Nervous System Overview Quiz

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Questions and Answers

Which type of sensory receptor is primarily responsible for detecting sound?

Pain receptors

Thermoreceptors

Mechanoreceptors (correct)

Chemoreceptors

What type of sensory receptor would be activated by a high concentration of salt in a solution?

Chemoreceptors (correct)

Mechanoreceptors

Electromagnetic receptors

Thermoreceptors

Which of the following receptors is specialized to sense changes in temperature?

Thermoreceptors (correct)

Electromagnetic receptors

Mechanoreceptors

Pain receptors

Which sensory receptor would be primarily involved in the detection of physical pain?

Pain receptors Signup and view all the answers

Which specialized receptor is utilized by rattlesnakes to detect body heat in their prey?

Infrared receptors Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of rhodopsin in rods?

To change shape upon light absorption Signup and view all the answers

Which event occurs directly after rhodopsin is activated by light?

Cyclic GMP breaks down Signup and view all the answers

What happens to Na+ channels in rods when cyclic GMP breaks down?

They close Signup and view all the answers

What combination forms the pigment rhodopsin found in rods?

Retinal and a specific opsin Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of rhodopsin changing shape in response to light?

Activation of phototransduction pathways Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the parasympathetic division in the autonomic nervous system?

Promote a return to rest and digest Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following systems does the enteric division primarily control?

Digestive tract, pancreas, and gallbladder Signup and view all the answers

Which action is NOT typically associated with the activation of the parasympathetic division?

Increased respiratory rate Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements accurately describes the enteric division?

It operates independently of the central nervous system Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following effects is a result of parasympathetic nervous system activity?

Increased digestive secretions Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary structural component of nerves in the peripheral nervous system?

Bundles of axons from multiple nerve cells Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary action of cocaine and amphetamines on dopamine levels?

They block removal of dopamine. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about ganglia in the peripheral nervous system is accurate?

Ganglia are locations where nerve cell bodies are clustered. Signup and view all the answers

Which neurotransmitter's removal is affected by cocaine and amphetamines?

Dopamine Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the effect of cocaine and amphetamines on the brain's dopamine pathways?

They inhibit the reabsorption of dopamine. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main function of the peripheral nervous system?

Connecting the central nervous system to limbs and organs Signup and view all the answers

Cocaine and amphetamines have what effect on synaptic dopamine levels?

They increase synaptic dopamine levels. Signup and view all the answers

What role do axons play in the composition of nerves in the PNS?

They serve as the primary signaling component. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the composition of the peripheral nervous system?

Nerves and ganglia only Signup and view all the answers

The mechanism by which cocaine and amphetamines function primarily involves which of the following?

Blocking the removal of dopamine from the synaptic cleft. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the receptor potential when the hair cells are stimulated by sound waves?

It increases as the amplitude of the sound wave increases. Signup and view all the answers

How does the cochlea differentiate between different pitches of sound?

By responding to varying frequencies along a non-uniform basilar membrane. Signup and view all the answers

What does bending of the hair cells in one direction do to the neurotransmitter release at the synapse?

It increases neurotransmitter release at the synapse. Signup and view all the answers

What is the receptor potential at rest in hair cells?

-70 mV Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes the relationship between sound intensity and hair cell response?

Greater intensity leads to larger receptor potential changes in hair cells. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic of the cochlea contributes to its ability to encode different pitches?

The non-uniformity of the basilar membrane along its length. Signup and view all the answers

When hair cells bend in the opposite direction, what happens to action potentials in sensory neurons?

They decrease or may cease altogether. Signup and view all the answers

In the context of hair cell activation, which of the following describes the role of membrane potentials?

They are crucial for generating action potentials upon hair cell stimulation. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Nervous Systems Overview

The nervous system coordinates body activities by detecting stimuli, processing information and directing responses.
The nervous system is comprised of the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord.
The PNS includes nerves and ganglia.
Nerves are bundles of axons from multiple nerve cells.

Vertebrate Nervous System Organization

The spinal cord transmits information to and from the PNS
The spinal cord also produces reflexes independently from the brain
A reflex is an automatic response to a stimulus
The spinal cord and brain develop from the embryonic nerve cord.

Vertebrate Brainstem

The midbrain receives and processes sensory information.
The pons plays a role in breathing.
The medulla oblongata controls breathing and cardiovascular functions, including swallowing, vomiting and digestion.

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is important for coordination, error checking and motor, perceptual and cognitive function.
It is also involved with learning and remembering motor skills.

