1. brain and body Flashcards
what is the central nervous system made up of?
brain
spinal cord
grey and white matter
what are the parts of the nervous system
Central NS -Peripheral NS
Somatic NS - autonomic NS
sympathetic NS - Parasympathetic NS
what are the 2 systems that are within the peripheral NS?
Somatic and Autonomic NS
what are the 2 systems within the Autonomic NS
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
function of the somatic NS
The part of the PNS that interacts with the external environment (either voluntary or involuntary). It is composed of afferent nerves that carry sensory signals from the skin, skeletal muscles, eyes, ears, and so on to the CNS and efferent nerves that carry motor signals from the CNS to the skeletal muscles.
axons conveying messages from the sense organs –> CNS –>muscles
parts of the central nervous system
part of the nervous system that consists of the brain (in the skull) and the spinal cord in the spine)
function of the central nervous system
Central nervous system (CNS) – The division of the nervous system located within the skull and spine. The CNS is composed of two divisions: the brain (in the skull) and the spinal cord (in the spine).
Afferent nerves – Carry sensory signals to the central nervous system. Every sensory neuron is an afferent to the rest of the nervous system.
Efferent nerves – Carry motor signals from the central nervous system.
Every motor neuron is an efferent from the nervous system.
Within the nervous system, a given neuron is an efferent from one structure and an afferent to another.
diiference between afferent and efferentg nerves
afferent = bring information into a structure (A - accept), sensory neuron to the rest of the NS
Efferent = send information out of the structure (E - exit), motor neuron is efferent from the NS
and within the NS, a given neuron is an efferent from one structure and afferent to another
what is the peripheral NS consisting of
somatic NS
autonomic NS
sympathetic NS
Parasympathetic NS
function of the peripheral NS
connect the brain and spinal cord to rest of the body
The division of the nervous system located outside the skull and spine.
* Somatic nervous system (SNS) – The part of the PNS that interacts with the external environment (either voluntary or involuntary). It is composed of afferent nerves that carry sensory signals from the skin, skeletal muscles, eyes, ears, and so on to the CNS and efferent nerves that carry motor signals from the CNS to the skeletal muscles.
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS) – The part of the PNS that regulates the body’s internal environment (involuntary). It is composed of afferent nerves that carry sensory signals from internal organs to the CNS and efferent nerves that carry motor signals from the CNS to internal organs.
Somatic NS
- regulates communications with the external environment
- axons convey messages from sense organs to the CNS then to muscles
The part of the PNS that interacts with the external environment (either voluntary or involuntary). It is composed of afferent nerves that carry sensory signals from the skin, skeletal muscles, eyes, ears, and so on to the CNS and efferent nerves that carry motor signals from the CNS to the skeletal muscles.
Autonomic NS function
- receives commands from and sends commands to the heart
- regulates the body’s internal environment (homeostasis) e.g ur heart and intestines
The part of the PNS that regulates the body’s internal environment (involuntary). It is composed of afferent nerves that carry sensory signals from internal organs to the CNS and efferent nerves that carry motor signals from the CNS to internal organs.
The autonomic nervous system has two kinds of efferent nerves: sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves.
* Sympathetic nerves – Autonomic motor nerves that project from the CNS in the lumbar (small of the back) and thoracic (chest area) regions of the spinal cord.
* Parasympathetic nerves – Autonomic motor nerves that project from the brain and sacral (lower back) region of the spinal cord.
what does the autonomic ns consist of
sympathetic and parasympathetic NS
sympathetic NS function
- psychological arousal
- mobilizes energy
- activates fight or flight
- increase rate of breathing, heart rate, decreasing digestion
- acting in synchrony to ganglia
- reseases norepinephrine (but also ach on sweat glands)
parasympathetic NS
- rest and digest, non emergency responses
- psychological relaxatioin
- conserves energy
- decrease heart rate
- increase digestive activity
- promotes sexual arousal
- craniosacral system
- parasympathetic ganglia are not linked, which makes them act more independently than sympathetic
- release acetylcholine
Neurons
- get info and transmit it to other cells
- cells of the NS
- Cells of the nervous system that are specialized for the reception, conduction, and transmission of electrochemical signals.
what NS does the somatic and autonomic NS belong to?
