structure of the nervous system

Question 1

how many directional terminology is used in neuroscience? name them and explain.

Answer 1

6.
dorsal - top, ventral- bottom , anterior - in front of ,posterior-behind , medial -going towards the mid line and lateral - going towards the side.

Question 2

what are the three main types of section?

Answer 2

horizontal - horizontally
coronal - e.g a section going from back to front
sagital - middle

Question 3

what are the two man parts of the nervous system ?

Answer 3

The central nervous system(CNS) and the peropheral nervous system (PNS)

Question 4

List the parts of the CNS and PNS.

Answer 4

CNS- the brain and spinal cord

PNS- somatic and autonomic nervous systems

Question 5

subdivisions of the somatic nervous system

Answer 5

SAME
efferent nerves - motor nervers that go from the cns to skeletal muscles
Afferent nerves - sensory nerves that moves information from the periphery to the CNS

Question 6

Subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system

Answer 6

this regulates homeostasis.
sympathetic- fight or flight
parasympathetic - rest and digest.

Question 7

what is the function of the ventricular system?

Answer 7

the ventricular system cushions and supports the brain.

Question 8

what are the parts of the ventricular system?

Answer 8

two lateral ventricles , one third ventricle the cerebral aqueduct and the fourth ventricle.

Question 9

which sections are the best sections to view the ventricular systems?

Answer 9

the horizontal and coronal sections are the best sections to view the ventricular systems.

Question 10

what is meningitis?

Answer 10

meningitis refers to inflation of the meninges of the brain due to an infection.

Question 11

what is the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 11

this is a small gap between endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of the brain that allow certain substances to pass through. lipophilic substances can easily pass through the brain but larger molecules cannot pass.

Question 12

what is the area postrema? why do lipophilic substances easily pass through the bbb?

Answer 12

area prostrema is the area of the brain this is responsible for inducing vomiting and is the area of weakness in the bbb.

Question 13

what are dendritic spines ?

Answer 13

these are protrusions that extend from brain cells.

Question 14

what are the two main types of brain cells?

Answer 14

the two main types of brain cells are neurons and glial cells.

Question 15

functions of neurons and glial cells respectively?

Answer 15

neurons are responsible for the processing and transmission of information. glial cells are support cells , responsible for clean up and repair and myelination, it also modulates neuronal activity. neuron : glial cells ratio 80:100 billion.

Question 16

what are the parts of a neuron.

Answer 16

axon, dendrites, cell body, axon hillock, and terminal buttons.

Question 17

what is the function of each part of the neuron.

Answer 17

cell body: core- contains nucleus and dna
axon: carries information from the cell body to the terminal buttons.
axon hillock: where an action potential is established. juction of the cell body and axon.
dendrites- gather infrmation from other neurons
terminal button- connects with the dendrites of other neurons , conveys information to other neurons

Question 18

what is the difference between white matter and grey matter?

Answer 18

white matter refers to areas of the brain that are rich in myelinated axons of neurons e.g corpus callosum. while gray matter refers to the areas of the nervous system that are rich in cell bodies and blood vessels

Question 19

how are axons grouped in the nervous system?

Answer 19

in the nervous system, the grouping of axons is divided into two groups; nerves and tracts.

Question 20

what is the difference between a nerve and a tract?

Answer 20

one of the major difference between the two groupings of axons is the locations. tracts are found in the CNS while nerves are found in the PNS.

Question 21

what is a tract?

Answer 21

this refers to the groupings of axons in the CNS, they connect nuclei in the brain to each other. white matter consists mostly of tracts.

Question 22

what is a nerve?

Answer 22

A nerve is a collection of axons in the PNS. E.G phrenic nerve? c3,4,5 keeps the diaphragm alive.

Question 23

what do u call a cluster or collection of cell body in the CNS AND PNS

Answer 23

Nucleus and ganglia respectively

Question 24

how are nuclei distinguished?

Answer 24

they are distinguished by their structure, function, and chemical composition.

Question 25

what is the outer layer of the brain called?

Answer 25

the cerebral cortex. this is grey matter since it would be a collection of cell bodies

Question 26

what is the function of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 26

consciousness, high level functioning

Question 27

describe the structural appearance of the cerebral cortex.

Answer 27

the cerebral cortex has a wrinkled appearance due to the cortex folding in upon itself during development to occupy less space. it has many gyri and sulci.

Question 28

what is the difference between a gyrus and a sulcus?

Answer 28

a gyrus is a convulotion in the cerebral cortex while a sulcus is a grove thats found between the gyri of the cerebral cortex.

Question 29

what are the three major external features of the brain ?

Answer 29

1the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brain stem.

Question 30

what are the functions of the three external features of the brain?

Answer 30

cerebrum- higher functioning , cerebellum - motor co-ordination, brain stem - controls respiration , heart rates, conects the brain to the spinal cord.

Question 31

how is the cerebral cortex divided?

Answer 31

the cortex is divided into the left and right hemisphere. whuch is further divided into the four lobes.

Question 32

name the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and list two function for each

Answer 32

frontal lobes-motor control, exec functions
parietal - touch sensation and propioception.
temporal - auditory , languageproduction , taste
occipital - vision

Question 33

what is the function of the corpus callosum

Answer 33

corpus calllosum connects the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain. allowing them to work together.

Question 34

what are the parts of the limbic system?

Answer 34

cingulate cortex,amygdala and hippocampus

Question 35

Newly evolved regions like the cortex sit atop older regions (the limbic system), and those in turn sit atop even older regions (the brainstem

Answer 35

Newly evolved regions like the cortex sit atop older regions (the limbic system), and those in turn sit atop even older regions (the brainstem

Question 36

function of the limbic system CcAH

Answer 36

Cingulate cortex - emotional processing and memory
amygdala- fear ,aggression and emotional memories
hippocampus - formation of long term memories.

Question 37

parts of the basal ganglia

Answer 37

caudate nucleus, putamen( 1 and 2 = striatum) and globus pallidus

Question 38

what is the substantia nagria

Answer 38

part of the midbrain. It contains numerous dopaminergic neurons that project into the basal ganglia

Question 39

what are the major parts of the brainstem ?

Answer 39

the diencephalon, the mid brain and the hind brain

Question 40

-Diencephalon:
>Thalamus
>Hypothalamus – “below/under (G.) thalamus”
-Midbrain:
Contains neurons that produce dopamine that project to various other brain regions.
-Hindbrain:
>Pons – “bridge (L.)”
Connects the cerebellum to the brainstem.
>Medulla – “marrow (L.)”
Controls breathing & heart rate.
Connects the brain to the spinal cord.

Answer 40

Diencephalon:
Thalamus
Hypothalamus – “below/under (G.) thalamus”
Midbrain:
Contains neurons that produce dopamine that project to various other brain regions.

Hindbrain:
Pons – “bridge (L.)”
Connects the cerebellum to the brainstem.
Medulla – “marrow (L.)”
Controls breathing & heart rate.
Connects the brain to the spinal cord.