Mid Semester Exam Flashcards
What does the afferent division do?
Brings information from periphery to CNS
What does the CNS do?
- Subconsciously regulate homeostatic responses
- experience emotions
- voluntarily control your movements
- be aware of your body and surroundings
- engage in other higher cognitive processes
What does the efferent division do?
Conveys CNS ‘orders’ to the effector organs to respond
What do interneurons do?
Connect afferent neutrons with efferent neutrons within CNS
What are the major parts of the brain?
Cerebral cortex Basal nuclei Thalamus Hypothalamus Cerebellum Brain stem
What does the cerebrum do?
• Makes up 80% of total brain weight
• Divided into right and left cerebral hemispheres
• Each hemisphere divided into lobes
• Outer surface is the convoluted cerebral cortex:
-covers inner core that houses basal nuclei
-most complex integrating area of the brain
What is the cerebral cortex?
- the cerebral cortex is gray matter; the core is white matter.
- gray matter is organised into 6 well-defined layers
- integration of neural input and initiation of neural output take place within gray matter
- the white matter consists of bundles of nerve fibers that interconnect brain areas.
What are the four major lobes
Occipital
Temporal
Parietal
Frontal
What are the basic lobe functions
- Occipital lobes house the visual cortex
- temporal lobes house the auditory cortex
- parietal lobes are responsible for reception and perception of somatosensory input
- frontal lobes are responsible for voluntary motor movement
What is the somatosensory cortex?
- Located in the front portion of each parietal lobe behind the central sulcus.
- site for initial processing and perception of both somesthetic and proprioceptive input
- someosthetic sensations are from the surface of the body (touch, pressure, heat, cold and pain)
- proprioception is the awareness of body position
- receives input from the opposite side of the body
What is the primary motor cortex?
- Controls voluntary movement produced by skeletal muscles
- motor cortex on each side of the brain primarily controls muscles on the opposite side of the body
- contains motor homunculus
- body parts needing fine control of movement occupy larger area of motor homunculus
What are the secondary motor areas?
Supplementary motor area
Premotor cortex
Posterior parietal cortex
Cerebellum and basal nuclei also influence motor function
What and where is Broca’s area?
Located in left frontal lobe near motor areas
Controls speaking ability
What and where is wernike’s area?
Located in the left cortex at the juncture of the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes
Associated with language comprehension of both spoken and written messages
What is basal nuclei?
Consists of several masses of Gray matter located deep within white matter.
Primary functions:
Inhibiting muscle tone throughout the body
Selecting, maintaining purposeful motor activity
Suppressing unwanted patterns of movement
Coordinates slow, sustained contractions
What is the thalamus?
Reinforces voluntary motor behaviour initiated by motor cortex
Serves as ‘relay station’ and synaptic integrating centre for sensory input
Helps direct attention to stimuli of interest
Capable of crude awareness of sensations but cannot distinguish their location or intensity
What is the hypothalamus?
Collection of nuclei and associated fibers that lie beneath the thalamus
Integrating enter for homeostatic functions
An important link between the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system
Brain area most involved in directly regulating internal environment
What are the hypothalamic functions?
- Controls body temperature and food intake
- Controls thirst and urine output
- Controls anterior pituitary hormone secretion
- Produces posterior pituitary hormones
- Controls uterine contractions and milk ejection
- Serves as a major autonomic coordinating center
- Plays role in emotional and behavioural patterns
- Participates in sleep-wake cycle
What is the limbic system?
Includes portions of cerebral lobes, the basal nuclei, the thalamus and the hypothalamus
Utilises the neurotransmitters norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin
Associated with emotions, basic survival, sociosexual behavioural patterns, motivation and learning
What are some of the limbic system functions?
Emotion Basic behavioural patterns Motivation Learning Memory
What types of memory are there?
Long term, retained for day to years
Short term, lasts seconds to hours
Consolidation is the transfer of short term memory traces into long term memory stores
What is declarative memories?
“What-type memories” processed in the hippocampus and associated structures
What is procedural memories?
“How to memories” processed in the cerebellum.
What does the prefrontal cortex serve as?
Temporary storage area associated with planning, problem solving, organising and inhibiting impulses
What is the cerebellums 3 functionally distinct parts?
Vestibulocerebellum- balance and eye movements
Spinocerebellum- enhances muscle tone and coordinates skilled movements
Cerebrocerebellum- planning and initiating voluntary activity and stores procedural memories
What does the brain stem consist of?
Midbrain, pons and medulla
What are the brain stem functions?
- Links spinal cord and higher brain levels
- contains centres that control cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive function
- regulates postural muscle reflexes
- controls the overall degree of cortical alertness
- plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle
What is EEG?
EEG is the special equipment that determines any changes in brain activity
What is consciousness?
The subjective awareness of the external world and self
What are the states of consciousness?
Maximum alertness
Wakefulness
Sleep
Coma
