3.2 ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Flashcards
Two subcategories of the Nervous System
central NS, peripheral NS
Two subcategories of the Central Nervous System
brain, spinal cord
Two subcategories of the Peripheral Nervous System
somatic NS, autonomic NS
Three subcategories of the brain
forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
Two subcategories of the Autonomic Nervous System
sympathetic division, parasympathetic division
Two subcategories of the Somatic Nervous System
afferent nerves, efferent nerves
Three parts of hindbrain
cerebellum, medulla, pons
Four parts of forebrain
cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system
Structure found in both hindbrain and midbrain
reticular formation
Define: peripheral nervous system
all nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord
Define: central nervous system
nerves of the brain, spinal cord
Somatic nervous system functions
voluntary movement, sensory
Define: afferent nerve fibers
axons carrying information inwards from PNS towards CNS
Define: somatic nervous system
nerves that connect voluntary skeletal muscles and sensory receptors
Define: autonomic nervous system
nerves connecting to the heart, blood vessels, smooth vessels, and glands
Define: efferent nerve fibers
axons carrying information outwards from CNS towards PNS
Autonomic nervous system functions
involuntary, automatic functions (heartbeat, digestion, perspiration)
Define: sympathetic nervous system
branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body’s resources during emergency situations (controls “fight or flight”)
Sympathetic nervous system functions
fight or flight response (slow digestive processes, blood shunting from periphery, trigger release of hormones from adrenal glands
Define: parasympathetic nervous system
branch of autonomic nervous system that conserves body resources
Parasympathetic nervous system functions
feed or breed response and reversing fight or flight (slowing down RR, HR, etc.)
Define: hindbrain
an area of the brain that coordinates info coming in and out of spinal cord, controls basic functions of life
Define: midbrain
area of brain important for orientation, movement
Define: forebrain
highest level of brain; critical for complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, motor functions
Define: medulla
extension of spinal cord into skull coordinating HR, circulation, respiration
Define: reticular formation
brain structure regulating sleep, wakefulness, levels of arousal
Define: cerebellum
large structure of hindbrain controlling fine motor skills (smoothing out movement)
Define: pons
brain structure that relays info from cerebellum to the rest of the brain
Function: tectum and tegmentum
help orient an organism in the environment and guide movement toward or away from stimuli
Function: thalamus
relays, filters info from the senses and transmits the info to the cerebral cortex
Function: hypothalamus
regulates body temp, hunger, thirst, sexual behavior
Function: pituitary gland
“master gland”, releases hormones that direct functions of other glands in the body
Function: hippocampus
create new memories, integrate them into a network on knowledge to be stored indefinitely in other parts of the cerebral cortex
Function: amygdala
emotional processes, formation of emotional memories
Function: basal ganglia
directs intentional movements
Define: cerebral cortex
outermost layer of the brain, divided into 2 hemispheres
Define: contralateral control
each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex controls the opposite side of the body
Define: corpus callosum
nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres and allowing sharing of information
Define: occipital lobe
visual
Define: parietal lobe
senses (touch, temp, pain, space)
Define: temporal lobe
hearing, language
Define: frontal lobe
movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, judgement
Define: association areas
areas of cerebral cortex composed of neurons that help provide sense and meaning to information registered in the cortex
Function: left hemisphere
verbal processing (speech, language, reading, writing)
Function: Right hemisphere
nonverbal processing (spatial, musical, visual, emotional)
Define: dorsal stream
from occipital upwards anteriorly, deals with “where” and “how”
Define: ventral stream
from occipital lobe downwards anteriorly, deals with “what” and recognition
Define: limbic system
network of structures (ie. thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, etc.) that seem to work together as pleasure centers, also emotion and memory
Define: cerebral specialization
the left hemisphere is used for verbal processing, while the right hemisphere is used for nonverbal
Define: plasticity
neural wiring of the brain is flexible, constantly evolving
