Nervous System - 11.2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the central nervous system?

A

Structural and functional Centre of the entire nervous system

Site of neural integration and processing - receives information from senses - evaluates information - initiates outgoing response

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2
Q

What can damage to the nervous system affect?

A

Temperament, motor control, and homeostasis

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3
Q

What is Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)?

A

Disease that causes sponge like holes in the brain - often called “mad cow disease”

Initially causes nervousness and over sensitivity to touch

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4
Q

What causes BSE?

A

an infectious protein

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5
Q

What are the two main types of tissue that the nervous system is composed of?

A

Grey matter and white matter

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6
Q

Describe grey matter.

A

Grey matter is grey - contains mostly cell bodies, dendrites, and short, unmyelinated axons (nerve fibers)

Contains many spinal neurons

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7
Q

Where is grey matter found?

A

Found around the outside areas of the brain - Forms H shape core of spinal cord

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8
Q

Describe white matter?

A

White matter is white - contains myelinated axons that run together in tracts

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9
Q

Where is white matter found?

A

Forms in the inner region of some areas of the brain - outer area of the spinal cord

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10
Q

What is the spinal cord?

A

The spinal cord is a nerve tissue - extends out of the skull from the brain - and downward through a canal within the backbone

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11
Q

Why is the spinal cord important?

A

It is the vital communication center between the brain and PNS

Within spinal cord - sensory neurons carry messages to the brain for interpretation
- Motor neurons relay messages from the brain to effectors

Primary reflex center - coordinating rapid incoming and outgoing neural information

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12
Q

What are the delicate tissues of the spinal cord protected by?

A

Cerebrospinal fluid
Soft tissue layers
Spinal column ( a series of backbone - vertebrae)

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13
Q

What happens if you injure the spinal column?

A

You can damage the spinal cord - resulting in paralysis

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14
Q

Greek philosopher Aristotle knew that directly touching the brain did not cause any sensations to owner, what did he conclude?

A

He concluded that the heart must be in control of human intelligence - sensations - and body functions

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15
Q

What is the Centre for intelligence, consciousness, and emotion?

A

The Brain!

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16
Q

What are the three regions of the brain?

A

The hindbrain, mid brain, and forebrain

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17
Q

Describe the brain.

A

Brain is fragile - has gelatin like consistency

skulls form bony, protective layer around brain

Meninges

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18
Q

What are meninges?

A

Three layers of tough, elastic tissue within spinal cord and brain - directly encloses the brain and spinal cord

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19
Q

What is the cerebellum and describe it.

A

It is a walnut shaped structure

Located below and largely behind cerebrum

Involved in unconscious coordination ( reflexes and body movements)
- Voluntary motor skills (hitting tennis ball, playing piano)

Receives information from specialized sensors (proprioceptors - located within skeletal muscles and joints)

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20
Q

What is the medulla oblongata and describe it.

A

Sits at base of the brain stem - connects brain with spinal cord

Contains centers that control autonomic, involuntary movements (heart rate, breathing, dilation and constriction of blood vessels)

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21
Q

What is the pons and describe it?

A

It is found above and in front of the medulla oblongata

Serves as a relay center between - neurons of the right and left halves of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and rest of brain

22
Q

What is the Midbrain and describe it?

A

It is found above the pons

Relays visual and auditory information - between areas of the forebrain and hindbrain

Plays important role in eye movement - control of skeletal muscles

23
Q

What is the Thalamus and what does it do?

A

It sits at the base of the forebrain

Consists of neurons that provide connections between various parts of the brain
- between forebrain and hindbrain
- sensory system (not smell) and cerebellum

Often referred to as “the great relay station of the brain”

24
Q

What is the Hypothalamus and what does it do?

A

It helps regulate the bodies internal environment and behavior

Contains neurons that control blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, basic drives (thirst, hunger), emotions (fear, rage)

Damage to it - person can display unusual, violent behavior

Major link between nervous and endocrine systems

Coordinates the actions of the pituitary gland - regulating and producing the release of certain hormones

25
Q

What is the cerebrum and what does it do?

A

Largest part of the brain

Divided into right and left cerebral hemispheres (contains the intellect, memory, conscious, and language centres)

It interprets and controls the response to sensory information

26
Q

What are the meninges and what are its three layers?

