Higher Brain, Birds And Reflexes Flashcards
The Functions Of The Nervous System
- Homeostatic control system
- Regulates physiological processes
- Coordinates behaviour
- Processes and stores information
- Consists of structures and organs that facilitate electrical and chemical communication in the body.
The Central Nervous System Consists of…
-brain
-spinal cord
The Peripheral Nervous System Consists Of…
-Peripheral nerves
- Ganglia
Autonomic Nervous System
- Sympathetic (fight or flight response).
- Parasympathetic (Rest and Digest response).
Central Nervous System Functions:
- Receives sensory signals and determines appropriate response.
- Stores memory
- Carries out thought
Spinal Cord
- Transmits signals from the sensory organs, muscles and glands to the brain.
- controls reflexive responses
- coveys signals from the rest of the body.
Spines Structure
The spinal cord is protected by the vertebrae.
* Gray matter contains cell bodies (soma); white matter contains myelinated fibers.
* PNS nerves extend outside of the vertebrae.
What Are The Four Principles Of Functional Organization?
- Brain function is somewhat localized
- Brains have maps
- Size matters
- Vertebrate brain evolution has involved repeated expansion of forebrain area
What Are The Three Specialized Regions Of The Brain?
- Hindbrain
- Midbrain
-Forebrain
The Hindbrain
- The most primitive division of the brain.
- Cerebellum, Pons, and Medulla
- Responsible for basic, reflexive functions.
The Midbrain
- helps us orient our eye and body movements to visual and auditory stimuli.
- Coordination of visual and auditory reflexes
- Larger in animals that depend on these stimuli eg fish, amphibians
- smallest portion of brain in mammals.
The Forebrain
Largest, most complicated and most advanced brain division.
* Cerebrum, Thalamus, Hypothalamus
* This area of the brain is associated with complex thought and behaviors:
* The ability to concentrate, elaboration of thought, judgment and inhibition.
Thalamus
Processes sensory information before it reaches the cerebral cortex
Hypothalamus
pea-sized; controls complex behaviors such as eating, drinking and sexual activity.
Cortex
- The outermost layer of the cerebrum “Cerebral Cortex”
- Various areas control sensory processing, motor control, thought, memory.
- 4 lobes
Smell is Processed by…
Smells are processed by structures in the limbic system – parts of our brain that evoke emotion and memory
The Exterior Covering Of The Brain…
- different animals have different folding of the cerebrum = more surface area
- More recent evolved animals have a larger proportion of the brain taken up by the cerebral cortex.
The Brain Is Divided Into Two Hemispheres…
- Right and left hemispheres
- Connected by the corpus callosum
Split Brain Patients
- Damage to the Corpus Callosum results in two independent brains in one skull.
- Split brain patients have allowed researchers to discover “hemispheric specialization”
Left Brain Controls…
- right side of body
- right side visual field
- speaking
- reading
- logical thinking
- Analytical skills
- Sequential Processing
Right Brain Controls…
- Left side of body
- left side visual field
- spatial processing
- facial recognition
- music
- emotional expression
- holistic thinking
Brocas Area
- initiates grammatical speech
Wernickes Area
- understanding spoken languages
The Amount Of Cortex That Is Devoted To Each Body Part Is Not Equally Distributed…
- Larger Areas are devoted to touch in the most sensitive parts of the body such as lips and hands.
- Smaller Areas are devoted to touch in less sensitive parts of the body such as the back and abdomen.
Does Bigger Brain Mean Smarter?
- NO!
- depends on how big each part of the brain is.
Mind
What we perceive as “mind” (thought, will, self- perception) does produce evidence of brain activity in brain scans.
* That “brain” influences “mind” is well- established; but some evidence shows “mind” can influence “brain”; as cognitive therapy for depression can physically change the brain.
