resting potential of a resting neuron?
Approximately with the cytoplasm more negative than outside.
What maintains the resting membrane potential?
The sodium-potassium pump.
What causes a graded potential in a neuron?
A temporary, localized membrane change caused by a stimulus.
How do neurotransmitters cause graded potentials?
By opening chemically gated sodium channels allowing sodium entry.
What triggers an action potential at ?
Depolarization reaching the excitation threshold.
What does the all-or-none law state about action potentials?
An action potential occurs fully if threshold is reached, otherwise none occurs.
What ion enters the neuron during an action potential's depolarization?
Sodium enters through voltage-gated sodium channels.
What membrane potential is reached during depolarization in an action potential?
Approximately +30 mV.
What causes repolarization during an action potential?
Potassium exits the neuron.
What happens during the absolute refractory period?
The membrane cannot respond to a second stimulus.
How does the relative refractory period differ from the absolute refractory period?
The membrane responds only to a stronger-than-normal stimulus.
How does depolarization propagate in a myelinated axon?
Depolarization at one node of Ranvier spreads to the next node triggering a new action potential.
Which cells form the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system?
Neurolemmocytes, also called Schwann cells.
Which cells form the myelin sheath in the central nervous system?
Oligodendrocytes.
What effect does an excitatory neurotransmitter have on postsynaptic neurons?
It produces an excitatory postsynaptic potential making the neuron more likely to fire.
What effect does an inhibitory neurotransmitter have on postsynaptic neurons?
It produces an inhibitory postsynaptic potential making the neuron less likely to fire.
What happens when sodium channels open in a neuron?
Opening sodium channels causes depolarization that may trigger an action potential.
What is the effect of opening chloride or additional potassium channels?
It causes hyperpolarization making the threshold harder to reach.
What is summation in synaptic integration?
Summation is the addition of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials at the axon hillock or trigger zone.
What occurs if excitatory postsynaptic potentials outweigh inhibitory ones in a motor neuron?
The motor neuron depolarizes beyond threshold and generates an impulse.
What happens if inhibitory postsynaptic potentials outweigh excitatory ones?
No impulse occurs in the motor neuron.
Test your knowledge with 24 questions on Nervous System Physiology.
1. Which comparison accurately distinguishes nervous and endocrine system signaling?
2. Which activity illustrates the nervous system's role in maintaining homeostasis?
Review the complete course in the study sheet for Nervous System Physiology.
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