Anatomy & Physiology - The Nervous System printable pdf download

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ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY - The Nervous System WS-11A

Review Questions

1. What is the function of the nervous system?

Network of tissues that are capable of carrying information throughout the human body

The 3 main functions of the nervous system:

Sensory Input - Receptors within & near body surface respond to stimuli; send nerve impulses to CNS

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Integration - CNS receives, processes, and interprets sensory input; decides what to do with it.

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Motor Output - CNS sends out nerve impulses to effector organs (muscles and glands) in response to

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sensory input.

2. What are the two primary cells of the nervous system, and what do they do?

The two primary cells of the nervous system are neurons, that actually carry and store information, and

glial cells that support the neurons.

3. What protects the brain?

The brain is protected by the bones of the skull and by a covering of three thin membranes called

meninges. The brain is also cushioned and protected by cerebrospinal fluid. This watery fluid is produced

by special cells in the four hollow spaces in the brain, called ventricles.

4. What is the difference between sensory and motor neurons?

Sensory neurons that are capable of receiving stimuli, and motor neurons are capable of responding to

stimuli. For example, sensory neurons in the eye are capable of receiving light stimuli and motor neurons

are attached to muscles that can create movement.

5. How many neurons are found in the human body?

There are billions of neurons in the body, with more than 100 billion on the surface of the brain alone.

6. Explain how a nerve impulse travels through a neuron.

Something stimulates a dendrite, the nerve impulse travels through the dendrite, to the cell body down

the axon and axon terminals, where the impulse will be passed to the dendrites of the next neuron to

perpetuate the impulse.

7. Explain how your nervous system would get the message to your brain and respond if you

slammed your finger in the car door.

Sensory neurons at the ends of the fingertips start a chain reaction that is passed through neurons

from the fingertip all the way to the brain. The brain is then capable of interpreting this reaction as

“pain” and will immediately send a response back through motor neurons capable of immediately moving

the finger away from the car door.

8. What is a neurotransmitter? Give an example.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another

'target' neuron, a muscle cell, or a gland. Neurotransmitters include GABA (Gamma amino butyric acid) ,

acetylcholine, Epinephrine (aka adrenaline), Histamine

Anatomy & Physiology - The Nervous System