Anatomy & Physiology — Nervous System flashcards
10 of 60 cards free to study here · 9 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
Neurons and glia, resting and action potentials, synapses and neurotransmitters, CNS/PNS organization, brain regions, spinal cord tracts and reflexes, the cranial nerves, sympathetic versus parasympathetic control, and the meninges, CSF and blood–brain barrier.
Learn deck · part of Anatomy & Physiology I/II · written against: Standard two-semester A&P sequence; OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, consulted as a reference; no text copied. Updated 2026-10-10.
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What are the three main structural parts of a neuron, and which part receives most incoming signals?The cell body (soma), the dendrites, and the axon. Dendrites (together with the soma) receive most input; the single axon carries action potentials away from the soma to its terminals.Neurons and Glia
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Where on a neuron do action potentials normally begin, and why there?At the axon hillock and initial segment (the trigger zone), which has the highest density of voltage-gated Na⁺ channels, so graded potentials that sum to threshold there fire an action potential.Neurons and Glia
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What is the typical resting membrane potential of a neuron, and which ion's leakage mostly sets it?About −70 mV (inside negative). At rest the membrane is far more permeable to K⁺ than to Na⁺, so K⁺ leaking out leaves the inside negative; the Na⁺/K⁺ pump (3 Na⁺ out, 2 K⁺ in) maintains the gradients.Membrane Potentials
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Put the events at a chemical synapse in order, from the action potential reaching the terminal to the postsynaptic response.The action potential opens voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels → Ca²⁺ influx triggers exocytosis of neurotransmitter vesicles → the transmitter diffuses across the cleft → it binds postsynaptic receptors → chemically gated ion channels open, producing a graded postsynaptic potential.Synapses and Neurotransmitters
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What are the two main divisions of the nervous system, and what does each include?The CNS (brain and spinal cord) and the PNS (cranial nerves, spinal nerves, and ganglia). The PNS has a sensory (afferent) division carrying signals to the CNS and a motor (efferent) division carrying commands out to effectors.Organization
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Which gyri hold the primary motor and primary somatosensory cortices, and what separates them?The precentral gyrus (frontal lobe) is the primary motor cortex and the postcentral gyrus (parietal lobe) is the primary somatosensory cortex; the central sulcus runs between them. Both map the opposite side of the body.Brain Regions
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Where does the spinal cord end in an adult, and why does that matter for a lumbar puncture?At about L1–L2 (the conus medullaris); below this the lumbar and sacral nerve roots hang as the cauda equina. A needle inserted at L3–L4 or L4–L5 samples CSF without risking the cord itself.Spinal Cord and Reflexes
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Which three cranial nerves are purely sensory, and what does each carry?I (olfactory) carries smell, II (optic) carries vision, and VIII (vestibulocochlear) carries hearing and balance.Cranial Nerves
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Compare the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions by where their preganglionic neurons originate and by fiber length.Sympathetic = thoracolumbar (T1–L2): short preganglionic and long postganglionic fibers, with ganglia near the cord. Parasympathetic = craniosacral (cranial nerves III, VII, IX, X and S2–S4): long preganglionic and short postganglionic fibers, with ganglia in or near the target organ.Autonomic Nervous System
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Name the three meninges from outside in, and state where cerebrospinal fluid circulates among them.Dura mater (tough outer layer), arachnoid mater (web-like middle layer), and pia mater (delicate layer clinging to the brain). CSF fills the subarachnoid space between the arachnoid and the pia.Meninges · CSF and BBB
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, chapters on nervous tissue, the central and peripheral nervous systems and the autonomic nervous system, consulted as a reference; no text copied.
- Typical values follow standard introductory A&P textbooks; all wording is original.
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