Nervous System Overview & CNS (1 more Q) Flashcards
Function of Corpus callosum?
- attaches L & R hemispheres of Brain! So they can communicate with each other
Function of Frontal lobe
-Prefrontal cortex: Solves issues, planning, judging, memory, & social behavior
- Primary motor cortex: Motor output for movements that can be consciously controlled
- Broca’s Area of L Hemisphere: Has control over mechanical elements of speaking
Function of Parietal lobe
- Primary somatosensory cortex: Manages sensory input from inner organs of the body’s main cavities, muscle, and skin
Function of Temporal lobe
- Auditory cortex & association areas: Manages & stores sound input
- Olfactory cortex: Manages info about smell
Function of Occipital lobe
- Visual cortex & association areas: Manages & stores visual input from the eyes
Wernicke’s area (Location & Function)
- In Left Hemisphere junction of Occipital, Parietal, & Temporal lobe
- Manages written & auditory input that are related to language
Function of Hippocampus
Helps with learning and memory
- Ex: Remembering people’s names
Function of Amygdala
- Helps with emotional learning, behavior, & memory
- Ex: Anger and aggression & fear
- Ex: Provides emotional overtones (like or dislike)
- Imp for making memories & process of learning
Function of Hypothalamus
- Affects behavior & emotions
- Ex: anger and aggression, fear, feeding, sex drive and behavior, & goal-directed behavior (reward and punishment system
Function of Thalamus
Transmission center where majority of sensory info passes through and goes to the Cerebrum
Function of Cerebellum
Helps with motor learning/muscle memory & coordination of balance and movement
- Involuntary (Reflexive kind of learning)
Function of Brain stem
Several imp functions of life like:
- breathing
- consciousness
- blood pressure
- heart rate
- sleep
a. Midbrain:
i. Cerebral peduncles: nerve tracts attaching Cerebrum with other parts for motor coordination (Ex: Red nucleus and Substantia nigra)
ii. Corpora quadrigemina (superior & inferior colliculi): Visual/auditory
reflexes centers
What is Memory ?
- Stored & received info that can be recovered/ recalled in the future
- A collection of groups of neuron’s activities
What does the left hemisphere of the brain generally specialize in? Right hemisphere?
- Left Hemisphere: Math, logic, Language
- Gets input from & has control over Right side
- Right hemisphere: Spatial relations, Pattern/face recognition, Nonverbal thinking
- Gets input from & has control over Left side
What are the differences between the types of memory?
- Working memory: Short storage of specific information needed for a task immediately
- Lasts only a few seconds to minutes
- Frontal cortex is mostly involved;
- Ex: Remembering phone
number to type it into the phone
- Ex: Remembering phone
- Short-term memory: stored memory that lasts for minutes to days but vanishes quickly; Long term potentiation is included, which increases Synaptic transmission
and hippocampus (Ex: Remembering factual info, while cramming for an exam) - Long-term memory: Stored memory that’s more stable & lasts days to years;
Achieved with active practice and rehearsal, bigger capacity
What are the structural elements of the CNS ?
Spinal Cord & Brain
- Medulla oblongata
- Pons
- Midbrain
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Diencephalon
What are the structural elements of the PNS ?
Nerves that transfer to & from the CNS
- Surrounds entire body, but is outside of Brain & Spinal cord
What are the major parts of a Neuron and their function?
- Cell body: gets input; area for the majority of organelles (Ex: nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, etc); dendrites and axon are connected to the cell body; this is where graded potentials happen
- Dendrites: highly branched extensions that get input; graded potentials occur here
- Axon: long extension that carries electrical signals away from the cell body to the axon to a target cell; action potentials happen here
- Axon hillock: the part of the axon that’s close to the cell body where the action potential comes from
- Axon terminals: bulges at the end of the axon that frees neurotransmitters to interact with the target cell
What are the Major Glial cells of PNS & their tasks?
- Satellite cells: Gives support to Neurons’ cell bodies inside of the Ganglia of the PNS
- Schwann cells: Wrap around a short section of a single axon, which makes a sheath around the axon. On certain axons, the these cells wrap around the axon several times, creating insulation called myelin, which increases the speed of conduction of the signal. If the axon of a peripheral neuron gets damaged, these cells make a tube to give a route to support with the regeneration (fixing) of the neuron.
What are the Major Glial cells of CNS & their tasks?
- Oligodendrocytes: Cells with octopus-like appearance, that wrap around parts of many, as a way to make the myelination. This increases the speed of conduction in the CNS
- Microglia: resident immune cells that relocate through the CNS to absorb debris, waste, and pathogens
- Ependymal cells: Spinal Cord’s & Brain’s Line ventricles; Its Cilia supports by spreading cerebral spinal fluid
- Astrocytes: Helps with controlling the CNS’ neuron environment by getting rid of extra K+, collecting neurotransmitters, developing the blood brain barrier (tight junctions between endothelial cells of blood vessels to block/limit possibly dangerous substances from entering) and “nourishing” the CNS neurons by absorbing glucose and giving the glucose to the Neuron
Apply the different components of a positive feedback system to a concrete example related to the Nervous System
Positive feedback:
Stimulus: Head of baby pushes against cervix
Sensor: Cervix
Afferent pathway (Sensory neurons): Nerve impulses from Cervix transferred to Brain
Integrating center: Brain stimulates pituitary gland to secrete oxytocin
Efferent pathway (Motor neuron): Oxytocin carried in bloodstream to uterus
Target/effector: Uterus
Response: Oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions and pushes baby towards cervix
Apply the different components of a negative feedback system to a concrete example related to the Nervous System
Stimulus: Body temperature exceed 37 degrees C
Sensor: Nerve cells in skin & brain
Afferent pathway (Sensory neurons):
Integrating center: Temperature Regulatory center in Brain
Efferent pathway (Motor neuron):
Target/effector: Sweat glands throughout body
Response: More heat loss
