brain anatomy Flashcards
what is the nervous system made of
brain
spinal cord
nerves
ganglia
cognitive neuroscience
cognitive psychology + behaviour neuroscience
understanding the link between the brain and the mind. The ways in which the brain influences how people think, feel and act
role of the human nervous system
control the body’s response to stimuli - both external (react to things going on, on the outside) and internal (coming from you. ie/ an impulse)
contralateral
the opposite side
Ipsilateral
the same side
unilateral
the same side
bilateral
both sides of the brain
proximal
near
distal
far
CNS
encompasses the brain and spinal cord
PNS
comprises neural tissues beyond CNS
brain
receives and processes sensory info, initiates responses, stores, memories generates thougts and emotions
spinal cord
conducts signals to and from the brain, controls reflex activities
relays most sensory and motor info to and from brain
motor neurons
CNS to muscles and glands
send signal from the brain and spinal cord to muscles
involved in innervated muscles
sensory neurons
sensory organs to CNS
bring info to the CNS
ie/ touch receptors in fingether
somatic nervous system
controls voluntary movements
automatic nervous system
controls involuntary responses
sympathetic division
fight or flight
parasympathetic division
rest and digest
enteric division
digetive system
protection of the CNS
brain enclosed in skull
spinal column is enclosed within spinal cord
cerebrospinal fluid
cerebrospinal fluid
ventricles within the CNS contain CSF
the brain floats in CSF which acts as a cushion
nutrients from the blood reach nerve cells through CSF
maintains brains shape
cushion from damage
similar composition to blood minus blood cells - similar to plasma
functions: delivers nutrients, carries away waste, surround the CNS (cushioning and buyancy)
produced mainly in choroid plexus of lateral ventricles
subdivisions of the CNS
spinal cord
medulla
cerebellum
pons
midbrain
diencephalon
cerebral cortex
diencephalon
hypothalamus and thalamus
dorsal section of the spinal cord
receives sensory info
ventral section of spinal cord
conveys motor commands to muscles
receives input from brain and other regions of the spinal cord
medulla
directly superior to the spinal cord
contains many of the cell bodies of the 12 cranial nerves
where most of the motor fibers cross of to the other side of the body (contralateral)
controls vital reflexes such as respiration and heart rate
hours part of the reticular activating system
12 cranial nerves
olfactory
optic
oculomotor
trochlear
trigeminal
abducens
facial
vesitibulocochlear
glossopharyngeal
vagus
spinal accessory
hypoglossal
cerebellum
regulates muscle tone and guides motor activity activity
damages results in disrupted balance, equilibrium, and inability to produce precise movement (motor control)
involved in motor learning
learning movements in a fluid way. ie/ golf swing - instead of doing it step by step
pons
acts as a connective bridge from the rest of the brain to the cerebellum
also a bridge between most of the cranial nerves and the brain
controls some types of eye movements and vestibular functions
info from the ears converge, is compared, helps with localization of sound
the midbrain
superior to the pons
contains the nuclei of the cells that form some of the cranial nerves
plays a role in orienting a person to certain sensory stimuli: inferior colliculus (auditory), superior colliculus (visual)
hypothalamus
controls behaviours that help the body satisfy its needs, allowing it to maintain homeostasis. (eating, drinking, temperature, circadian rythms)
does the via relationship to the hormonal system
links the nervous system to the endocrine system through the pituitary gland
secretes hormones and produces factors that regulate activity of additional brain regions that secrete hormones
thalamus
relay center for almost all sensory info coming into the cortex and almost all motor info leaving it
patterns of connections, both to and from the thalamus, are very specific allowing info to be reorganized as it travels from sensory regions to the brain or vice versa
cerebral cortex
primary role in functions such as object recognition, spatial processing and attention
divided into two physically separated halves, each called a cerebral hemisphere
primary motor cortex
the final exit point for neurons responsible for fine motor control of the body’s muscles
motor control and motor homunculus
motor control is contralateral
the map is inverted: dorsal cortex controls the bottom half or the body; ventral cortex controls the top half of the body
the map is distorted such that more cortex is devoted to those regions of the brain for which we have the finest motor control
primary sensory cortices
the first region in the cortex to receive info about a particular sensory modality
each primary cortex is specialized for initial processing, then relays on to other cortical areas
somatosensory cortex
receives info about tactile stimulation, proprioception, pressure and pain sensatios
info sent via two main routes.
what are the two main routes of the somatosensory cortex
dorsal regions of the spinal cord: pain, temperature, and crude tactile information
fine touch and proprioception info enter the spinal column and synapse at the medulla, where it crosses over
somatosensory homunculus
like the motor cortex, the map is distorted so that more brain tissue is devoted to bodily regions for which we have the most tactile receptors