Anatomy of the Nervous System

Question 1

What are the main divisions of the nervous system?

Answer 1

The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

Somatic has conscious control with w/muscles that connect to the nerves of our skeleton. (ex. Moving arms or your tongue.)
Autonomic has unconscious control of the body with muscles that connect to the nerves of our skeleton. (ex. Breathing)

Question 2

What are the functions of the nervous system?

Answer 2

To control behaviors with sensory function and motor functions.
It also has use for plasticity which is to adapt to the world by changing its physical or chemical properties to adapt to environmental change

Question 3

What brain divisions are based on the surface of features?

Answer 3

Cerebrum, Brain stem, and the Cerebellum.

Question 4

What brain divisions are based on brain development and evolution?

Answer 4

Forebrain
Endbrain
Between brain
Midbrain
Hindbrain

Question 5

What is white and gray matter?

Answer 5

White and gray matter is neuronal fibers (white) and neuronal cell bodies (gray).

Question 6

What are the main parts of the end brain?

Answer 6

Cortex, Corpus callosum, the Limbic system, basal ganglia and the Olfafactory bulb.

Question 7

What is the cortex? What are the main anatomical divisions of the cortex?

Answer 7

The cortex is Latin for bark and it is the thin surface layer of the cerebral hemispheres.
The main anatomical divisions of the cortex are the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and the occipital lobe.

Question 8

What is the primary sensory, primary motor and association cortex?

Answer 8

The primary sensory cortex is somatosensory and is responsible for touch, balance, joint position, and pain.

The primary motor cortex is the precentral gyrus in the frontal lobe.
Association cortex is in all lobes and accounts for 90% of all cortex.

Question 9

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 9

“Tough body” and a broad band of nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres. Consists of white matter.

Question 10

What is the limbic system? Describe all the structures, their location, and functions.

Answer 10

“Border or edge” and is a group of structures between the cortex and the brain stem. All The principal structures are the amygdala, hippocampus, and the cingulate cortex.
Functions include emotion and the hippocampus for memory.

Question 11

What are location and functions of the basal ganglia?

Answer 11

Is located below the cortex and inside the hemispheres, its functions are movement control and reward/pleasure effect on brain.

Question 12

What are location and functions of thalamus and hypothalamus?

Answer 12

Both are located in the between brain.
Thalamus is Greek for chamber and is the gateway for channeling sensory information to the cortex as well as the processing of visual, auditory, somatosensory and gustatory information.
Hypothalamus is Greek for “under” thalamus and it regulates body temperature, salt-water balance, hunger, thirst among other things. It controls the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system (hormones)

Question 13

What is the pituitary gland? What is the pineal gland? What do they have in common?

Answer 13

The pituitary gland is hypophysis and it releases hormones through connections.
The pineal gland is the sleep control and releases the hormone of melatonin for sleep. Both release hormones.

Question 14

What is substantia nigra?

Answer 14

Substantia nigra- Latin for black substance, neurons produce neurotransmitter dopamine. Located in the midbrain.

Question 15

What is VTA?

Answer 15

Ventral tegmental area causes addiction and neurons produce neurotransmitter dopamine. Located in the midbrain.

Question 16

PAG

Answer 16

Periaqueductal gray matter has an important role in the modulation of pain by opioids. Located in the midbrain.

Question 17

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 17

Controls complex movements of the body and performs motor error corrections.

Question 18

What is the respiratory center? What is the area postrema?

Answer 18

It regulates vital functions: heart rate, digestion, respiration, blood pressure, coughing and vomiting.

Area postrema monitors the blood content and can initiate vomiting to rid the digestive system of a poison that just been ingested. Reduces blood-brain barrier.

Question 19

Describe the 4 brain ventricles. What do they contain?

Answer 19

Ventricle- a cavity in the brain that contains cerebrospinal fluid.
There are two lateral ventricles (left and right) (hemispheres), the third ventricle (between brain), the fourth ventricle (hind brain) and the cerebral aqueduct connects the third and fourth ventricles.

Question 20

What is the anatomy and functions of the spinal cord?

Answer 20

The anatomy of the spinal cord is that it consists of 30 segments and each one has 2 sensory and motor roots.
The gray matter is surrounded by white matter. The central cavity is the central canal in the spinal cord.

Question 21

What is the difference between sympathetic and parasympathetic systems?

Answer 21

The difference between the two is that ANS slows down the internal organs, blood pressure, heart rate and other parts of the body and is “rest and digest”; Sympathetic controls the “fight or flight” responses and increases the heart rate and blood pressure.