Midterm Two Flashcards
What are the meninges?
The meninges are a three-layered membrane encasing the brain and spinal cord.
What is the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid?
Cerebro-Spinal Fluid (or CSF for short) is a colourless, odourless, nutritive “soup”, that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
What is included in the forebrain?
The forebrain includes the central cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus.
What is the function of the limbic system?
The limbic system is the network of structures within the brain involved in the regulation of motivated behaviours, emotions, and memory.
What is the function of the axon?
Axons, also called the nerve fibre, carry messages (called “action potentials”) away from the Soma toward other cells.
What is a Node of Ranvier?
Gap in the myelin sheath
What is included in the midbrain?
Several sections, including superior and inferior colliculi (colliculus), substantia nigra, mescenphalon
What is the role of the cerebellum?
The cerebellum coordinates information about “intended movements”, with current sensorimotor feedback to control movement.
Definition of homoeostasis
The term homeostasis refers to the regulation of the body’s internal processes to maintain a stable internal environment.
What is the cerebral cortex involved in?
The cerebral cortex is the grey matter- which is involved in perception, memory, and thoughts.
How does the cerebral cortex of humans differ from the cerebral cortex of mammals?
Most mammals possess a smooth cerebral cortex. However, humans possess a deeply convoluted (furrowed) cerebral cortex; full of bulges and grooves. These bulges and grooves allow for us to engage in more complex cognitive activity.
Definition of lateralization.
The central hemispheres are referred to in the plural; as the cerebrum is divided into two halves, called the right and left hemispheres respectively. While some functions are not shared equally (that is to say, located primarily on one side), both halves communicate via the corpus callosum.
What area of the cerebral cortex translates physical sensory input into impulses and sends those nerve impulses to the brain?
The primary somatosensory cortex.
What is the role of afferent nerves in the Autonomic Nervous System?
Afferent nerves in the Autonomic Nervous System carry signals to the Central Nervous System
The nervous system is divided into:
The Peripheral and Central Nervous System
The Central Nervous System is divided into:
The Brain and Spinal Cord
The Peripheral Nervous System is divided into:
The Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System.
What do myelin sheaths do?
The myelin (The fatty white substance which encircles axons), creates a myelin sheath, which is insulating material derived from specialized glial cells. In case of deterioration, signals may not be well-transmitted (for example, loss of muscle control in Multiple Sclerosis). Myelin sheaths stabilize axon structure and patterns of connectivity within neural network. They speed up transmission of signals in axons and are generally very efficient.
What is Hebbin’s learning rule?
When a neuron stimulates another neuron repeatedly, this produces changes in the synapse (ie: learning!).
What are dendrites?
Dendrites serve to receive most of the synaptic contacts from other neurons and then send this information to the soma.
The basal ganglia is involved in the performance of what?
Voluntary motor responses