Nervous System Flashcards
peripheral (“outside of center”) nervous system
includes everything but brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System is divided between…
somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
somatic (“body”) nervous system
nerve fibers connecting muscles and senses
autonomic (“self-rule”) nervous system (ANS)
regulates vital functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion
Autonomic nervous system is divided between…
sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
sympathetic (“with feeling”) branch
tends to “rev-up” bodily activities in preparation for vigorous action; excited/energy-consuming states, mobilizes for emergency
Sympathetic branch would…
dilates pupils, relaxes bronchi, accelerates/strengthens heartbeat, inhibits activity, and contracts vessels.
Sympathetic branch is referred to as…
“fight or flight” system.
parasympathetic (“goes with sympathetic”) branch
tends to restore body’s internal activities to normal after action has been completed; vegetative/energy-conserving states, maintains normal functioning
Parasympathetic branch would…
contract pupils, constricts bronchi, slows heartbeat, stimulates activity, and dilates vessels.
Parasympathetic branch is referred to as…
“feed and breed” or “rest and digest” system.
central (“center”) nervous system (CNS)
includes brain and spinal cord
The brain ages…
inside-out. The hindbrain is the oldest; the cortex is the newest.
Brain divided into…
hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain.
hindbrain
coordinates function fundamental to survival located at lower back part of brain
Cat dissected above hindbrain can…
move but not act.
Hindbrain is divided between the…
medulla oblongata, pons, and cerebellum (“little brain”).
medulla oblongata (“oblong marrow”)
responsible for breathing, heartbeat, and blood circulation
pons (“bridge”)
responsible for arousal and attention
cerebellum (“little brain”)
responsible for integration of muscles to perform fine movements, but no coordination/direction of these movements
midbrain
forms movements into acts and controls whole body responses to visual/auditory stimuli located at topmost part of brainstem
Cat dissected above midbrain can…
move/act, but without purpose.
superior colliculus (“upper hills”)
initiates motor commands and visual processing
substantia nigra (“black substance”)
produces dopamine and located
Parkinson’s disease cause by…
too little dopamine in brain.
forebrain (cerebrum/”brain”)
cerebral hemispheres connected by corpus callosum
Forebrain/Cerebrum is divided between…
thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, and cortex.
thalamus (“inner chamber”)
sensory and motor relay center
hypothalamus (“below inner chamber”)
controls responses to basic needs (food/temperature/sex)
basal ganglia
regulates muscle contractions for smooth movements
limbic (“border”) sytem
responsible for memory and emotion
Limbic system is divided between the…
hippocampus (memory) and amygdala (emotion).
Cerebral cortex divided into…
frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes.
cerebral cortex (“bark/skin”) or neocortex (“new bark/skin”)
outermost layer of forebrain and regulates higher motor/sensory/intellectual functions
Cat dissected above limbic system can…
act normal with purpose, but clumsy.
corpus callosum
thick bundle of fibers connecting cerebral hemispheres
Each hemisphere controls…
opposite side of body.
phrenology
pseudoscience involving the measurement of bumps on the skills to predict mental traits
Gall established…
phrenology as a explanation for aphasic diagnosis that damaged the frontal lobe of a soldier.
Phineas Gage experienced…
damage to part of his frontal lobe resulting in personality change from responsible/gentle to argumentative/impulsive/vile.
In 1865, Broca identified…
region in patient’s brain responsible for speech.
In 1874, Wernicke identified…
region responsible for comprehension.
frontal lobe
responsible for planning, social behavior, motor control located at front of brain
parietal lobe
responsible for sense of touch (somatosensory) located at the top-back of brain
occipital lobe
responsible for vision located at back of brain
temporal lobe
responsible for hearing and memory located at side of brain
central fissure
groove running down the middle of the lateral (side) surface of brain, separating the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe
lateral fissure
groove separating from frontal, parietal, and temporal lobe
Left hemisphere dictates…
language.
Right hemisphere dictates…
spatial abilities.
Front of the brain dictates…
expression, actions, and plans.
Back of the brain dictates…
reception, perceptions, and interpretations.
Damage to non-primary cortex can be classified as…
pre-frontal lesions, apraxia, and agnosia.
Pre-frontal cortex lesions can cause…
loss of planning, moral reasoning, sensitivity to social context, loss of initiation of action, or deliberation.
apraxia (“no doing”)
failure in sequencing components of actions; inability to organize movements
Frontal lesions forward of the motor cortex can cause…
apraxia (loss of fine motor control).
agnosia (“no knowing”)
deficit in interpreting, categorizing, labeling and knowing
Lesions to the occipital temporal lobes can cause…
agnosia (interpretation/organizational deficit).
Right hemisphere parietal damage causes…
neglect; inattention to whole left side.
Left hemisphere frontal or temporal damage causes…
aphasia; deficits in language function.
aphasia
disorder of language caused by lesions to left hemisphere.
expressive aphasia
inability to produce speech caused by lesion to Broca’s area in frontal lobe
receptive aphasia
inability to comprehend or produce speech caused by lesion in Wernicke’s area in temporal lobe
Split brain studies…
severe corpus callosum to reduce seizure severity.
Split brain studies result in…
normal condition of patient with left and right brain independent in subtle ways
Left visual field goes to…
right hemisphere.
Right visual hemisphere goes to…
left hemisphere.
Penfield discovered…
the localization of motor and sensory cortices by stimulating different parts of the brain.
Motor and sensory homunculi demonstrate…
how much of the brain controls each part of the body; large portion dedicated to hands and face; small part dedicated to leg.