peripheral nervous system
3 types of neurons
sensory
relay
motor
difference between the 3 types of neurons (sensory, relay, motor)
what is the soma part of and what is in the soma? **
the body
the soma is part of the neuron. its the cell body, nucleus, ribosomes
ell body containing nucleus, ribosomes and mitochondria, most metabolic work occurs here
dendrites
the lil trees
branches that receive messages to other neurons through the synapse
branching fibers narrower at the ends, the greater the surface area the more information it can receive
o Dendric spines – short outgrowths that increase the surface area
axon
the axis
thin fiber of a constant diameter conveying impulses toward other neurons,
an organ, or a muscle
the loooong noodle that connects one end of the neuron with the other.
information passes through it, like a highway
presynaptic terminal **
the bulb, button
pass information to other dendrites
where the axon releases chemicals that cross through the junction between neuron and other cell
Myelin sheath
fatty substance that protects the axon
nodes of Ranvier
the gaps between sections of myelin
whats the difference between the cell body and cell membrane
cell body = Soma. its the things inside the body
cell membrane = the semipermeable membrane that encloses the neuron
sensory neurons
senses to brain
i. Specialized to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation (light,
sound, touch)
motor neurons
from brain to muscles
i. Soma in the spinal cord
ii. Excitation through dendrites
iii. Conducts impulses along its axon to a muscle
interneurons/relay
send messages between neurons
How does the central nervous system (specifically, the brain) work?
What are the different areas in the brain? (brain anatomy)
How does the brain send information to the rest of the body, and how is information from the body
send back to the brain?
afferent and efferent nerves
The three major subdivisions of the brain (referred to with English terms)
hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain
The five smaller subdivisions (referred to with Latin terms)
The division of the cerebral cortex into four types of lobes
frontal
parietal
temporal
occipital
what are gyri and sulci
if we look at the folds in the brain as a worm that slithers up and down, the gyrus is the up slither and sulcus is the down slither (like cat and cow)
the thalamus **
(“inner chamber”): pair of structures (left and right) in the center of the forebrain
* Diencephalon – thalamus and hypothalamus (distinct from telencephalon – rest of the forebrain)
* Most sensory information goes through the thalamus, processes it and sends output to the
cerebral cortex except for olfactory information which goes directly to the olfactory bulbs
* Sensory input→Nuclei of thalamus→single area of the cerebral cortex→info back to the thalamus→prolonging or magnifying certain input focusing attention on particular stimuli
hippocampus
The hippocampus is one important area of cortex that is not neocortex because it has only three major layers. The hippocampus is located at the medial edge of the cerebral cortex as it folds back on itself in the medial temporal lobe. This folding produces a shape that is, in cross section, somewhat reminiscent of a sea horse (hippocampus means “sea horse”). The hippocampus plays a major role in some kinds of memory (especially the consolidation of information from short-term to long-term memory and spatial memory that enables navigation).
amygdala
The amygdala is an almond-shaped nucleus in the anterior temporal lobe, just anterior to the hippocampus, which runs beneath the thalamus in the medial temporal lobe. The amygdala is involved in emotion, particularly fear.
motor cortex
the precentral gyrus
generation of motor action
information on touch is extracted at the somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus) and is communicated the short distance to the precentral gyrus where it contributes to motor control. e.g. when you read braille, ur body collects the sensation in ur finger and processes it
somatosensory cortex
region of the parietal lobe
information on touch arives here (sensations from the body)
visual cortex
located in the occipital lobe
further analysis of visual information occurs
auditory cortex
region in the temporal lobe
what is the binding problem? (large scale integration problem) **
occurs when two stimuli bind and you experience two sensations at the same time
Binding problem: large scale integration problem – it occurs stimuli bind if you perceive 2 sensations happening at the same time in approximately the same place
o E.g. if a movie is dubbed badly, you perceive they did not come from those lips * We bind 2 experiences that occur at the same time (don’t know yet how)
what are key differences between primate brains and other mammals brains
anatomical directions: dorsal
toward the back
the spinal cord
brings information in to the brain
Sends sensory information into the brain
Carries motor information to the body
glial cells
The supporting cells of the nervous system.
