CHAPTER 20 COORDINATION

20.1 Nervous System

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The Nervous System The Nervous System Central Nervous Central Nervous System (CNS) System (CNS) Brain Brain Spinal Cord Spinal Cord Peripheral Nervous Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) System (PNS) Motor Neurons Motor Neurons Sensory Sensory Neurons Neurons

Somatic Nervous Somatic Nervous System System THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Sympathetic Sympathetic Division Division

Autonomic Nervous Autonomic Nervous System System Parasympathetic Parasympathetic Division Division

PREVIOUS LECTURE

Objective: (b) Explain the general role of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

OBJECTIVES
(a)Describe the organization of the nervous system. (b)Explain the general role of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. (a)Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Does the stimulus travel one- way or down the neuron in two directions?

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

How is an action potential related to the transmission of nerve impulse along an axon?

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Action Potential A stimulus alters the permeability of a portion of the plasma membrane
Ions pass through the plasma membrane
Changing the membranes voltage

Causes a nerve signal to be generated

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Na+/K+ pumps and passive ion channels stop operating Only the voltage-gated ion channels are operating

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Action potential involves:

Depolarization Repolarization Hyperpolarization

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 An action potential is generated when the voltage reaches a certain critical point

Threshold level

> -55 mV
Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Depolarization
A stimulus opens some gated Na+ channels
Na+ ions rush slowly into the axon down their electrochemical gradient
Membrane potential becomes slightly positive

Voltage-gated K+ channels remain close

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Resting Potential

When threshold level is reached, action potential is triggered

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Na+ gated channels are sensitive to voltage changes

Triggers more Na+ gated channels to open
Becomes more positive (+40mV)

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Positive feedback

Repolarization
Reversal in polarity to +40mV cause the Na+ gated channel to close
Membrane becomes impermeable to Na+

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 K+ gated channels open

K+ diffuse out of the cell Down their electrochemical gradient Restoring negative charge inside of the cell

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Hyperpolarization
K+ gated channels begins to close slowly An excess of K+ ions leave the axon
Inside of the membrane becomes more negative Below -70 mV

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Within few miliseconds,

K+ gated channels close

Resting potential of -70mV is reestablished by:

Na+/K+ pumps Passive ion channels

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Na+

K+

Na+

3 Additional Na+ channels open,

K+ channels are closed; interior of cell becomes more positive. Na+ Action potential 3 2 4 1

K+

4 Na+ channels close and

inactivate. K+ channels open, and K+ rushes out; interior of cell more negative than outside.

Na+

2 A stimulus opens some Na+

channels; if threshold is reached, action potential is triggered.

Threshold potential 1

5 The K+ channels close

5 relatively slowly, causing a brief undershoot.

Resting potential

Neuron interior
1 Resting state: voltage gated Na+
and K+ channels closed; resting potential is maintained.

Neuron interior

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve Figure 28.4 impulse along an axon.

1 Return to resting state.

Characteristics of Nerve Impulse

All-or-none event
Size of a nerve impulse is not determined by the size of the stimulation received Action potential is triggered only if the depolarization of the membrane is above the threshold level

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Below the threshold level,

Stimulation is not sufficient to depolarize the membrane Action potential is not triggered

If an action potential is achieved,

A stronger intensity of a stimulus wont increase the size of it

Below threshold level - No action potential triggered

Above threshold level - Action potential triggered

The Refractory Period. The brief recovery phase after the response of a neuron during which it cannot respond to another stimulus
Can be divided into 2:
Absolute refractory period During the milisecond or so in which it is depolarized, Axon cannot transmit another action potential no matter how great the stimulus is
Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 The period when the majority of sodium channels remain in the inactive state (closed) Depolarization and Repolarization

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Relative refractory period

The axon can transmit impulses but with higher threshold level During this period the axon membrane goes through hyperpolarization The membranes permeability to K+ ions increases dramatically
Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 These ions diffuse out very highly The charge within the neuron becomes too negative Membrane is at a lower threshold Require a greater stimulus to cause action potentials to fire.

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Analogy
Imagine.In the toilet. When you pull the handle, water floods the bowl.
Takes a couple

of seconds and you cannot stop it in the middle.

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Once the bowl empties, the flush is complete.

The upper tank is empty.

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 If you try pulling the handle at this point, nothing happens (absolute refractory). Wait for the upper tank to begin refilling.
You can now flush again, but the intensity of the flushes increases as the upper tank refills (relative refractory)

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Speed of Conduction
Depends on: Presence of of myelin sheath The presencemyelin sheath Diameter of axon The diameter of axon

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Presence of myelin sheath

Act as an electrical insulator Myelinated neurones conduct action potential faster than non-myelinated neurones

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 Depolarization only occurs at the nodes of Ranvier

No myelin sheath is present Ions gated channel present

The action potential will jump from one node of Ranvier to another
Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Saltatory Conduction

Diameter of axon
The larger the diameter, the faster the speed of action potential transmission

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

Transmission of Nerve Impulse Along The Axon

Action potential is produced locally in the axon
Depolarization occurs at a specific area

Once an action potential is generated,

Will be propagated along the axons nerve impulse

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 During depolarization,
The affected area of the membrane is more positive The adjacent area is still at resting potential Difference in potentials between active and resting membrane regions Causes Na+ ions to flow between them

Local current
Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

 The flow of Na+ ions into the adjacent region Induces the opening of Na+ gated channels in the adjacent area Permitting Na+ ions to enter the adjacent region Generating new action potential

The process is repeated until the end of the axon

Objective: (c) Explain the generation of action potential, transmission and characteristic of nerve impulse along an axon.

-The local current at one region therefore induces a new action potential in the next region - Keeps moving in a forward direction - Influx of Na+ ions exceeds threshold level - Initiates an action potential - Depolarisation of the membrane cause a local current - Local current stimulates the adjacent region causing depolarization - Initiating a 2nd action potential - At the site of the 1st action potential, the membrane is repolarizing

LECTURE REVIEW.
Action potential involves:
Depolarization Repolarization Hyperpolarization

LECTURE REVIEW.

LECTURE REVIEW.
o Does the stimulus travel one- way or down the neuron in two directions? o Which part receives the stimuli? (The synapse, dendrites, cell body, or axon) o Which is covered by a myelin sheath ? o What is the purpose of the myelin sheath?

LECTURE REVIEW.

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