Download Nervous System Formative Study Guide File

Formative Assessment Study Guide
1. Identify the “job” of each of the following:
a. Motor neurons Motor neurons are efferent nerves (also called effector neurons), that
carry signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce (effect) movement.
b. Sensory neurons Sensory neurons are nerve cells that transmit sensory information
(sight, sound, feeling, etc.). They are activated by sensory input, and send projections to
other elements of the nervous system, ultimately conveying sensory information to the
brain or spinal cord.
c. CNS The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting of
the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (or PNS), is composed of
nerves leading to and from the CNS, often through junctions known as ganglia.
2. Using what you know about the processes of the central nervous system, describe the path an impulse
would take that would make you move in response to a tap on the shoulder. The tap on the shoulder
would be picked up by sensory neurons, the sensory neurons send the signal to the CNS, and the CNS
sends a message to the motor neurons causing movement.
3. Define the following:
a. Axon An axon, also known as a nerve fibre, is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell,
or neuron, that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body.
The function of the axon is to transmit information to different neurons, muscles and
glands.
b. Dendrite Dendrites are the branched projections of a neuron that act to propagate
the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body,
or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project.
c. Peripheral nervous system The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the part of
the nervous system that consists of the nerves and gangliaoutside of
the brain and spinal cord.[1] The main function of the PNS is to connect the central
nervous system (CNS) to the limbs and organs, essentially serving as a communication
relay going back and forth between the brain and the extremities.
d. Central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous
system consisting of the brain and spinal cord. It integrates information it receives from,
and coordinates and influences the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterally
symmetric animals
e. Feedback mechanism- a cycle of events in which one step controls or affects a previous step.
4. Identify the parts of the brain that are responsible for the following:
a. Controlling heart rate-medulla
b. Maintaining blood pressure-medulla
c. Controlling voluntary movement-cerebrum
d. Regulating muscle tone in blood vessels-medulla
Formative Assessment Study Guide
1. Identify the “job” of each of the following:
a. Motor neurons
b. Sensory neurons
c. CNS
2. Using what you know about the processes of the central nervous system, describe the path an impulse
would take that would make you move in response to a tap on the shoulder.
3. Define the following:
a. Axon
b. Dendrite
c. Peripheral nervous system
d. Central nervous system
e. Feedback mechanism
4. Identify the parts of the brain that are responsible for the following:
a. Controlling heart rate
b. Maintaining blood pressure
c. Controlling voluntary movement
d. Regulating muscle tone in blood vessels