Human Anatomy and Physiology Chapter 13: The Peripheral Nervous System

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

What is the primary function of the peripheral nervous system?

To regulate body temperature

To provide links from and to the world outside the body (correct)

To process and integrate sensory information

To control voluntary movements

What is the result of sensory receptors responding to changes in the environment?

Graded potentials that trigger nerve impulses (correct)

Conscious awareness of stimuli

Action potentials in the spinal cord

Inhibition of motor activity

How can sensory receptors be classified?

By function only

By their location in the central nervous system

By their connection to the autonomic nervous system

By type of stimulus, body location, and structural complexity (correct)

What is the part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord?

Central nervous system Signup and view all the answers

What is the division of the nervous system responsible for transmitting information from the environment to the central nervous system?

Sensory (afferent) division Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the awareness of a stimulus and the interpretation of its meaning?

Perception Signup and view all the answers

What is the process by which the energy of a stimulus is converted into a graded potential?

Transduction Signup and view all the answers

Which type of receptors are examples of phasic receptors?

Receptors for pressure, touch, and smell Signup and view all the answers

At which level of neural integration do free nerve endings, muscle spindles, and joint kinesthetic receptors operate?

Receptor level Signup and view all the answers

What happens to receptor potentials during adaptation?

They decrease in frequency or stop Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the thalamus in the somatosensory system?

To relay sensory information from the receptor to the cortex Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the change in sensitivity of a receptor in response to a constant stimulus?

Adaptation Signup and view all the answers

What is the region where the ventral rami, except T2–T12, form interlacing nerve networks?

Cervical, brachial, lumbar, and sacral areas Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the nerve branch that is smaller in size?

Dorsal ramus Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the collection of nerve roots that extend through the lower vertebral canal?

Cauda equina Signup and view all the answers

What is the direction in which the spinal roots arise from the spinal cord?

Medially Signup and view all the answers

Which spinal nerves form the cervical plexus?

C1-C4 Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of the phrenic nerve?

To regulate breathing Signup and view all the answers

What is the structure through which spinal nerves emerge from the vertebral column?

Intervertebral foramina Signup and view all the answers

What is the consequence of severing both phrenic nerves?

Respiratory arrest Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of the fibers within a nerve plexus?

Each branch contains fibers from several different spinal nerves Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a branch of the brachial plexus?

Phrenic nerve Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of irritation of the phrenic nerve?

Spasms of the diaphragm Signup and view all the answers

Which spinal nerves contribute to the formation of the brachial plexus?

C5-T1 Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of precommand level neurons in the cerebellum and basal nuclei?

To regulate motor activity and coordinate movements with posture Signup and view all the answers

Which type of reflex is innate and rapid, and is an involuntary motor response to a stimulus?

Intrinsic reflex Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the integration center in a reflex arc?

To integrate sensory information and generate a response Signup and view all the answers

What is the site of stimulus action in a reflex arc?

Receptor Signup and view all the answers

Which component of a reflex arc conducts efferent impulses from the integration center to the effector organ?

Motor neuron Signup and view all the answers

What type of reflex is a result of practice or repetition?

Acquired reflex Signup and view all the answers