Brain & Nervous System Anatomy+Physiology

Question 1

Cerebrum

Answer 1

Higher order functioning, voluntary behavior, 2 hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum.

Question 2

Corpus Callosum

Answer 2

Bundle of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres together.

Question 3

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 3

Outermost layer of cerebrum is ‘gray matter’.
Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal lobes.

Question 4

Frontal lobe

Answer 4

motor movements, higher cognitive skills, aspects of personality and emotional makeup.

Question 5

Parietal lobe

Answer 5

Sensory processes, attention, language.
right side damage = in difficulty navigating spaces.
left side damage = impairs understanding spoken/written language.

Question 6

Occipital lobe

Answer 6

visual information.

Question 7

Temporal lobe

Answer 7

auditory information, integrates sensory info.
short-term memory (hippocampal formation).
learned emotional responses (amygdala).

Question 8

Thalamus

Answer 8

prioritizes and passes sensory and motor information to cerebral cortex.

Question 9

Hypothalamus

Answer 9

appetite, defensive+reproductive behaviours, sleep-wakefulness.

Question 10

Midbrain - colliculli

Answer 10

visual & auditory reflexes, relays it to thalamus.

Question 11

Midbrain - neuron clusters

Answer 11

regulate activity in CNS, reward mechanisms & mood.

Question 12

Hindbrain - Pons & Medulla Oblongata

Answer 12

respiration, heart rhythms, blood glucose levels.

Question 13

Spinal cord pathway

Answer 13

sensory info –> pain reflex, relays to brain & cerebral cortex.
nerve impulses that control muscles and viscera.

Question 14

PNS pathway

Answer 14

small concentrations of ganglia.
brain –> peripheral nerves –> muscles & organs.

Question 15

SNS

Answer 15

connects CNS with body parts that interact with outside.

Question 16

ANS

Answer 16

connects CNS with internal organs, SyNS, PsNS.

Question 17

SyNS

Answer 17

mobilizes energy and resources in times of stress and arousal.

Question 18

PsNS

Answer 18

conserves in relaxed states.

Question 19

Action Potential

Answer 19

reversal in charge at beginning of verve impulse.

Question 20

Neurotransmitters

Answer 20

release –> diffuse –> bind (on/off) –> change membrane potential –> response.

Question 21

Acetylcholine + Pathway

Answer 21

1st discovered, released by voluntary muscle, heartbeat neurons & brain.

nerve terminal –> action potential –> Ca ions –> opens Na channels –> muscle contracts –> broken down by acetylcholinesterase, repeat.

Question 22

Antibodies that block a type of ACh receptor

Answer 22

cause myasthenia gravis.
may be important for normal attention, memory, and sleep.

Question 23

Alzheimer’s drugs

Answer 23

ACh producing nerve cells die in Alzheimers, so drugs blocking AChesterase are main treatment rn.

Question 24

Amino acids

Answer 24

Glycine & GABA inhibit firing of neurons.
GABA activity increased by benzodiapines (e.g. valium) & anticonvulsant drugs.

Question 25

Huntington's cause

Answer 25

GABA-producing neurons degenerate, uncontrollable movements.

Question 26

Glutamate & Aspartate

Answer 26

excitatory signals, activate NMDA receptors

Question 27

NMDA receptors

Answer 27

learning & memory (development and specification of nerve contacts) Stimulating can promote good changes, but too much is damaging/kills.

Question 28

NMDA receptor blocking drugs

Answer 28

can improve brain function and treat neurological & psychological disorders.

Question 29

Catecholamines

Answer 29

Dopamine (3 principle brain circuits), norepinephrine

Question 30

Circuit #1

Answer 30

If circuit that regulates movment is deficit = parkinson's (muscle tremors, rigidity)

Question 31

Levodopa

Answer 31

from which dopamine is synthesized. treats parkinson's, allowing movemnt.

Question 32

Circuit #2

Answer 32

important for cognition and emotion, abnormalities = schizophrenia. drugs blocking dopamine receptors can reduce symptoms.

Question 33

Circuit #3

Answer 33

regulates endocrine system, directs hypothalamus to create and store hormones in pituitary gland.

Question 34

Norepinephrine

Answer 34

deficiencies cause Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Korsakoff's sundrome. secreted by SyNS to regulate heart rate, bp. acute stress increases release from sympathetic nerves & adrenal medulla.

Question 35

Serotonin

Answer 35

brain, platelets, digestive tract lining. sleep quality, mood, depression, anxiety.

Question 36

Analogs

Answer 36

similar structure to serotonin, manipulate switches of emotional states

Question 37

Fluoxetine

Answer 37

relieve symptoms of depression & OCD

Question 38

Peptides

Answer 38

released in stress to minimize pain & enhance adaptive behaviour.

Question 39

Endorphines

Answer 39

endogenous morphines, opiates.

Question 40

Substance P

Answer 40

in C fibers, causes burning pain sensation, can be activated by capsaicin.

Question 41

Trophic Factors

Answer 41

development, function, survival of specific groups of neurons.

Question 42

Hormones Pathway

Answer 42

endocrine system --> neurons --> pituitary --> endocrine glands

Question 43

6 classes of steroid hormones

Answer 43

Androgens, estrogens, progestins, glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, vitamin D.

Question 44

Insulin, insulin-like growth factor, ghrelin, leptin

Answer 44

affect neural activity and structure.

Question 45

Jet lag

Answer 45

hormones alter production of gene products in synaptic neurotransmission, changes circuitry and capacity for neurotransmission .

Question 46

Sex hormone pathway

Answer 46

GnRh --> FSH & LH --> ovulation, estradiol, progesterone/spermatogenesis, testosterone --> decrease FSH, LH/increases capacity for sexual behaviour.

Question 47

Sex differences

Answer 47

in brain size, shape of structures in hypothalamus arrangement of neurons in cortex & hippocampus.

Question 48

Gases

Answer 48

not stored, act on chemical targets.

Question 49

Nitric Oxide

Answer 49

erection in penis, relaxation & normal movement in intestine. regulates cGMP.

Question 50

Prostoglandins

Answer 50

made by cyclooxygenase, induce fever and pain in response to inflammation.

Question 51

Asprin

Answer 51

reduces fever & pain by blocking cyclooxygenase enzy,e.

Question 52

Endocannabinoids

Answer 52

control release of neurotransmitter, control behaviours, increase stress.

Question 53

Second Messengers

Answer 53

message of neurotransmitter from membrane to inside. manufacture+release neurotransmitters, intracellular movement, carb metabolism in cerebrum, growth & dev.