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Nervous Tissue
• Neurons - cells responsible for transmission of nerve
impulses. Consist of a body, dendrites, and an axon.
The 3 types of neurons are sensory neurons
(transports impulses to CNS), interneurons (receive
messages and convey to motor neurons), and motor
neurons (transports impulses from CNS to effectors).
Axon:
conducts
Impulses
Pictures from
Human
Biology Page
249 &
http://en.wiki
pedia.org/wiki
/Schwann_cell
The Organization of the Nervous System
Nerve impulses send messages throughout the whole nervous system. An axon is either
resting or active; thus, they are either in the resting potential or the active potential state. A
voltmeter can record which state the nerve is in by measuring the negativity of the inside of
a neuron compared to its outside.
Resting Potential
• No impulse conducting within axon
• Inside more negative than outside
• About -60 to -70 millivolts
• Dissimilarity in ion dispersal on either side of membrane
• Dissimilar dispersal is due to sodium-potassium pump which
maintains appropriate concentrations of sodium and potassium
intracellular and extracellular
Action Potential
• Nerve impulses occur; change in polarity
• Inside less negative than outside
• About +40 millivolts
• Inward sodium exceeds outward potassium, causing
depolarization of membrane potential
• Threshold is reached around 15 millivolts above resting
membrane potential
• Repolarization occurs as potassium leaves axon
The Organization of the Nervous System
The spinal cord has a central canal which is surrounded by the gray and white matter.
Together, they make up the spinal cord. The cord is protected by vertebrae which are
irregular shaped bones, collectively known as the vertebral column. Extending out of the
vertebrae and attached to the spinal cord are the spinal nerves. Entering into the gray
matter are dorsal roots (contains sensory fibers) and exiting are ventral roots (contain motor
fibers). The left and right sides of the brain control the opposite sides of the body. The white
matter in the spinal cord takes messages to the brain (dorsally) and messages from the brain
(ventrally). Pictures from Human Biology Pg 255
The Central Nervous
System: Brain & Spinal Cord
Cerebral
Cortex
Picture and verbiage from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex & Human Biology Page 256
The Central Nervous System: Brain & Spinal Cord
Broca’s
Area
Wernicke’s
Area
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is at the back of the brain and lies underneath the occipital
lobe. The cerebellum has two sections that are mainly compiled of white
matter with a thin gray matter layer. This section is responsible for receiving
and processing information from eyes, ears, muscles and joints; and then
sending impulses to skeletal muscles.
Picture from
http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubboo
ks/morris5/chapter2/custom1/deluxe-
content.html
The Limbic System & Mental Functions
The limbic system is a group of
structures in the middle of the brain that
surrounds the thalamus and
hypothalamus, collectively the
diencephalon. The amygdala (adds
emotional overtones to stimuli or
memories) and hippocampus (learning
and memory) are two structures within
the limbic system.
Memory Types
Short-term memory takes place in the
prefrontal area, behind the forehead.
Long-term memory is a mixture of episodic
memory (people and events) and semantic
memory (words and numbers). Utilizing
motor areas of the cerebrum, skill memory
involves the performance of physical
activities. More neurotransmitters are
released after intense synapses leading to
an event known as long-term potential
Picture from
(LTP) which may be responsible for
http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/morris5/chapter2/custom1/deluxe-
content.html
memory storage.
• The Organization of the Nervous System
• The Central Nervous System: Brain & Spinal Cord
• The Limbic System & Mental Functions
• The Peripheral Nervous System
• Nervous System Diseases
• Drug and Alcohol Effects
Pictures from
Human Biology Pg
263
The main components
of the autonomic
The Peripheral Nervous System
system are its
sympathetic division
and parasympathetic
division. The
sympathetic division
nerves arise from the
thoracic and lumber
parts of the spinal cord
and are associated
with motor responses
like fight or take flight
(faster heart beat,
dilated pupils, inhibits
digestive system). The
parasympathetic
division nerves arise
from the sacral part of
the spinal cord and
some cranial nerves,
and are associated
with motor responses
like rest and digest
(relaxation, digestion, Picture from
slows heart rate). http://www.britannica.com/bps/home#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked%3E%2Fbps%2Ftopic%2F443285%2F
parasympathetic-nervous-system&title=parasympathetic%20nervous%20system%20--
%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia
• The Organization of the Nervous System
• The Central Nervous System: Brain & Spinal Cord
• The Limbic System & Mental Functions
• The Peripheral Nervous System
• Nervous System Diseases
• Drug and Alcohol Effects