Central Nervous System (CNS) Flashcards
First segment of the brain that connects to the spinal cord is called what?
Brainstem
What are the 3 components of the Brainstem?
- Medulla oblongata
- Pons
- Midbrain
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Location: Continuous with spinal cord
Medulla oblongata
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Function: Regulates heart rate, blood vessel diameter, breathing, swallowing, vomiting, hiccupping, coughing, sneezing, balance
Essential for VITAL function [vital signs]
Medulla oblongata
Note: Special function involved in conscious control of skeletal muscle
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Location: above the medulla oblongata bridge between cerebrum and cerebellum
Pons
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Function: breathing, chewing, salivation, swallowing, relay station between cerebrum and cerebellum
Note: when this is damaged, you will not be able to move your mouth and eat. [FOR SURVIVAL]
Pons
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Location: above pons
Midbrain
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Function: coordinated eye movement, “pupil diameter” (dilation), turning head toward noise
Other: the dorsal part has the four colliculi which are involved in visual and auditory reflexes.
Midbrain
Note:
- Superior colliculi - responsible for eye movement (visual reflexes)
-
Inferior colliculi -
responsible for auditory reflexes.
BRAINSTEM COMPONENTS
- Location: scattered throughout Brainstem
- Function: Regulates cyclical motor function, respiration, walking, chewing, arousing and maintaining consciousness, regulates sleep-wake cycle.
Reticular Formation
Location:
- attached to the brainstem by the cerebellar peduncles.
Characteristics:
- It is also called as small brain or little brain
- Cortex is composed of gyri, sulci, gray matter
Cerebellum
It’s functions involved are:
- Controls balance
- Muscle tone
- Coordination of fine motor (movement)
Cerebellum
It is the part of the brain that is located between the brainstem and cerebrum.
Diencephalon
Diencephalon has 3 components. What are these?
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Epithalamus
DIENCEPHALON COMPONENTS
- This is the egg shaped and largest portion of diencephalon.
- Influence moods and detects pain. [It knows PAIN but doesn’t know the degree of pain]
Thalamus
DIENCEPHALON COMPONENTS
- It is located above the thalamus
- It is responsible for emotional and visceral response to odors.
Epithalamus
DIENCEPHALON COMPONENTS
- Located below the thalamus
- Controls pituitary gland and is connected to it by infundibulum.
- Controls homeostasis, body temp, thirst, hunger, fear, rage, sexual emotions.
Hypothalamus
- It is the largest portion of the brain
- It has 2 divisions which are the right and left hemisphere and it is separated by longitudinal fissure
Cerebrum
What are the lobes in the cerebrum? Include the fifth lobe.
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
- Insula (fifth lobe)
CEREBRUM COMPONENTS
- Surface of cerebrum, composed of gray matter.
- FUNCTION: controls thinking, communicating, remembering, understanding, and initiates involuntary movements.
Autonomic nervous system is the one involves in involuntary movements.
Cerebral cortex
Cerebrum has 3 Surface Features. What are these?
- Gyri - folds on cerebral cortex that increase surface area.
- Sulci - shallow indentations.
- Fissure - deep indentations
What are the 2 Cerebral hemispheres?
Left and Right hemisphere
A cerebral hemisphere that controls the right side of the body. It is responsible for math, analytic, and speech.
Left hemisphere
A cerebral hemisphere that controls the left side of the body. It is responsible for music, art, and abstract ideas.
Right Hemisphere
It is the connection between the two hemispheres.
Corpus callosum
What are the 4 lobes of the brain?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
It is the lobe of the brain located at the front. It controls voluntary motor functions, aggression, moods, and smell.
MOTOR FUNCTIONS / MOVEMENTS
Frontal lobe
It is the lobe of the brain that is located at the top. It evaluates sensory input such as touch, pain, pressure, temperature, and taste.
SENSORY
Parietal lobe
It is the lobe of the brain located at the back of the brain. It’s function is related to the VISION.
Occipital lobe
It is the lobe of the brain located at the sides of the brain. It is responsible for hearing, smell, and memory.
Temporal lobe
What do you call the fissure that separates the left and right hemisphere of the brain?
Longitudinal fissure
Aside from longitudinal fissure, what is the other fissure that you can see on the side of the brain?
Lateral fissure
Central Nervous System (CNS) constantly or continuously receives sensory input.
TRUE OR FALSE
True
Note: This is applicable even when we are sleeping.
We are unaware of most sensory input. Why is this happening?
We tend to notice only things that bothers us or makes us uncomfortable.
Example: We don’t really mind standing but doing it for so long makes us feel uncomfortable and irritated.
This is vital of our survival and normal functions.
Sensory input
These are sensory tracts carrying impulses up the spinal cord to specific areas of the brain.
Each tract is involved with a limited type of sensory input, such as pain, temperature, touch, position, or pressure.
Ascending Tracts or Ascending pathways
Spinal cord → Brain (Upward)
This is a bundle of many many tracts. In ascending or descending tracts.
These tracts are collection of fibers or cables.
