3.3 Structure and Organization of Nervous system Flashcards
Central nervous system
brain + spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system
a division of the nervous system that transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body
Somatic nervous system
nerves that control skeletal muscles (voluntary/reflexive movement) + nerves that receive sensory input - peripheral
Autonomic nervous system
responsible for regulating the activity of organs and glands - peripheral
Sympathetic nervous system
Fight or flight response - prepare body for action (autonomic)
Parasympathetic nervous system
helps maintain homeostatic balance in the presence of change - return to baseline (autonomic)
Cerebral hemispheres
nearly symmetrical halves of the brain that contain the same structures
Brainstem
the medulla (basic functions) + the pons (wakefulness) - (hindbrain)
Reticular formation
extends from the medulla upwards to the midbrain and is involved with attention and alertness (hindbrain)
Cerebellum
is the lobe-like structure at the base of the brain = monitoring of movement + balance + attention + emotional responses
(hindbrain)
Midbrain
Sensory + motor
Parkinson’s disease
a condition marked by major impairments in voluntary movement
Forebrain
includes folds + grooves of outer layer + anything above midbrain
Basal ganglia
3 structures = facilitating planned movements, skill learning, and integrating sensory and movement information with the brain’s reward system
Huntington’s disease
a condition involving uncontrollable movements of the body, head, and face - basal ganglia improper function
Tourette’s syndrome
a condition marked by erratic and repetitive facial and muscle movements, heavy eye blinking, and frequent noise making
Limbic system
an integrated network involved in emotion and memory
Amygdala
which facilitates memory formation for emotional events, mediates fear responses, and appears to play a role in recognizing and interpreting emotional stimuli, including facial expressions
Hippocampus
is critical for learning and memory, particularly the formation of new memories
Thalamus
a set of nuclei involved in relaying sensory information to diff regions of the brain
Cerebral cortex
is the convoluted, wrinkled (increase sa) outer layer of the brain that is involved in multiple higher functions = thought, language, and personality
Occipital lobes
rear of brain, visual info
Parietal lobe
Touch (somatosensory cortex), bodily awareness, math/attention
Temporal lobe
Sides of brain - hearing, language, higher level cognitive functions
Cortical deafness
Problems hearing despite ears functioning perfectly
Frontal lobes
Higher cognitive functions
Primary motor cortex (voluntary movement) + prefrontal cortex (decision-making, executive functions)
Corpus callosum
Collection of neural fibres connecting the 2 cerebral hemispheres
Hemisphere specialization
a phenomenon where the two sides of the cortex often perform very different functions
Split-brain patients
individuals with epilepsy who had their corpus callosum severed in order to treat their seizures
Neuroplasticity
the capacity of the brain to change and rewire itself based on individual experience
Trophic factors
aka growth factors - can stimulate the growth of new dendrites and axons
Neglect
a situation in which the patient does not attend to anything that appears in the left half of their visual field
Boca’s area
Speech production + articulation
