Overview of CNS: Structure and Function

Question 1

what type of fibers does the spinal cord contain?

Answer 1

ascending sensory from periphery
descending motor from the brain

Question 2

where is the gray matter in the brain?

Answer 2

on the outside
cell bodies

Question 3

where is the auditory cortex?

Answer 3

temporal lobe of the cerebrum

Question 4

what is the insular cortex part of?

Answer 4

network involved in taste

Question 5

how many distinct cellular layers does the cortex have?

Answer 5

6

Question 6

where do association fibers connect different parts of the cortex?

Answer 6

within the cortex

Question 7

where do commissural fibers connect different parts of the cortex?

Answer 7

between the hemispheres

Question 8

where do projection fibers go?

Answer 8

travel to and from areas outside of the cortex

Question 9

what is the hippocampus important for?

Answer 9

forming new memories
spatial navigation

Question 10

what area of the brain is important for regulation of emotional response to sensory stimuli?

Answer 10

amygdala

Question 11

what is the amygdala involved in?

Answer 11

arousal
regulation of emotional response to sensory stimuli
emotional memories
PTSD

Question 12

what does the basal nuclei do?

Answer 12

integrator voluntary motor output
goal-oriented, reward related behaviors

Question 13

what is the nucleus accumbens in the basal nuclei implicated in?

Answer 13

all rewarding behaviors
including sex and feeding

Question 14

what does the nucleus accumbens in the basal nuclei receive dopaminergic inputs from?

Answer 14

midbrain area

Question 15

what are the major components of the diencephalon?

Answer 15

epithalamus
subthalamus
thalamus
hypothalamus

Question 16

what is the subthalamus involved in?

Answer 16

rhythmic movement

Question 17

what does the thalamus regulate?

Answer 17

consciousness
sleep
alertness

Question 18

what is the primary interface between the endocrine and autonomic regulation of homeostasis with regulatory input from the forebrain?

Answer 18

hypothalamus

Question 19

what structures are included in the limbic system?

Answer 19

amygdala
hippocampus
cingulate gyrus

Question 20

what are the major fiber tracts that connect the limbic structures to the hypothalamus?

Answer 20

stria terminalis
fornix

Question 21

where are most cranial nerves and their associated nuclei found?

Answer 21

brainstem

Question 22

where are the rostral and caudal colliculus?

Answer 22

tectum of mesencephalon

Question 23

what does the medulla/myencephalon do?

Answer 23

controls autonomic functions
relays nerve signals between brain and spinal cord

Question 24

where does the ascending reticular activating system project to?

Answer 24

thalamus
cortex

Question 25

what are some functions of the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS)?

Answer 25

circadian rhythms
attention
motivated behaviors
lots of basic functions

Question 26

which cranial nerves are involved in afferent input?

Answer 26

I
II
V
VII
VIII
IX
X

Question 27

what is the cingulate cortex important for?

Answer 27

emotions

Question 28

what is the insular cortex involved in?

Answer 28

taste

Question 29

what does the epithalamus include?

Answer 29

pineal gland and habenula nuclei

Question 30

what are some things that the hypothalamus regulates?

Answer 30

heart rate and blood pressure
body temperature
fluid and electrolyte balance (including thirst)
appetite and metabolism
glandular secretions of the stomach and intestines
production of releasing factors for pituitary gland
sleep cycles

Question 31

what is the limbic system?

Answer 31

ring of structures closely associated with lateral ventricle
highly conserved

Question 32

what is the limbic system important for?

Answer 32

control species-survival related behavior
learning and memory

Question 33

what are the rostral and caudal colliculus involved in?

Answer 33

reflexes allowing head to turn towards visual or auditory stimulus

Question 34

what does the periaqueductal gray do?

Answer 34

plays an important role in coordinated autonomic and motor responses to emotional experiences

Question 35

what does the pons/metencephalon do?

Answer 35

arousal
assists in controlling autonomic functions
relays sensory information between the cerebrum and cerebellum
sleep

Question 36

what is the prefrontal cortex important for?

Answer 36

reward-related behavior
impulse control
general arousal/attention

Question 37

what degenerates during aging?

Answer 37

hippocampus

Question 38

what is the periaqueductal gray involved in?

Answer 38

descending pain pathways