Spinal Cord
The names of ascending tracts usually begin with the prefix what?
spino
Note: this indicates that they begin in the spinal cord.
An example of ascending tract is this,
____________ is responsible for pain perception.
(You know it is pain but you don’t know the degree of pain. The one responsible for knowing the degree of pain is the parietal lobe)
spinothalamic tract
An example of ascending tract is this,
These tracts carry proprioceptive information to the cerebellum, which is important for balance, muscle tone, and coordination.
spinocerebellar tract
An example of ascending tract is this,
This tract transmits fine touch, vibration, and proprioception.
Dorsal column
It refers to the decussation or crossing over of nerve fibers from one side of the body to the other in the central nervous system.
Example:
- A person with a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain may experience a lack of sensation, including pain, temperature, touch, and proprioception, on the right side of their body.
“Crossing” of the pathway
All the sensation of the body is interpreted in the __________.
Parietal lobe
Nerves → Spinal Cord → Parietal Lobe
Primary Sensory Cortex
What is the difference between Primary Sensory Areas and Primary Somatic Sensory Cortex?
- Primary Sensory Areas refers to the general areas of the brain responsible for processing all types of sensory information (vision, hearing, touch, etc.), while the
- Primary Somatic Sensory Cortex is a specific area within the parietal lobe that processes only somatic (body-related) sensations like pain, pressure, and temperature.
It is voluntary muscle control. Its neurons innervate skeletal muscles.
It is responsible for the ff:
- Maintaining the body’s posture and balance.
- Moving the trunk, head, limbs, tongue, and eyes.
- Communicating through facial expressions and speech.
Somatic Motor System
Skeletal muscle is a somatic Motor and it is controlled by which lobe of the brain?
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobe is _______ system. All the body parts, skeletal muscle is controlled by frontal lobe.
water
Reflexes mediated through the spinal cord and Brainstem are responsible for some body movements that are ___________.
A. voluntary
B. involuntary
B. involuntary
Note: Reflexes are done in a quick manner and it is unconscious / involuntarily done
These are movements that are consciously activated to achieve a specific goal, such as walking or typing.
Voluntary movements
Voluntary movements result from the stimulation of neural circuits that consist of two motor neurons. What are these?
Upper motor neurons and Lower motor neurons
What motor neurons is CNS (Central nervous system) and it is composed of the brain and spinal cord?
- Have cell bodies in the cerebral cortex and project down the spinal cord to synapse with lower motor neurons.
Upper motor neurons
What motor is PNS (Peripheral Nervous System) and it is from the spinal nerves going to peripheral nerves.
- Have cell bodies in the anterior horn of the spinal cord gray matter or in cranial nerve nuclei.
Lower motor neurons
What is the direction of motor?
A. upper to lower
B. lower to upper
A. upper to lower
Note: One direction only
During ________, it doesn’t need processing of the brain. You just react.
The information goes to your brain but it is late.
reflex / reflex movements
Note: Reflex is necessary for SURVIVAL
Example of reflex that occurs when you touch something painful (like a hot surface), and your hand automatically pulls back.
Withdrawal Reflex
Example of reflex when the pupil constricts in response to bright light.
Pupillary Reflex
What is the largest lobe of the brain?
- It shares intelligence with the temporal lobe which is responsible for memory.
Frontal lobe
What are the 3 Motor Areas of Cerebral Cortex?
- Prefrontal area
- Premotor area
- Primary Motor complex
Motor Area of Cerebral Cortex,
- Motivation and foresight to plan and initiate movement.
- It is a part of your IQ (Intelligence Quotient)
Prefrontal area
Motor Area of Cerebral Cortex,
- Frontal lobe
- Where motor functions are organized before initiation.
Examples:
Skills and Muscle memory
[When we are experienced, it is not difficult to do task anymore like IV Insertion]
Premotor area
Motor Area of Cerebral Cortex,
- Frontal lobe
- Control voluntary motor movement
Primary Motor cortex
Dementia is a broad term that refers to a decline in cognitive function severe enough to interfere with a person’s daily life. It is not a specific disease but a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, reasoning, and social abilities.
For instance, when you give the patient with dementia a comb, the patient doesn’t remember how and where to use it.
This is because the __________ area of their brain are damaged. What is this area of cerebral cortex?
Premotor area
These are motor tracts carrying impulses down the spinal cord, either terminating there or in the brainstem.
- Important in muscle movement
Remember
- Frontal lobe = motor
Descending tracts
Brain → Spinal cord (Downward)
In Descending Tracts,
The corticospinal tracts are considered ________ because they extend directly from upper motor neurons in the cerebral cortex to lower motor neurons in the spinal cord.
A. direct
B. indirect
A. direct
Note: directly to the brain
In Descending Tracts,
Some tracts are considered ________ because they originate in the Brainstem but are indirectly controlled by the cerebral cortex, basal nuclei, and cerebellum.
