Assignment Task Description (mapped to assessment criteria) Assessment criteria Write a practical report on investigating nerve impulse transmissions through reaction times. The report should have the following sections: Title, introduction, results

Assignment Task Description (mapped to assessment criteria)

Assessment     criteria

Write a practical report on investigating nerve impulse transmissions through reaction times. The report should have the following sections: Title, introduction, results, discussion, and conclusion. 

Introduction

You need to demonstrate your background understanding of the nervous system. You must introduce the following concepts:

• A description of the structure of the central nervous system and sensory, connector and motor neurones, to include the Brain, Spinal Cord, Neurons (dendrites, axon, axon hillock, cell body, myelin sheath, node of Ranvier, and synapses)

• An explanation for the role of the sensory and motor neurones in reflex arc.

• An explanation for the mechanisms of transmission of an impulse along a neurone, to include the following events:

  • Resting potential

  • Graded potential

  • Depolarisation

  • Repolarisation

  • Hyperpolarisation

• A comparison of voluntary and reflex actions

• An explanation for the role of the autonomic nervous system to include sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

Methodology

Describe how you will conduct the experiment to measure reaction times

Results

Describe the data you obtained from the experiment. Graphs and tables must be used here.

Discussion

The discussion of your results is to include:

a) An explanation of how one of the following substances can impact the transmission of nerve impulses and how the results of the reaction time tests could have been impacted if participants had been exposed to differing levels of:

• Caffeine
• Nicotine
• Amphetamines
• Cocaine.

Reference should be made to relevant transmitters that are released and the physiological effects.

b) An explanation of how one of the following disorders can impact the nervous system, including neurones, impulses, synaptic transmissions or neurotransmitters,

• Alzheimer’s
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Parkinson’s Disease,
• Meningitis
• Brain tumours.

Conclusion

This should be a short summary of the report.

The introduction and discussion should be referenced consistently.