They hold neurons in place
Control their supply of nutrients and some of the chemicals they need to exchange messages
Insulate the neuron
Destroy and remove the carcasses of neurons that are killed
blood barrier
surrounds the blood vessels by the brain to protect it but some areas of it do not protect very well so some things like drugs can get in. Oxygen, co2, glucose, etc can get in
what are the functions of grey + white matter ***
Grey matter - cell bodies and dendrites
White matter - myelinated axons
is this hindbrain, midbrain or forebrain:
also known as rhombencephalon
Myelencephalon - medulla, extends in to the spinal cord, associating with breathing, swallowing and blood circulation
Metencephalon - consists of cerebellum and the pons. Important for sensory and motor
hindbrain
is this hindbrain, midbrain or forebrain:
also known as mesencephalon
Consists of the tectum and the tegmentum
Tectum
the roof of the midbrain
Has two swellings on each side
Superior colliculi - visual motor function. Located in anterior
Inferior colliculi - auditory function, located in the posterior
Tegmentum
3 colorful structures
Periaqueductal - grey matter that connects that cerebral aqueduct
Substantia nigra - black substance, important for sensorimotor system
Red nucleus - same function as substantia
Reticular formation - complex system of brainstem nuclei
midbrain
is this hindbrain, midbrain or forebrain:
also known as prosencephalon
Diencephalon - consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus and pituitary gland
Hypothalamus - regulating hormones secreted by the pituitary gland
Thalamus - most sensory information is first sent here and then it sends outputs to the cerebral cortex. Only the smelling info is not sent to the thalamus, it goes to the olfactory bulb instead
Pituitary gland - produces and releases hormones
Anterior and posterior parts
Basal ganglia -
Telencephalon - consists of cerebral cortex and limbic system
Cerebral cortex - surface of the brain, has bumps and cracks to have more surface area. Bumps are called gyri and cracks are called sulci
Corpus callosum connects both hemispheres
In limbic system is hippocampus which is responsible for long term memory
Amygdala works with hippocampus to create long term memories of specific, and often emotional memories
forebrain
basal ganglia
Basal ganglia motor system – A collection of subcortical nuclei (e.g. striatum and globus pallidus) that play a role in the performance of voluntary motor responses.
* Sweeping out of each amygdala, first in a posterior direction and then in an anterior direction, is the long tail-like caudate. Each caudate forms an almost complete circle; in its centre, connected to it by a series of fibre bridges, is the putamen. Together, the caudate and the putamen, which both have a striped appearance, are known as the striatum (striped structure).
* The remaining structure of the basal ganglia is the pale circular structure known as the globus pallidus. The globus pallidus is located medial to the putamen, between the putamen and the thalamus.
Considering the basal ganglia, of particular interest is a pathway that projects to the striatum from the substantia nigra of the midbrain. Parkinson’s disease, a disorder characterized by rigidity, tremors, and poverty of voluntary movement, is associated with the deterioration of this pathway. Another part of the basal ganglia currently of particular interest to biopsychologists is the nucleus accumbens, which is in the medial portion of the ventral striatum. The nucleus accumbens is thought to play a role in the rewarding effects of addictive drugs.
frontal lobe
Consists of motor cortex and prefrontal cortex
Prefrontal cortex - grants us executive function, or the ability to make complex and socially mindful decisions
3 regions of prefrontal cortex
Posterior zone - movement
Middle zone - working memory, cognitive control, emotional reactions
Anterior zone - decision making and evaluation
temporal lobe
Houses memories, emotions and language comprehension
Contains hippocampus, primary auditory cortex and wernicke’s area
Damage to this area could result in visual hallucinations
wernickes and brocas area
The Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area, that contain motor neurons, are the language processing units of the brain that help in understanding language as well as allow us to communicate properly.
the main task of Broca’s area is to generate meaningful language so that the person can be speak sensibly and fluently. The Wernicke’s area is responsible for understanding the statements made by the speaker. It is essentially involved in language processing.
parietal lobe
How we react to external information
Somatosensory cortex - receives information from touch receptors located throughout the body in the skin
Sensations, perceiving our own body
occipital lobe
Targets visual information
Cortical blindness
the autonomic NS has two kinds of efferent nerves: sympathetic nerves and parasympathetic nerves.
Sympathetic nerves – Autonomic motor nerves that project from the CNS in the lumbar (small of the back) and thoracic (chest area) regions of the spinal cord.
* Parasympathetic nerves – Autonomic motor nerves that project from the brain and sacral (lower back) region of the spinal cord.
All sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves are two-stage neural paths: The sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons project from the CNS and go only part of the way to the target organs before they synapse on other neurons (second-stage neurons) that carry the signals the rest of the way. However, note that the sympathetic neurons project from the CNS synapse on second-stage neurons at a substantial distance from their target organs, whereas the parasympathetic neurons that project from the CNS synapse near their target organs on very short second-stage neurons.
anatomical directions: ventral
towards the stomach (ventre)
anatomical directions: lateral
away from the midline
anatomical directions: medial
toward the midline
anatomical directions: proximal
located close to the point of attachment
anatomical directions distal
located more distant to the point of attachment
