Central Nervous System Flashcards
Nervous system allows organism to…
interact w/ external and internal environment
NS has two major components:
- CNS
- PNS
What makes up the CNS?
- brain
- spinal cord
What makes up the PNS?
- all nerves that enter/exit from CNS
- 12 pairs cranial
- 31 pairs spinal
CNS and PNS form 3 major divisions:
- sensory
- integrative
- motor
Sensory division:
- input portions of PNS/CNS
- detects changes in environment
Organs involved in sensory division:
- sensory organs
- thalamus
- sensory cortices
Integrative division:
- only CNS
- processes and stores sensory info
Motor division:
- output from PNS/CNS
- generates movement and glandular secretions
Organs involved in motor division:
- brain stem
- cerebellum
- motor cortex
- basal ganglia
Gray matter:
- synaptic pools located on cortex (surface of cerebrum and cerebellum) and nuclei (buried clusters)
- contains: dendrites, somas, and axon terminal
- outside brain and inside spinal cord
White matter:
- myelinated axons
- inside brain and outside spinal cord
- relays info to and from gray matter
- organized into tracts
CNS gets info from…
PNS via interneurons and processes the info
CNS organizes _____ and _______
reflexes and other behavorial responses
CNS is responsible for…
- cognition
- memory
- learning
T/F: CNS plans and executes voluntary movement
T
Local environment of CNS is controlled and protected by:
- blood brain barrier
- neuroglia: support cells in CNS
Examples of neuroglia:
- astrocyte: regulate ECF environment of neurons
- oligodendrocytes: support and insulate
Cerebrum:
- 2 hemispheres w/ deep fissure between them
Cerebrum cortex has:
- gyrus: convultions
- sulcus: shallow grooves
Cerebrum is separated into 4 lobes:
- parietal: motor and sensory
- frontal: thinking and personality
- occipital: vision
- temporal: hearing
What cortexes are the ultimate sites for sensory perception?
- somatosensory
- auditory
- visual
What areas are responsible for language?
- Wernicke’s: for speaking written words
- Broca’s: for word formation/speaking a heard word
What cortexes control thought initiated and precise motor operations?
- primary somatic motor
- premotor
What cortex controls personality, planning, and decision making?
frontal cortex
What areas control memories and emotions?
- associated with limbic system
- limbic cortex
- subcortical cerebral nuclei
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
Association areas are involved in…
complex processing that requires integrationof different types of info
Basal nuclei/ganglia are located…
- deep in cerebral hemispheres
- thalamus
- brain stem
Functions of basal nuclei/ganglia:
- group of neurons
- provides feedback to cortex for somatic motor activities (smooths out movement)
- aids in selection and initiation of desired moevemnt and inhibits unwanted movement
What are diseases associated with basal nuclei/ganglia?
- Huntington’s chorea
- Parkinson’s disease
Function of limbic system:
cognitive functions (reasoning and emotions)
Areas associated w/ limbic system:
- amygdala: emotion and memories
- hippocampus: learning and memory
Thalamus:
- all sensory info is relayed to specific nuclei here
- sends info to appropriate areas of cerebral cortex
- can filter/refine info transmitted to cortex
Hypothalamus is the major link between…
endocrine and nervous system
Where are the basal nuclei/ganglia, limbic system, thalamus, hypothalamus, brain stem, and cerebellum located in the brain?
part of the lower brain
Hypothalamus produces hormones that aid in…
- fluid regulation
- timing of partition (birth)
- milk ejection
- release of hormones from pituitary gland, which regulates growth and metabolism
Hypothalamus controls:
- appetite
- caloric intake
- E expenditure
Hypothalamus regulates:
- thirst
- body temp
Hypothalamus is a major controller of:
- ANS
- limbic system
Brain stem is made of:
- medulla oblongata and pons
- reticular formation
Medulla oblongata and pons is where….
all sensory and motor pathways travel through
Medulla oblongata and pons has reflex control centers that…
allows complex visceral control and coordination
Medulla oblongata and pons control:
- micturition (urination)
- blood pressure
- blood flow
- heart rate
- digestive secretion
- respiration
Reticular formation is a:
diffuse network of nuclei located along pons and midbrain
Retifular formation is important in…
- sleep/wake cycle
- controls level of arousal/consciousness of cerebral cortex
Reticular formation can increase/decrease intensity of….
- ascending/descending afferent signals
- this is how it: participates in pain suppression, facilitate muscle tone, and control levels of activity of spinal reflexes
Functions of cerebellum:
- motor balance/coordination
- gives feedback to motor systems
- ensures smooth movement of eyes and body
Functions of spinal cord:
relays afferent info from periphery to higher centers
Where does spinal cord receive their information?
from higher centers that control efferent output
Segments of the spinal cord are…
- cervical (8)
- thoracic (12)
- lumbar (5)
- sacral (5)
- coccygeal (1)
Spinal cord contains ________ circuts
hard wired
- basically spinal reflexes so don’t need input from higher centers
Spinal cord is organized by…
- gray matter
- white matter
- dorsal root/ganglion
- ventral root
Gray matter is at the ________ and shaped like a _______ in the spinal cord
center, butterfly/h shaped
T/F: gray matter in spinal cord is not bilateral
F, has ventral and dorsal horns that are connected by commissure
Gray matter in spinal cord contains…
- axon terminal or primary sensor
- neurons
- dendrites and cell bodies of motor neurons
- dendrites, cell bodies, and unmyelinated axons of interneurons
White matter of spinal cord is organized by…
- ascending tracts: carry sensory info to higher centers
- descending tracts: carry motor info
Dorsal root/ganglion of spinal cord is responsible for…
sensory input
Ventral root of spinal cord is responsible for…
motor output
