Nervous System Study Guide 2021
1) Neuron structure/function
a) Dendrites b) Soma c) Axon Hillock d) Axon terminal e) Myelin f) Node of Ranvier
2) Structural vs Functional Classification of Neurons
a) Unipolar vs bipolar vs multipolar neurons
b) Sensory vs relay vs motor neuron
3) Nervous Tissue
a) CNS: astrocytes vs ependymal cells vs oligodendrocytes (structure/function/location)
b) PNS: satellite cells vs Schwann cells (structure/function/location)
4) Action potential
a) voltage gate Na+ vs voltage gated K+ channels – when do they open and close?
b) Depolarization vs Repolarization vs Hyperpolarization – when does it happen?
c) Membrane potential – what is resting vs threshold potential? How potentials change in AP?
d) Electrochemical gradient – where is Na+ and K+ located before AP? After action potential? How is
electro chemical gradient restored? Na+/K+ pump role?
5) Synapse – how do neurons communicate?
a) Action potential arrival at axon terminal – what happens to Ca2+ voltage gated channels? What
happens to Ca2+ ion influx? What happens to neurotransmitters? What happens on post-synaptic neuron?
b) Neurotransmitter Roles – Acetylcholine vs Dopamine vs Serotonin
c) Effects of Drugs on Synapses and Neurotransmitter Release – Stimulants vs Sedatives
6) Brain Anatomy
a) Gyrus vs Sulcus
b) Cerebrum – lobes, cerebral cortexes, and association areas (location/function)
c) Diencephalon – optic chiasma, thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, corpus callosum, pineal gland
d) Cerebellum – arbor vitae, choroid plexus of 4th ventricle
e) Brain Stem – Midbrain, Pons, Medulla oblongata (location/function)
f) Limbic System – Amygdala vs Hippocampus vs Mammary Body vs Olfactory Bulb vs Fornix
g) Basal Ganglia – Amygdala vs Substansia Nigra vs Caudate nucleus
h) Ventricles
7) Reflex Arc
a) Monosynaptic vs Polysynaptic Reflexes
b) Afferent vs Efferent Pathway. Sensory vs Motor neuron
c) Sensory information vs Motor output
d) Stimulus vs Effector
e) Steps of Polysynaptic Reflex
8) Cranial Nerves
a) Cranial Nerve I – XII (location/innervation)
b) Possible Mnemonic to remember
9) Concussions
a) Effects to Nervous Tissue. Observation of Ventricles and Cerebrum Size
b) Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
c) Mechanism of a Concussion – direct impact vs coup/contrecoup vs blast
d) Damage to nerve pathways in the brain (ex. Neurons in corpus callosum)
10) Protective Layers of the Brain
a) Skin vs bone
b) Meninges : dura vs arachnoid vs pia mater
c) subarachnoid space vs central canal
d) Cerebrospinal fluid: choroid plexus, ependymal cells, and ventricles of the brain
e) Spinal Tap procedure for diagnosing meningitis
11) Spinal Cord Anatomy
a) Dorsal horn vs dorsal root vs dorsal root ganglion (afferent/sensory pathway)
b) Ventral horn vs ventral root (efferent/motor pathway)
c) Dorsal root ganglion
d) Spinal nerve – how many at each section of spinal cord?
e) Chiropractor and spinal column health – scoliosis vs kyphosis vs lordosis
12) Peripheral Nervous System
a) Peripheral nerves (location/innervation)
b) Cervical Plexus vs Brachial Plexus vs Intercostal Nerves vs Lumbar and sacral plexus
c) Neuropathy: Sciatica vs nerve comprehension
d) Spinal Herniation vs Degenerative disc vs Bulging disc – what can they all impact?
e) Dermatomes vs Myotomes
f) Precentral and Postcentral gyrus area coverage for motor and somatosensory information – why more some areas?
g) Sensory receptors of the skin: free nerve endings vs root hair plexus vs Merkel discs vs Ruffini and Lamellated Corpuscles
13) Autonomic Nervous System
a) Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic functions
b) Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic nerve innervations
c) Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic neuron paths and neurontransmitters