A + P Nervous System II Flashcards
brain and spinal cord are surrounded by…
meninges
3 layers of the meninges
dura mater
arachnoid mater
pia mater
dura mater
- functions
- visual characteristics in the brain
functions
-“tough” layer of the meninges
-forms structures that separate the cranial cavity into compartments
-protects the brain from displacement
visual
-in the brain the dura mater is sac-like
–provides a space for blood to return to the heart
two layers of the dura mater in the brain
endosteal layer (periosteal) miningeal layer
endosteal layer location
lies against the inside of the cranium
meningeal layer location
lies on top of the arachnoid mater (but separated by the subdural space
arachnoid mater
- separated from dura mater by…
- contains… and function of component
separated by... -subdural space contains -lymphatic fluid -acts to reduce friction between the two layers
pia mater
- contains…
- separated from arachnoid mater by…
- -composition
contains -blood vessels that supply the brain separated -subarachnoid space -consists of a web of collagen fibers filled with CSF
meningitis
bacterial (or viral) infection of the meninges covering the brain and spinal cord
effect of continued blood hemorrhaging in the subdural space following a head trauma
will put excessive pressure on the nervous tissue of the brain, which can cause permanent damage
blood-brain barrier physiology
capillaries of the brain are impermeable to water soluble compounds without the assistance of specific carriers (only lipid soluble substances can enter without carriers)
there is a separate transport system for glucose, large AAs, and glycine
-this system involves facilitated diffusion
all other tissues outside the CNS are exposed to all hormones and AAs from the blood, some of which are neurotransmitters
-if these were able to enter into the CNS the neurons would fire uncontrollably
the bulbous feet of the astrocytes wrapped around the capillaries regulate all of this
capillaries of the brain are impermeable to…
water soluble compounds without the assistance of specific carriers
what can enter the brain without carriers?
lipid soluble substances
separate transport system
- for what?
- what type of diffusion?
for what?
- glucose, large AAs, glycine
uses. .. - facilitated diffusion
what are tissues outside the CNS exposed to that tissues inside are not?
hormones and AAs from the blood, some of which are neurotransmitters
result if these neurotransmitters were allowed to enter into the CNS
neurons would fire uncontrollably
what regulates this process?
bulbous feet of the astrocytes
CSF
- produced in… by…
- similar to…
- -differences
produced in the ventricles of the brain by ependymal cells
similar to blood plasma
-contains less protein and has different ion concentration (more NaCl, H+, less Ca2+, K+)
CSF functions
supports and provides cushioning for the brain (brain essentially “floats” in CSF
transports nutrients, chemical messengers, and waste products
CSF circulates out of the ventricles into the central canal and…
-location
“bathes” the outside of the brain and spinal cord
-occurs within the subarachnoid space
journey of CSF after it leaves the subarachnoid space?
diffuses in a large cerebral vein (superior saggital sinus) to return to venous circulation
spinal cord composition
cervical enlargement from which are attached eight pairs of cervical spinal nerves
twelve pairs of throacic spinal nerves
lumbar enlargement from which are attached five pairs of lumbar spinal nerves
conus medullaris, the cone shaped end of the spinal cord
cause equina
-descends from the conus medullaris and gives rise to five pairs of sacral spinal nerves
single pair of coccygeal nerves
total number of spinal nerves
31
important internal features of the spinal cord
posterior median sulcus anterior medial fissure central canal dorsal root dorsal root ganglion ventral root grey matter white matter posterior grey horns anterior grey horns later grey horns
dorsal root
-type of neurons
sensory
what is the dorsal root ganglion
cell bodies of sensory neurons
ventral root
-type of neurons
motor
grey matter
- what is it?
- organization
cell bodies of neurons
organized in functional groups know as somatic and visceral nuclei
white matter
myelinated axons of neurons
posterior grey horns
-composition
contain sensory nuclei
anterior grey horns
-composition
contain motor nuclei
lateral grey horns
-function
contral smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and glands
ventricles of the brain
four ventricles
-lateral ventricles: one in each cerebral hemisphere
3rd ventricle: in the diencephalon
4th ventricle: in the pons and medulla
ventricular communication
3rd ventricle attached to the lateral ventricles by the interventricular foramen and the 4th ventricle by way of the cerebral aquaduct
4th ventricle attaches to the central canal of the spinal cord
makeup of the rest of the brain
cerebrum (telencephalon)
thalamus and hypothalamus (diencephalon)
midbrain (mesencephalon), pons, medulla oblongata (all make up the brain stem)
cerebellum
the cerebrum
- visual characterisics
- three areas divided structurally
visual -largest major region of the brain -divided into two cerebral hemispheres areas -cerebral cortex -limbic system -basal ganglia
cerebral cortex
- visual characteristics
- functions
visual -superficial surface -marked by gyri, sulci, fissures functions -voluntary muscle movement -sensory functions -intellect and thoughts -some memories
limbic system
- location
- main structures
location -group of structures located on the medial aspect of each cerebral hemisphere and diencephalon main structures -hypothalamus -anterior portion of the thalamus
limbic system functions
emotional states and related behavioral drives
links conscious intellectual function of the cerebral cortex and the unconscious autonomic functions of the brain stem
contains long-term memory storage and retrieval
parts of the limbic system
amygdala hippocampus parahippocampal gyrus cingulate gyrus fornix hypothalamus thalamus
amygdala
-function
involved in signaling the cortex of motivationally significant stimuli such as those related to reward and fear in addition to social functions such as mating
hippocampus
-required for…
the formation of long-term memories and implicated in maintenance of cognitive maps for navigation