- It has shared function
A. direct
B. indirect
B. indirect
In Descending Tracts,
Tracts in the _______ columns are most important in controlling goal-directed limb movements, such as reaching and manipulating.
lateral
In Descending Tracts,
Tract in the ________ columns, such as the reticulospinal tract, are most important for maintaining posture, balance, and limb position through their control of neck, trunk, and proximal limb muscles.
ventral
These are examples of what?
- Lateral corticospinal
- Rubrospinal
- Anterior corticospinal
- Reticulospinal
- Vestibulospinal
- Tectospinal
Descending Tracts
Note: They are all ending in “spinal”
It is a progressive neurological disorder that primarily affects movement, causing symptoms like tremors, stiffness, slowness of movement, and impaired balance. It results from the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra, which is crucial for regulating movement.
Parkinson’s disease
It is not a single part of the brain. They are group of organs or structures that are responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating motor movements and posture.
- It’s most important portion is initiation of movement.
Basal Nuclei
Patients with Parkinson’s disease experience difficulty in initiating movement. They have what we called as ________ which is a “slow slow movement”.
They think of moving, however, their body’s response is very slow.
Bradykinesia
Without the initiation of movement, you will have very slow response. This is because of this part in midbrain that releases dopamine.
Substantia nigra
Where is dopamine produced?
Substantia nigra of the midbrain
Dopamine is responsible for initiation of movement
Basal nuclei is composed of 2. What are these?
- Corpus striatum
- Substantia nigra
Too much dopamine can cause this chronic and severe mental disorder and it is characterized by episodes of psychosis, including hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, and impaired cognitive functioning.
Schizophrenia
Low dopamine can cause what illnesses?
Parkinson’s disease and depression
This is a language disorder caused by damage to specific areas of the brain, typically the left hemisphere, which is responsible for language processing in most people.
Aphasia
There are 2 types of Aphasia. What are these?
- Wernicke’s Aphasia (Sensory Aphasia)
- Broca’s Aphasia (Motor Aphasia)
This is a type of Aphasia where this area in the parietal lobe is damaged which causes difficulty understanding spoken or written language. Speech is fluent but often nonsensical or filled with incorrect or made-up words.
In other words, Severely impaired, making it difficult for them to realize that their speech doesn’t make sense.
Sensory speech (Wernicke’s area)
This is a type of Aphasia where this area in the parietal lobe is damaged which causes difficulty speaking and forming sentences, but comprehension remains relatively intact. Speech is often slow, with broken grammar and limited vocabulary.
In other words, Generally good, but they have trouble producing speech fluently.
Motor speech (Broca’s area)
It is about measuring brain waves. It is used to diagnose and determine treatment for brain disorders.
Electrodes plated on scalp to record brain’s electrical activity.
EEG or Electroencephalogram
What are the 4 brain waves?
- Alpha waves
- Beta waves
- Delta waves
- Theta waves
Brain wave when a person is awake in quiet state.
Alpha waves
Brain wave that shows intense mental activity.
Beta waves
Brain wave when a person is in deep sleep.
Delta waves
This is a brain wave in children.
Theta waves
In memory, it is the brief retention of sensory input received by brain while something is scanned, evaluated, and acted up.
- It is also called as sensory memory
- In temporal lobe
- Lasts less than a second
Encoding
In memory, this is when the data has been encoded.
- Temporal lobe
- Short term memory
Consolidated
In MEMORY,
- Long term memory
- few minutes or permanently (depends on retrieval)
Storage
In MEMORY,
- How often information is used
Retrieval
Under memory, we have 4 parts. What are these?
- Encoding
- Consolidated
- Storage
- Retrieval
Which memory is easier to retrieve?
Short-term memory
What are the types of memory?
- Short-term memory
- Long-term memory
- Episodic memory
- Learning
Type of memory,
- Info is retained for a few seconds or min.
- bits of info. (usually 7)
- Female are the one who uses this mostly
Short-term memory
Type of memory,
- Can last for a few minutes or permanently
- Male are the one who uses this mostly
Long-term memory
Type of memory,
- Can be trigger by places or events
Episodic memory
Type of memory,
- Utilizing past memories. This can be obtained through experiences.
Learning
This refers to the process of creating a virtual model or imitation of a real-world system, process, or phenomenon, allowing us to analyze and experiment with it without interacting with the actual system.
Simulation
Group of structures responsible for emotions.
It influences long-term declarative memory, emotions, visceral responses to emotions, motivation, and mood.
Limbic system
The limbic system is connected to, and functionally associated with what part of the brain?
Lesions in the limbic system can result in voracious appetite, increased (often perverse) sexual activity, and docility (including loss of normal fear and anger response).
Hypothalamus
_________ is a small part of the brain, but it has a big job. It’s a major processing center for emotions. It also links your emotions to many other brain abilities, especially memories, learning and your senses.
It can cause or contribute to disruptive feelings and symptoms when it doesn’t work as it should.
Amygdala
What is the primary relay center of the brain?
Thalamus
- This is where ascending tracts project.
- Where sensations are perceived.
Primary Sensory Areas
- General sensory area
- in parietal lobe
- sensory input such as pain, pressure, temp.
Primary Somatic Sensory Cortex
