Ch 11: Nervous System Organisation Flashcards
What is the foramen magnum?
It is a large hole in the occipital lobe that opens into the spinal cord.
What does the intervertebral discs do?
They seperate the 1st and 2nd lumbar vertebrae.
White matter vs grey matter, what’s the difference.
Grey matter has unmyelinated cell bodies while white matter has myelinated axons.
What are the 5 main regions of the spinal cord?
Cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccigian.
Name the 3 meninges and describe them, are they vascularised?
- Dura mater: outermost layer, vascularised, has connective tissues.
- Arachnoid: thin middle layer, vascularised.
- Pia mater: very thin layer, highly vascularised.
If a problem in the nervous system is suspected, what is used to test this?
Cerebrospinal fluid is extracted to test.
What does damage to ventral root vs anterior nerve root of spinal cord cause?
Ventral nerve root = PARALYSIS
Dorsal nr = ANASTHESIA
What can be seen in a transverse section of the spinal cord?
Anterior and posterior median fissures.
Where do the ascending and descending tracts of the spinal cord stem from?
Ascending = bone marrow
Descending = from brain to effectors.
What does the grey matter form? What is that structure responsible for?
It forms the basal nuclei responsabile for controlling muscle tonality and voluntary movement.
What are the 4 structures of the brain?
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Cerebellum
3 diencephalon
4 brain stem (trunchi cerebral)
What does the corpus collosum do?
It united the left and right parts of the cerebral hemispheres.
What are the 4 lobes of the brain? Whats their location respective to each other?what delimits parietal and temporal lobes? What are their functions?
- Frontal: critical thinking, mastication, swallowing, problem solving, thought development. Anterior part.
- Parietal: behind frontal, separated by central sant, involved in sensory stuff and salivation.
- Temporal: separated by the lateral sant, involved in vision, auditory + visual memory, perception, judgement. Below frontal.
- Occipital: posterior part, bilateral and conta lateral vision.
Describe the insula of the brain. Where is it located, what’s it covered by?
It is located deep within the brain covered by the frontal parital and temporal lobes.
What are the mezencefalon(midbrain) functions?
Controls reflex movement of head + eyeballs, relay signals between spinal cord and thalamus, relay motor signals between punte and spinal cord, controls head + trunk movement.
