The Nervous System Presents: PainIn association with Tanya and Stefan

Introduction

The nervous system is the system of cells, tissues, and organs that regulates the body's responses to internal and external stimuli.

It is composed of the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Nerves are bundles of happiness neurons.

The Neuron Family

A neuron is a nerve cell. It is electrically excitable, and thus processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signals. There are three types of neurons in the human body.

Parts of a Neuron

How Do They Work?

Information is conveyed through the nervous system as nerve impulses.

These impulses travel from neuron to neuron via a junction called a synapse Release chemicals called

neurotransmitters Neurotransmitter molecules cross the

synapse and stimulate the next neuron to fire an impulse of its own

Action Potential

The nerve impulses are also known as action potentials

The impulse is based on movement of positively charged Na+ and K+ ions through the cell membrane

Three states of the axon as the nerve impulse passes through it: Resting Potential Depolarization Repolarization

The Big Picture

Stimulus causes action potential at pain receptors

AP travels to dorsal horn in the spinal cord through

afferent neurons

Afferent Neurons

Dorsal Horn

Efferent Neurons

Directs nerve impulses to the brain as well as the

affected area via efferent neurons

Our Adventure Into The World of Neurons via Magic School Bus

Visual Components

Neurons Sensory Neurons Motor Neurons Interneurons Neuron Parts:

Cell Body (Soma) Axon

Schwann Cells Myelin Sheath

Axon Terminal Dendrites

Skin cells

Synapse Neurotransmitters Synaptic Vesicles Ion Channels Receptors Pumps

Spinal Cord Bundle of Axons Epidural Space

Stimulus

The Polysynaptic Reflex to Pain

Stimulus Nociceptors

Motor Neurons

DorsalHorn

SensoryNeurons

Brain

Relevant Muscles

Instant

Canada’s Next TOP Model

Will be modeled using agent based modeling

Animations used for ion channel transfer

Impulse will be propagated through ion movement

Level of detail: No mitochondria and neurotubules, when NT are in synaptic vesicles, they will not be

individually packed into the vesicle but represented as a single entity, then in the synaptic space divided into multiple objects

Computational Components

Time will be slowed down as impulses move too fast to be perceived

Axon will light up in the area the impulse travels through

Sensory Adaptation Shows a decrease in sensitivity during continued stimulation

Adjustable parameters for the stimulus Amount and Time stimulus is applied

Adjustable parameters for the addition of painkillers into the model

Possible graphs to support the model Action Potential

Interactions with brain will be kept to a minimum 

Sources

Freudenrich, C. (2010). How Your Brain Works. Retrieved August 5, 2010, from How Stuff Works: http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/nervous-system/brain2.htm

Jacques, E. (2009, July 21). How We Feel Pain. Retrieved August 5, 2010, from About.com: http://pain.about.com/od/whatischronicpain/a/feeling_pain.htm

Kapit, W., Macey, R. I., & Meisami, E. (2000). The Physiology Coloring Book. San Francisco, CA, US: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Parker, S. (2009). The Concise Human Body Book. Toronto, ON, Canada: Dorling Kindersley.

Unknown. (n.d.). Nervous System. Retrieved August 5, 2010, from Web-Books: http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/Medicine/Physiology/Nervous/Nervous.htm