Nervous System Review

1. What is a neuron?

2. Identify the three types of neurons.

3. What is the function of each?

4. Describe the function of each of the following:
a) dendrites (b) myelin sheath (c) Schwann cells (d) cell body (e) axon

5. Differentiate between the CNS and the PNS.

6. Where in the neuron is the nucleus located?

7. Which part of a neuron is found closest to a sense receptor - dendrite, axon, or cell body?

8. What is the neurilemma?

9. What is the space between two neurons called?

10. How does the nerve impulse cross the space between two nerve cells?

11. You accidentally touch a hot iron. Your hand quickly moves away from the iron. What type of reaction is this? Do you feel pain before you pull your hand away? Explain.

12. What are the functions of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems?

13. Which part of the peripheral nervous system is involved in throwing a ball?

14. Pain receptors are abut 27 times more abundant in the skin than are cold receptors. Explain why this is adaptive for survival.

15. What is a polarized membrane?

16. What causes the inside of a neuron to become negatively charged?

17. What changes occur along a cell membrane as it changes from a resting potential to an action potential and then into refractory period?

18. Explain how the polarity of a cell membrane is able to reverse during an action potential.

19. How is the membrane potential of the resting cell restored after a nerve impulse has passed?

20. During a nerve impulse, how do the charges inside and outside the neuron's membrane compare?

21. If a person's spinal cord was crushed at the neck, resulting in paralysis, what parts of the body would be affected?

22. Why do nerve impulses move faster along myelinated nerve axons?

23. What is the all-or-none response?

24. Why is damage to the gray matter permanent while minor damage to other neurons may be only temporary?

25. Use the idea of threshold levels to explain why some individuals can tolerate more pain than others.

26. Why can we say that nerve impulses are not electricity but electrochemical events?

27. Explain the functions of acetylcholine and cholinesterase in the transmission of nerve impulses.

28. Use the idea of a synapse to explain why a nerve impulse can move from neuron A to neuron B but not vice versa.

29. Use the idea of a synapse to explain the concept of summation.

30. Which part of your autonomic nervous system is active when you are sleeping peacefully? Putting out a grease fire at home?

31. If you blow a breath of air over your skin, you can feel the air moving. Which type of receptors detect this sensation?

32. What is an endorphin? How does it work?