Basic Info for Ch 48

Ch 48 - Nervous Systems
**Note: Neurons are one of the two types of specialized cells that are present in most animals but are not seen in other multicellular organisms (muscle cells are the other).

1. Describe the path that information travels through the nervous system, from the point of sense of a stimulus to the point of response in a muscle or endocrine cell. Be sure to include the types of neurons and what role each plays.
2. Label the diagram of a neuron below (click on it to enlarge).

3. Describe how a nerve impulse is transmitted along a neuron. To answer this question, make a list of steps that describe the process. There is a lot of info to boil down; do the best you can. For help, go to the textbook website: http://wps.aw.com/bc_campbell_biology_8ap/ , Ch 48. Under concept 48.3, there is an animation on how neurons work! (click on the Bioflix link)
4. Describe what happens when a nerve impulse reaches the end of a neuron. For help, go to the Bioflix link under 48.4 – How Synapses Work.
5. Name two neurotransmitters and describe their functions.
6. Make yourself one of the following: an outline, a table or a diagram. Include the major parts of the vertebrate nervous system AND their functions. You must also understand how the parts fit together.
To ensure a complete answer, please include: central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, brain, spinal cord, motor (also called somatic) nervous system, autonomic nervous system, sympathetic division, parasympathetic division, enteric division.
7. Pick one of the following to answer:
Provide an example of a situation in which two of the above parts of the nervous system work together, and explain what function each one would serve and how the parts work together.
OR
Provide two contrasting examples – two situations, one in which one part of the nervous system is active, and another in which a different part of the nervous system is active. Describe the function of each part in each situation.
8. Make yourself a simple sketch of the brain (see textbook for help). Label it with the following major parts AND one important function of each: brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum, cerebral cortex, corpus callosum.
9. Explain what a reflex is and how it works (see section 48.1 and fig 48.4). Include the important neurons and parts of the nervous system. What is the major difference between the path of a reflex and the path of all other information traveling in the nervous system (as you described in question #1)?

** Although questions 6-9 refer to vertebrate nervous systems, don't overlook the systems and adaptations of other animal groups also discussed in this chapter - see section 48.1.