Module 6: Nervous System Flashcards
What does the nervous system consist of?
Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).
What is the CNS made up of?
Brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS made up of?
The nerves outside of the CNS that go to muscles and organs.
What can the PNS be divided into?
Somatomotor (going to skeletal muscles) and autonomic (going to other organs) nervous systems.
What are some fun facts about the brain (4)?
1) Contains between 10 to 100 billion cells and weighs about 1.5 kilos (3.5 lbs)
2) If all the cells were laid out end to end, they would stretch ~1000 km
3) You have more brain cells when you are born than you do right now
4) Action potentials can travel down nerve cells at up to 400 km/hr (240mph)
What are the 2 cerebral hemispheres of the brain?
Left and right hemisphere
What does the left hemisphere activate?
Sends signals to activate muscles on the right side of the body.
Where does sensory information from the side side of the body travel?
To the left hemisphere.
What is the brain stem made up of? What does it control?
It is made up of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. The brain stem controls some of the most basic functions of the body like heart rate and respiration.
What is the medulla continuous with?
The spinal cord
Where is the cerebellum located? What is it responsible for?
Located above the brain stem at the posterior region of the brain. It is responsible for coordinated movement.
What does the diencephalon consist of?
The thalamus and hypothalamus
What are the bumps and dips on the surface of the brain called? What is their purpose?
Gyri and sulci, respectively. These folds increase the surface area of the brain.
What are the 4 lobes each cerebral hemisphere can be divided into?
Frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes.
What are the cortices/areas of the frontal lobe? What are their functions?
Primary motor cortex, motor association area (premotor cortex), and prefrontal cortex. Primary motor cortex processes input from skeletal muscles throughout the body. The premotor and prefrontal cortex integrate movement information with other sensory inputs to generate perception of stimuli.
What are the cortices/areas of the parietal lobe? What are their functions?
Primary somatosensory cortex and association areas. Primary somatosensory cortex receives input from the major sense organs (skin, musculoskeletal system, and taste buds). The association areas of the parietal lobe integrate sensory information with other association areas of the cortex to form meaningful perceptions.
What is the function of the cerebellum? Where does it receive input from?
Processes sensory information and coordinates execution of movement in the body. As structure with largest number of neurons in the brain, it receives input from somatic receptors, receptors for equilibrium, and balance and motor neurons from the cortex.
What are the cortices/areas of the temporal lobe? What are their functions?
Primary auditory cortex and auditory association areas, which receive and process signals from the auditory nerve and integrate them with other sensory inputs. Other portions of the temporal lobe are involved in olfaction (smell) and mediating short-term memory storage and recall.
What are the cortices/areas of the occipital lobe?
Primary visual cortex and visual association areas. Primary visual cortex receives input directly from the optic nerve and the visual association areas further process visual information and integrate it with other sensory inputs.
What is the corpus callosum? What is its purpose?
The corpus callosum is a dense bundle of nerve fibers. It serves as a pathway and connection between the two cerebral hemispheres. This connection allows the brain to integrate sensory and motor information from both sides of the body and to coordinate the whole-body movement and function.
What is the function of the pituitary gland?
Primarily regulates other endocrine organs.
What are the anterior and posterior pituitary made of?
1) Anterior: epithelial tissue of the pharynx
2) Posterior: neural tissue of the hypothalamus
Which hormones do the anterior and posterior pituitary release?
1) Anterior: LH, FSH, ACTH, TSH, GH, and prolactin
2) Posterior: Vasopressin and oxytocin
What regulates the pituitary gland’s function?
Hypothalamus
What is the function of pons?
Act as a relay station for transferring information between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex. Also coordinates and controls breathing.
What is the function of the thalamus?
Receives sensory input as it travels from the spinal cord and integrates sensory information before sending it to the cortex.
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Controls a variety of endocrine functions (body temperature, thirst, food intake, etc.), mainly through directing the release of hormones.
Where is the midbrain (or mesencephalon) located? What is its function?
Bridges the lower brainstem with the diencephalon above. Function is in controlling eye movements and it also exerts control over auditory and visual motor reflexes.
What is the function of the medulla?
Portion of the brain stem that has primary control over involuntary functions such breathing, blood pressure, and swallowing. Also, here is where the fibers from the corticospinal tract cross over to the opposite side of the spinal cord to innervate muscles on the opposite side of the body.
Where do the optic nerves meet? Where do they go from there?
Optic chiasma, where they cross over and continue as optic tracts to the lateral geniculate bodies of the thalamus. From there, axons extend to their respective hemispheres on the primary visual area of the occipital lobe.
How many cranial nerves does the brain stem incorporate?
9
Where are the primary motor cortices located?
Posterior end of the frontal lobe
What is the function of primary motor cortices? What happens when this region is electrically stimulated?
Process information relating to skeletal muscle movement. When electrically stimulated, causes specific muscle to contract.
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?
Anterior end of the parietal lobe
What is the function of the primary somatosensory cortex?
Receives sensory information from the opposite side of the body. Sensations of pain, temperature, touch, and vibration are processed here.
Where is the language and mathematical area located?
Most often located in the left hemisphere (even for left-handed people)
What is the function of the language and mathematical area?
Serves as general interpretive centre, enabling a person to understand visual and auditory information and generate written and spoken responses.
How many neurons and glial cells is the brain made up of?
10s of billions of neurons and glial cells. Glial cells make up about 90% if the brain.
What is the function of the glial cells?
Provide necessary environment for neurons to function properly.
What are the 3 basic types of neurons?
1) Bipolar
2) Unipolar
3) Multipolar
What are bipolar neurons? Where are they found?
Have 2 processes extending from the cell body. Specialized neurons found in retina of the eye.
What are unipolar neurons? Where are they found? What is generally their function?
Have 1 process extending from the cell body. Located in the peripheral nerves outside the CNS and are generally sensory in nature, transmitting signals to and from spinal cord.
What are multipolar neurons? Where are they found?
Have many branching dendrites and one axon. Most common in the CNS.
What is the function of glial cells? How do they regulate this function?
Maintain delicate internal environment of the CNS. They also regulate nutrients and specific interstitial environment of brain. They perform this function by regulating passage of substances between the blood and the brain’s interstitial space.
What are the types of glial cells?
Several types, including astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocytes (which produce myelin).
What is the language of the nervous system?
Action potentials
How does your brain know if you have a light object in your hand or heavy object? What is neural coding?
Special receptors detect pressure on the skin and send action potentials to the brain. Weight of the object is “coded” into the action potential. Heavier object, more action potentials per second. This is called neural coding.
What does the axon terminal of the presynaptic cell contain?
1) Voltage-gated calcium ion channels
2) Synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter
3) Mitochondria
What does the postsynaptic cell contain?
1) Chemical receptors
2) Chemically gated ion channels (also called ligand-gated ion channels). These open when a chemical (neurotransmitter) attaches to them.
What does an excitatory response caused by a neurotransmitter lead to?
Leads to depolarization of the postsynaptic cell. If the depolarization is strong enough, it may fire an action potential.