Diencephalon

The diencephalon contains the epithalamus, thalamus and hypothalamus
The epithalamus includes the pineal gland and is involved in generating cerebrospinal fluid.
The thalamus is a main input centre for sensory information to the cerebrum.
The thalamus is also a main output centre from the cerebrum.
The hypothalamus regulates homeostasis and basic survival behaviours such as feeding, fighting, fleeing and reproducing.

Cerebrum

The cerebrum has right and left cerebral hemispheres.
Each hemisphere contains a cerebral cortex (gray matter) covering white matter and basal nuclei.
In humans, the cerebral cortex is the most complex part of the brain.
The basal nuclei are centres for planning and learning movement sequences.
The corpus callosum is a thick band of axons that connects the right and left cerebral cortices.
The right half of the cerebral cortex controls the left side of the body, and vice versa.

Human Brain Regions

Forebrain: cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland
Midbrain: part of the brainstem involved with sensory information processing
Hindbrain: pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum. The cerebellum controls movement coordination.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The PNS transmits information to and from the CNS and regulates movement and the internal environment.
Afferent neurons transmit information to the CNS.
Efferent neurons transmit information away from the CNS.
Cranial nerves originate in the brain and mostly terminate in organs of the head and upper body.
Spinal nerves originate in the spinal cord and extend to parts of the body below the head.
The ANS controls involuntary actions, which includes sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric divisions. The sympathetic division has a "fight-or-flight" response. The parasympathetic division promotes "rest and digest". The enteric division controls digestive activity..

Nervous System Disorders

Nervous system disorders include schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
Genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of these disorders.

Drug Addiction

The reward system in the brain rewards motivation with pleasure.
Addictive drugs increase activity of the brain's reward system, including the dopamine pathway.
Addiction is characterized by compulsive consumption and an inability to control intake and resulting in long-term changes to the reward circuitry.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a mental deterioration characterized by confusion, memory loss, and other symptoms.
It is caused by neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques in the brain.
Successful treatment may hinge on early detection of amyloid plaques.
There is no cure for this disease but some drugs are effective at relieving symptoms.

Stem Cell-Based Therapy

Unlike the peripheral nervous system(PNS), the central nervous system(CNS) cannot fully repair itself.
However, recent research has discovered that adult human brains contain stem cells able to differentiate into mature neurons.
Induction of stem cell differentiation and transplantation of cultured stem cells are potential methods for replacing neurons lost due to trauma or disease.

Special Senses

Receptors respond to physical deformation, chemicals, electromagnetic, thermoreceptors and pain.
Specialized electromagnetic receptors in snakes detect prey's body heat.

Sensory Receptors

Mechanoreceptors detect mechanical deformation.
Chemoreceptors detect chemical concentrations.
Electromagnetic receptors detect light, electricity and magnetism.
Thermoreceptors detect heat and cold.
Pain receptors (nociceptors) detect tissue damage.

The Ear

Vibrating objects create percussion waves that cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate.
Hearing is the perception of sound in the brain from the vibration of air waves.
The three bones of the middle ear transmit the vibrations to the oval window on the cochlea.
Vibrations create pressure waves in the fluid of the cochlea.
Bending hair cells in the cochlea depolarize mechanoreceptors, sending signals to the brain via the auditory nerve.
Each region of the basilar membrane vibrates most at a specific frequency and leads to auditory excitation of a specific area of the cerebral cortex.
The semicircular canals, utricle and saccule are for equilibrium.

Taste and Smell

In terrestrial animals, taste is the detection of chemicals called tastants, whereas smell is the detection of odorant molecules.
In humans, taste receptors are modified epithelial cells organized into taste buds. The five taste perceptions are sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.
Olfactory receptor cells in the nasal cavity are neurons that respond to odorant molecules, triggering a signal transduction pathway to the brain.

The Eye

The eye has a sclera (white outer layer), choroid (pigmented layer), iris that regulates pupil size, retina that contains photoreceptors, and a lens that focuses light onto the retina.
The eye has the aqueous humor and the vitreous humor. The ciliary body produces aqueous humour.
Humans and other mammals focus light by changing the shape of the lens.
The human retina has two types of photoreceptors, rods (light-sensitive, no color distinction) and cones (color distinction, less light sensitive). Cones are concentrated in the fovea.
Visual pigments (rhodopsin) in rods and cones change shape when light is absorbed leading to a signal transduction pathway and hyperpolarization of the cell.
Processing in visual information occurs in the retina. Three pigments, photopsins, detect red, green and blue light. Three distinct pathways of information from the retina to the brain are described.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the organization and function of the nervous system. This quiz covers the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as the roles of various brain structures. Explore how the spinal cord and brain coordinate body activities and reflexes.