A

Meninges are a three layer, elastic protective tissue that protects the central nervous system

Dura mater, arachnoid layer, and pia mater

27
Q

What causes meningitis and how can it be diagnosed?

A

Meningitis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection - it can be diagnosed by testing cerebrospinal fluid

28
Q

How do the meninges protect the CNS?

A

Act as shock absorbers - prevent the direct circulation of blood through the cells of the brain and spinal cord

29
Q

What is the separation of blood and the CNS called?

A

The blood brain barrier.

30
Q

What happens if oxygen supply to the brain is disrupted?

A

stroke - when arteries that supply the brain with blood are blocked

31
Q

What are the blood capillaries that lead to the brain made of?

A

Tighly fused Epilethial cells

32
Q

What is the total amount of cerebrospinal fluid in an adult and how much is produced per day?

A

150 ml - in adult

500ml - produced per day

33
Q

Where is the cerebrospinal fluid found and what does it transport?

A

In the ventricles within the brain

They transport: hormones, nutrients, and white blood cells

34
Q

What two layers of the meninges is cerebrospinal fluid found?

A

Between arachnoid layer and pia mater.

35
Q

What does each half of the cerebrum consist of?

A

Internal mass of white matter

Thin outer layer made of grey matter - cerebral cortex

36
Q

What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?

A

language, memory, personality, vision, conscious thought - any other activities involved with thinking or feeling.

37
Q

Describe the structure of the cerebral cortex?

A

About 5mm thick - highly convoluted (allows to fit high concentration of grey matter)

Convolution and fissures - increase surface area

38
Q

What are the left and right halves of the cerebrum called and what links them?

A

Left and right Hemispheres

Linked by white matter - corpus collosum (sends messages from one hemisphere to other - telling other what the other is doing)

39
Q

What is the right brain or right cerebral hemisphere associated with?

A

holistic and intuitive thinking, visual spatial skills, and artistic abilities

40
Q

What is the left brain or left cerebral hemisphere associated with?

A

segmental, sequential, and logical ways of thinking - mathematical and linguistic skills

41
Q

Four pairs of lobes that each pair of the cerebral cortex is divided into?

A

Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, and Temporal Lobe

42
Q

Describe the occipital lobe.

A

Receives and analyzes visual information - needed for recognition of what is being seen

Damage to occipital lobes - person can see object but not recognize them

43
Q

Describe the temporal lobe.

A

Share in the process of visual information - main function is auditory reception

Linked to understanding speech - retrieving visual and verbal memories

44
Q

Describe the parietal lobe.

A

Receive and processes sensory information from the skin

Portion of parietal lobe in a particular area of the body - related to the importance of sensory information for this part of the body

Helps process information about bodies position and orientation

45
Q

Describe the frontal lobe.

A

Integrates information from other parts of the brain - controls reasoning, critical thinking, memory and personality

Broca’s area - involved with language use

Contains motor areas that control voluntary motor movements

Proportion of frontal lobe is dedicated to particular part of body - correlates with degree of complexity movement that body structure can make

46
Q

How is it possible that each side of the brain controls muscles on the opposite side of the body.

A

The nerves leading from right to left in the frontal lobe cross over in the brainstem

47
Q

What are two important areas on the left side of the cerebral cortex involved with speech?

A

Broca’s area - coordinates muscles for speaking - makes thoughts words (damage to it can affect ability to speak - can still understand words though)

Wernicke’s area - stores information involved in language comprehension (if damaged you can utter words - words will make little sense though)

48
Q

Who is Phineas George?

A

Explosion drove metal bar through frontal lobe - he experienced a personality change

49
Q

What did Wilder Penfield do?

A

Canadian Nobel Prize recipient - He operated on people with epilepsy - applied electrical currents to surface of brain to find the problem areas

50
Q

What is PET and what does it do?

A

Positron Emission Tomography

Person receives injection of radioactively labelled glucose - scanner monitors glucose consumption in the brain

Can be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s (detoriation of brain that leads to memory loss, confusion, lack of conscious movements).

51
Q

What is MRI and how does it work?

A

Magnetic renosance imaging

Magnet is put on persons head - changes in direction of the magnetic field - induce hydrogen atoms in the brain to emit radio signals

These images signals can be detected, translated, and displayed as structural and functional images.