BackNervous System Anatomy & Physiology
Terms in this set (28)
The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord and is responsible for integrating, processing, and coordinating sensory input and motor output.
The PNS includes all nervous tissue outside the CNS and provides sensory information to the CNS and carries motor commands away from the CNS.
Neurons are nerve cells responsible for transferring and processing information, consisting of a soma, axon, dendrites, and axon terminals.
Supporting cells in the nervous system that protect neurons and maintain the environment around them.
Largest and most numerous CNS neuroglia that form the blood-brain barrier and provide structural support.
CNS neuroglia that form the myelin sheath around axons, creating internodes and myelin sheath gaps.
Phagocytic CNS neuroglia that remove cell debris, wastes, and pathogens by phagocytosis.
CNS neuroglia that line ventricles and central canal, involved in cerebrospinal fluid production and monitoring.
PNS neuroglia that surround neuron cell bodies in ganglia, regulating nutrient and neurotransmitter levels.
PNS neuroglia that surround axons, forming the myelin sheath and aiding in axon repair after injury.
Schwann cells wrap around axons, forming myelin sheaths with nodes of Ranvier between internodes to speed nerve impulses.
Includes anaxonic, bipolar, pseudounipolar, and multipolar neurons based on the number and arrangement of processes.
Neurons are classified as sensory (afferent), motor (efferent), or interneurons based on their function.
Transmit information from receptors to the CNS; include somatic and visceral sensory neurons.
Transmit commands from the CNS to effectors; include somatic motor neurons and visceral motor neurons.
Located entirely in the CNS, they connect sensory and motor neurons and coordinate responses.
An electrical signal caused by changes in membrane permeability that propagates along the axon.
Myelination and axon diameter affect speed; myelinated, large-diameter axons conduct impulses fastest.
A synapse where neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic neuron to bind receptors on the postsynaptic membrane.
A synapse where ions pass directly between neurons through gap junctions, allowing bidirectional impulse transmission.
Groups of neurons organized into circuits such as divergence, convergence, serial processing, parallel processing, and reverberation.
One neuron sends information to multiple neurons, allowing broad distribution of input.
Multiple neurons send information to a single neuron, integrating input from various sources.
Information is processed sequentially from one neuron to the next in a pathway.
Multiple neurons process the same information simultaneously, enabling complex responses.
A positive feedback loop where collateral axons feed back to earlier neurons to sustain or amplify the impulse.
Gray matter contains neuron cell bodies and dendrites; white matter contains myelinated axons organized in tracts.
Ganglia are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the PNS; nuclei are clusters of neuron cell bodies in the CNS.