Central Nervous System (CNS) Flashcards
Main role of the Central Nervous System
Processes and interprets the sensory information it receives from the spinal cord and sensory organs.
What is part of the hindbrain?
Cerebellum
Medulla
What is the hindbrain?
Near the back of the skull at the base of the brain
It’s involved with controlling vital activities which we have no conscious control of, e.g. breathing or your heart beating.
Also coordinates voluntary muscle movements and reflex actions
Cerebellum
Information from sensory organs, the spinal cord, and other parts of the brain are received here.
Uses that information to regulate posture, balance, and coordinate fine muscle movements.
Range of connections with cerebral cortex and the spinal cord
Medulla
Controls vital functions e.g. breathing, heart rate, digestion, and swallowing.
It’s in front of the cerebellum
Midbrain
Sits upon the hindbrain, under cerebral hemispheres.
Acts as a switchboard as it passes info from the spinal cord to the forebrain and vice versa.
Receives messages from all senses besides smell, sending them to the higher brain regions that deal with hearing, seeing, tasting and touching.
Can also receive replies directing it to places such as the cerebellum
Reticular Formation
Network of nerves running from the forebrain to the hindbrain through the centre of the midbrain.
Main function is to screen incoming information, allowing the higher brain centres to attend to important information, rather than being crammed with less important information too.
Plays a role in controlling sleeping and waking and our level of alertness.
RAS (Reticular Activating System)
Part of the reticular formation.
System has ascending pathways to the cerebral cortex
Descending pathways to the spinal cord.
Can increase or decrease arousal level and muscle tone in response to feedback from the brain.
What is a part of the Forebrain?
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Cerebrum
Forebrain’s major role
Major role in how we think, feel and behave.
Thalamus
In line with our ears
Filters information from all senses besides the nose
Passes it on to the appropriate part of the brain for processing.
Plays significant role in regulation of arousal, how awake, attentive and energetic one feels.
Hypothalamus
Located below Thalamus
Main function is to regulate the release of hormones that controls body temperature, our biological clock, sex drive, thirst, and hunger needs.
Cerebrum (Grey Matter)
Located above and in front of the cerebellum
Consists of an outer layer, the crebral cortex and masses of neural tissue
Has two halves / hemispheres that are separated by a deep groove.
