Nervous System Flashcards
What structures are involved in the CNS?
- Brain
- Spinal Cord
What structures are involved in the PNS?
- Cranial nerves (12 pairs)
- Spinal nerves (31 pairs)
What are neurons?
- Basic structural unit of the nervous system
- Highly specialised cell that conduct electrical signals along axons
What are neural connections called?
Synapses
What are the supporting cells in both the CNS and PNS?
- Schwann cells in PNS
- Oligodendrocytes in CNS.
What are oligodendrocytes?
- Myelinating cell of the CNS
- Can myelinate several axons
What is the main difference between gray and white matter?
Gray matter contains more cell bodies and white matter contains more myelinated cells
Where is the gray matter located in the spinal cord?
Deep within the horns
Where is the gray matter located in the brain?
- Superficial gray matter in the cortex
- Deep gray matter in the basal nuclei
Where is the white matter located in the spinal cord?
Superficial to the horns
Where is the white matter located in the brain?
Deep within the brain
What structures are in the forebrain?
- Cerebrum (telencephalon)
- Thalamus, hypothalamus (diencephalon)
What structures are in the midbrain?
- Tectum
- Tegmentum
What structures are in the hindbrain?
- Medulla oblongata
- Pons
- Cerebellum
What structures make up the brainstem?
- Midbrain
- Pons
- Medulla oblongata
What is the main function of the medulla oblongata?
Connects brain to spinal cord and is responsible for complex autonomic reflexes and control of visceral functions
What is the main function of the pons?
Bridge’ linking the cerebellum with the mesencephalon, diencephalon, cerebrum and spinal cord
What is a sulcus?
A depression or groove in the cerebral cortex, fissures that surround the gyri
What is a gyrus?
Ridges within the cerebral cortex, surrounded by sulci
What are the four lobes of the brain?
Temporal, parietal, occipital & frontal
What is the function of the pre-central gyrus?
- On the lateral, parietal lobe of the brain
- Site of the primary somatosensory cortex
What is the function of the post-central gyrus?
- On the posterior, frontal lobe of the brain
- Site of the primary motor cortex
What is the function of the central sulcus?
Separates the parietal lobe from the frontal lobe and the primary motor cortex from the primary somatosensory cortex
What are the three meninges of the brain and spinal cord?
- Pia mater
- Arachnoid mater
- Dura mater
What is the pia mater?
Closest layer to brain, follows all irregularities of brain surface
What is the arachnoid mater?
Subdural layer with projections to pia (forms subarachnoid space for CSF)
What is the dura mater?
External dense connective tissue (protection)
What are dural folds?
- Divides the cranial cavity and help to hold the brain in place - Houses the venous sinuses
What are the three main dural folds?
- Falx cerebri
- Tentorium cerebelli
- Falx cerebelli
What is the filum terminale?
a delicate strand of fibrous tissue, proceeding downward from the apex of the conus medullaris to the coccyx