Structure of the nervous system Flashcards
The adult brain does not grow new neurons. True or false?
False - it grows new smell and memory neurons.
We only use 10% of our brains. True or false?
False.
Left and right-brained people exist and this is what determines personality. True or false?
False - personality is very complex and is not down to handedness.
Size of a brain is not relative to behavioural repertoire. True or false?
True.
What constitutes as the CNS?
The brain and spinal cord.
What constitutes as the PNS?
The somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
What is the somatic nervous system?
The sensory system.
What 3 components make up the autonomic nervous system?
- sympathetic pathway
- parasympathetic pathway
- enteric system
What do you see in a coronal section of the brain?
Looking down into the brain.
What do you see in a sagittal section of the brain?
Looking into the brain from the side. A sagittal cut separates the 2 hemispheres.
All lobes are paired. True or false?
True.
Where are the frontal lobes and what do they do?
Directly behind the forehead, concerned with:
- Learning
- Voluntary movement
- Personality
- Consciousness
Where are the parietal lobes and what do they do?
On the top of the head. Receives and coordinates sensory information.
Where are the occipital lobes and what do they do?
At the back of the head, concerned with visual perception.
Where are the temporal lobes and what do they do?
Beneath the temples and concerned with speech.
There is another view of cerebral organisation in which the brain is split into 3 areas. What are they?
- Prosencephalon
- Mesencephalon
- Rhomencephalon
The Prosencephalon is split into 2 regions. What are they?
- Disencephalon
2. Cerebrum
What 5 major areas make up the disencephalon?
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- subthalamus
- epithalamus
- pretectum
What is another name for the prosencephalon?
The forebrain.
What 3 major components make up the cerebrum?
- Cerebral cortex
- white matter
- basal ganglia
What is another name for the mesencephalon?
The midbrain.
What 6 major functions does the mesencephalon have?
- Motor control
- Vision
- Hearing
- Sleep/wake
- Arousal
- Thermoregulation
What is the name for the hindbrain?
The rhomencephalon.
The rhomencephalon is split into what 3 areas?
- Medulla
- Pons
- Cerebellum
How many major cranial nerves are there?
12
What are the a) gyri and b) sulci in the brain?
a) lumps
b) folds
What is the point of the gyri and sulci?
To increase the SA of the brain.
What does the corpus callosum do?
Coordinates the left and right hemispheres.
What is the grey matter?
The cell bodies of the neurons.
What is the white matter?
The myelinated axons of the neurons.
What is the neuropil?
The space between the cell bodies.
The dorsal sections of the brain receive sensory afferent. True or false?
True.
The ventral sections of the brain receive motor afferent. True of false?
False - they relay motor efferent.
What are the meninges and what do they do?
A layer of 3 separate membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord.
What are the 3 different meninges?
- Dura mater
- Arachnoid
- Pia mater
Which meninge is a) the outermost and b) the innermost?
a) Dura mater is on the outside
b) Pia mater is on the inside
There is a fluid layer between two of the meninges for added protection. Where is it?
Between the arachnoid and pia mater.
The ventricles contain the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Where is it produced?
The choroid plexus.
What does the CSF do?
Acts as a water cushion and bathes the neural tissue.
What 2 main things does the limbic system control?
- Emotions
2. Drives, e.g. hunger or sex etc.
How does the limbic system initiate motor acts?
Via the association ganglia.
Noradrenergic and serotonergic pathway invade all brain areas. True or false?
True.
What brain area are dopaminergic pathways confined to?
The rostral section (towards the forehead).
What parts of the brain do cholinergic pathways invade?
The front (rostral) and top (dorsal) sections of the brain.
