L2 - Brain structure and function Flashcards
What are the components of the Central Nervous System (CNS)?
Brain
Spinal cord
What are the components of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
Spit into:
Sensory (afferent) division
Motor (efferent) division
Motor is linked to both the voluntary + autonomic motor systems while the Sensory is only linked to the autonomic motor system
The autonomic motor system is further split into the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) + Parasympathetic nervous system (reverses the effects of fight or flight)
What are the 3 primary brain vesicles in the embryonic development of the brain?
Prosencephalon (forebrain)
Mesencephalon (midbrain)
Rhombencephalon (hindbrain)
When are the primary brain vesicles developed?
3-4 weeks
What are the 5 secondary brain vesicles in the embryonic development of the brain?
Telencephalon: cerebral cortex, basal ganglia
Diencephalon: thalamus, hypothalamus + retina
Mesencephalon: midbrain
Metencephalon: pons + cerebellum
Myelencephalon: Medulla oblongata
When are the secondary brain vesicles developed?
6-8 weeks
What are the 4 subdivisions of the human brain? (seen before)
FOREBRAIN: cerebral cortex + basal forebrain
MIDBRAIN: mesencephalon
HINDBRAIN: pons, cerebellum, medulla
SPINAL CORD
What are the cranial nerves?
12 pairs of nerves on the base of the brain which pass through holes in the skull.
Function similarly to the spinal nerves
What are the cerebral ventricles?
4 interconnected chambers in the brain
Filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
What are the components within the subcortical brain organisation?
Cerebral cortex
Corpus Callosum
Basal ganglia
Hypothalamus
Thalamus
Spinal cord
Brainstem
Cerebellum
Hippocampus
What does the corpus callosum do?
Connects the 2 cortical hemispheres
What does the basal ganglia do?
controls behavioural patterns
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
homeostasis, emotion control of endocrine (hormone) system
What is the function of the thalamus?
crucial relay station in the brain connecting parts of the nervous system to the cerebral cortex.
WHat is the spinal cord?
nerves going to + from the rest of the body
What is the function of the brain stem?
control of autonomic function
What does the cerebellum control?
movement, balance + posture
What does the hippocampus control?
Learning and memory
What did Paul Broca discover?
Localised speech production to a specific brain region
What did Phineas Gage discover?
the frontal lobe damage affects personality and social behaviour
What are the 2 brain imaging techniques and what are the functions?
MRI - structural and functioning imaging
PET - visualise brain activity during tasks
What is the function of the frontal lobe?
planning, thinking, motor planning + motor output
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
hearing, smell, memory, feelings
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
vision, visual processing
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
spatial processing, spatial orientation, somatosensory function
