UNIT 1 NERVOUS SYSTEM

The nervous system: Coordinator of the body’s response to stimulus.

Consists of: Central Nervous System & Peripheral Nervous System

Central nervous system: Brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System: Cranial nerves from brain (supply head
region)/Spinal nerves from spinal cord (supplying neck and below)/Receptors
(Nerve endings or specialized cells in sense organs.

Stimulus
- A change that is detected by receptors
Receptors
- Nerve endings (e.g. temperature and pain receptors in skin) and
specialized cells in sense organs (e.g. mechanoreceptors, photoreceptors,
chemoreceptors)
Response
- A reaction of the body towards the stimulus.
Effectors
- Muscles or glands that bring about the response.

PATHWAY OF NERVOUS CONTROL

1. Stimulus detected by receptors
2. Information sent via sensory nerve to CNS
3. CNS receives the information and processes the information
4. Decides the response
5. Response sent via motor nerves to effectors

Nervous Tissue
- Basic unit – nerve cell (neuron)
- In brain and spinal cord
- Many closely packed neurons
- Little intercellular space

 What is a nerve?
- 1 nerve is made up of many cells (neurons). (1 neuron = 1 cell)
 How is a neuron similar to and different from a typical cell?

Similarity Difference Axon: carry signals away from

- Cytoplasm Cell cell body
body Has nerve fibres. Dendron: carry signals
towards cell body
- Nucleus or soma
- Extensions of cytoplasm + cell
- Cell membrane
membrane.
3 types of neurons
1. Sensory – carry signals from receptor to CNS
2. Motor – CNS to Effector
3. Relay – sensory neuron to motor neuron (with CNS)

Similarities of motor, relay, and sensory neurons:

1. Structure – all have cell bodies
– all have Dendron and axon
2. Function – all carry electrical signals

Differences Motor Relay Sensory

1. Relative 1 axon, many 1 axon, many 1 axon, 1 dendron
number of dendrons. dendrons
axon/dendron.
2. Relative length Long axon, short Long axon, short Short axon, long
of dendrons dendrons dendron
axon/dendron
3. Myelination Only axon No myelination Both axon &
myelinated dendron
myelinated
4. Part found in Cell body & Entire neuron Part of axon
CNS dendrons
5. Shape of cell Satellite-shaped Satellite-shaped Smooth, spherical
body

Schwann cell produces Myelin sheath.

Myelin sheath – fatty material (good insulator) wrapped around
axon/dendron to prevent loss of electrical signals.
Neurilemma is the cell membrane of the Schwann cell.
Nodes of Ravier are unmyelinated regions (1mm long gaps) that speed up
electrical signal transmission.

How are electrical signals generated?

Voltage change by stimulus

Resting membrane potential Action potential

(-70mV) (40mV)
(Not transmitting signals) (change difference across a neuron membrane)

How is resting membrane potential maintained?

- By Na﹢and K﹢gradients.

Fluid outside neuron (positively charged)

Na﹢conc.
Neuron (negatively charged cytoplasm) Increase
K﹢concentration increase, Na﹢concentration K﹢conc.
decrease Decrease
(Gradient is important
for the transmission of
action potentials)
 How does voltage change by stimulus?
- A stimulus is applied (e.g. light, sound, touch)
(Of sufficient strength can trigger an action potential)
Leak channels (located on cell membrane) (diffusion)
- 75 times K﹢channels than Na﹢channels
- When 75 K﹢diffuses out, only 1 Na﹢diffuses in. (negative charge of the
neuron)
- Contributes 80% RMP.
Na﹢- K﹢pump (located on cell membrane) (active transport) low conc. To
high conc.
- For every 3 Na﹢pumped out, 2 K﹢pumped in.
- Maintain Na﹢and K﹢gradient.
- Contributes 20% RMP.

What happens to RMP when a stimulus is applied?

- Change from -70mV to 40mV
- Caused by: stimulus-gated Na﹢channels
Voltage-gated Na﹢& K﹢channels
Channel Open when… Consequences
Stimulus-gated Na﹢ Stimulus applied Influx of Na﹢into neuron
channels
Voltage-gated Na﹢ RMP rises to -55mV Influx of Na﹢into neuron
channels
Voltage-gated K﹢ RMP rises to +40mV Efflux of K﹢out of
channels neuron

Region Membrane Event

potential
1. RMP -70mV RMP maintained by:
- Na﹢and K﹢leak channels
- Na﹢- K﹢pump
2. Application of a Increase from Stimulus cause the opening of
strong enough -70mV to -55mV stimulus-gated Na﹢channels
stimulus which leads to Na﹢influx into
neuron until -55mV is reached.

3. Rising phase of the Increase further (depolarization = m.p. become

A.P. from -55mV to more positive or less negative.)
+40mV
4. Falling phase of the Decrease +40mV
A.P to -70mV