Nervous System Review Questions

  1. Briefly describe the nervous system of the following animals: earthworm, cat, hydra, octopus, planarian Your descriptions should include things such as: brain and dorsal, hollow nerve cord, ladder like nervous system, net like nervous system, etc.
  2. What are each of the following: somatic nervous system, autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system.
  3. Tell what a nerve impulse is and describe how an action potential progresses along the length of a neuron. Your answer should mention what happens to Na+ and K+.
  4. Describe the charge distribution on a neuron membrane at rest.
  5. What is the space that connects an axon terminal with another cell?
  6. Discuss the summation of nerve impulses.
  7. What part of the brain is involved in coordinating movement such as walking?
  8. Which lobe of the cerebrum is associated with sensory input?
  9. What part of the brain is associated with emotional states?
  10. What kind of neurons are found in the dorsal root of a spinal nerve?
  11. Explain why acetylcholinesterase is necessary to break down acetylcholine in the synapse.
  12. What is the relationship between axon diameter and conduction speed?
  13. What is the effect of myelination on the speed of conduction in a neuron?
  14. What is saltatory conduction?
  15. Where are the cell bodies of neurons found in the peripheral nervous system?
  16. What part of the neuron is found in a nerve?
  17. What are effectors? What are receptors?
  18. What part of the brain is responsible for consciousness?
  19. What is the corpus callosum?
  20. Why isn’t gray matter white? Why is white matter white?
  21. What kind of matter (gray or white) is found in the cerebral cortex?
  22. What brain structures are involved in the limbic system?
  23. What are association areas of the cerebrum?
  24. Describe an action potential with reference to the diagram below.

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25.  Discuss A, B, and C on the graph below. What happens to the neuron during each of these phases?

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26.  What is serotonin and what is its effect?