Physiology · MU Sofia

79. General overview of the functions of the nervous system. Physiology of the neuron: amplitude and frequency encoding of information, axonal transport. Glia

Covers the broad functions of the nervous system, its division into central and peripheral parts, and the structure of the neuron. It then explains how graded potentials and action potentials encode information by amplitude and frequency, with temporal coding, summation and short- and long-term memory. It also describes anterograde and retrograde axonal transport and the roles of astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells, microglia and ependymal cells, and includes a set of recap questions.

Inside: 5 sections · 14 labelled pictures · 21 flashcards · 7 min

Topic 78 of 104 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Physiology (Medicine, Year 2). The free AceMed note covers it in 5 sections, about 939 words (7 min of reading), with 21 flashcards.

In this note

  1. General overview of the functions of the nervous system. Physiology of the neuron: amplitude and frequency encoding of information, axonal transport. Glia.
  2. Functions of the Nervous System
  3. Physiology of the Neuron
  4. Functions of cerebellum
  5. Functions of the forebrain – cerebrum and diencephalon

Functions of the Nervous System

The nervous system is a complex network that allows an organism to communicate with its environment, enabling sensory perception, motor responses, integration of information, and regulation of bodily functions.

  • Sensory Components: Detect environmental stimuli via sensory receptors. Examples include visual, auditory, chemoreceptors, and somatosensory receptors.
  • Motor Components: Generate movements, control cardiac and smooth muscle contractions, and regulate glandular secretions.
  • Integrative Components: Receive, process, and store sensory information to orchestrate appropriate motor responses.
  • The nervous system is divided into central- and peripheral- nervous system.
  • Central nervous system (CNS), are the brain and spinal cord.
  • Peripheral nervous system (PNS), consists of peripheral sensory receptors, nerves and ganglia.

Physiology of the Neuron

Neurons, or nerve cells, are specialized for receiving, processing, and transmitting signals.

Neuron Structure

  • Cell Body (Soma): Contains the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus, responsible for protein synthesis and processing.
  • Dendrites: Tapering processes that receive information from other neurons via neurotransmitter receptors.
  • Axon: Arises from the axon hillock, conducts action potentials to transmit information to target cells.
  • Axon Hillock: Region of the cell body where the axon originates. It adjoins the spike initiation zone, where action potentials are generated.
  • Myelin Sheath: Insulation that increases conduction velocity. Breaks in the sheath occur at the nodes of Ranvier.
  • Presynaptic Terminals: Axon endings that release neurotransmitters into the synapse to communicate with target cells.

Spinal cord

has a segmental organization and its functions are:

  • Information transmission, via afferent & efferent neurons.
  • Segmental reflexes, when an afferent signal enters one segment and an efferent impulse is sent from the same segment as a response (reflex) without it reaching your brain for the person to make a voluntary decision.
  • Simple motor patterns
  • Final common pathway for motor responses

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