How the nervous system is laid out, from its three divisions and the parts of the brain down to the two kinds of cell it is built from. Long questions are rare here. Examiners set short notes and MCQs on the glial cells and their functions, and on the parts and types of neuron.
Topics, in the book’s order
- Divisions of the nervous system · pp. 975–977
- Neurons and glial cells · pp. 977–979 · asked 6 times
When you’ve read them: Quiz 115 · Functional Organization of Nervous System, 14 questions.
After this chapter you should be able to
- name the parts of the CNS and say what each does
- explain the functions of the nervous system
- name the glial cells and give the functions of each
- describe the structure of a neuron and what each part does
- classify neurons, with an example of each type
Going further: describe the structure and functions of neurons and glial cells in detail.
Viva checklist
- The three divisions of the nervous system
- The parts of the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain; what makes up the brainstem
- What the diencephalon, midbrain and brainstem each control
- Where the spinal cord ends, how many segments it has, and where lumbar puncture is done
- The four processes through which the CNS works
- How glia differ from neurons, and the six functions of glia
- The four CNS glia and what each does; the glia of the PNS
- Which cell makes myelin in the CNS, and which in the PNS
- The scavenger cells of the brain
- Gliomas: why brain tumours arise from glia, not neurons
- The parts of a neuron; where Nissl bodies are found and where they are not
- The spike initiation zone, and why the action potential starts there
- Neurons classified by their processes, with an example of each
- Golgi type I and type II neurons