Structure of the Nervous System

Question 1

What is the nervous system made of?

Answer 1

Neurons and glia (nervous tissue)

Question 2

what do neurons do?

Answer 2

Communicate with other neurons

Question 3

What does glia do?

Answer 3

Support neural function and clears out debris, toxins and bacteria from the brain

Question 4

What is the central nervous system composed of?

Answer 4

Brain and spinal cord

Question 5

What is the peripheral nervous system composed of?

Answer 5

Nerves

Question 6

What are the 2 divisions of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 6

Somatic (SNS) and Autonomic (ANS)

Question 7

What are the 2 divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 7

Sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 8

What does the sympathetic nervous system do?

Answer 8

fight/flight response

Question 9

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

Answer 9

Feed or breed (rest or digest)

digestion, calm, formation of sex cells, etc

Question 10

What is the name of the 1st phase of the development of the CNS?

Answer 10

Gastrulation

Question 11

What happens 5 days after fertilization of an ocyte by a sperm?

Answer 11

A blastocyst (fluid-filled ball) begins to form

Question 12

What is into a blastocyst?

Answer 12

The embryonic disk: mass of cells that develop within the blastocyst and will become an organism

Question 13

What does the blastocyst transform into? What is this process called?

Answer 13

The gastrula, through gastrulation

Question 14

What are the 3 layers of cells composing the gastrula?

Answer 14

Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm

Question 15

What will the ectoderm form eventually?

Answer 15

Nervous system and skin

Question 16

What will the mesoderm form eventually?

Answer 16

muscles, skeleton and internal organs, circulatory system

Question 17

What will the endoderm form eventually?

Answer 17

digestive system, lungs and glands

Question 18

What is neurulation?

Answer 18

developmental process by which the neural tube is formed

Question 19

What is the step after gastrulation?

Answer 19

the edges of the ectoderm raise and become neural folds, this results in a central depression called neural groove

Question 20

What is the notochord?

Answer 20

will serve of skeleton to the embryo until the vertebrae forms (made of cells from the mesoderm)

Question 21

What part of the gastrula will become the spinal cord?

Answer 21

The neural plate (neural folds+neural groove)

Question 22

What will happen to the neural folds?

Answer 22

They will move towards each other and fuse, forming the neural tube

Question 23

What is the neural crest made of

Answer 23

Cells from the ectoderm migrating to both sides of the neural tube

Question 24

What role does the mesoderm play in neurulation?

Answer 24

It forms protusions (somites) on either side of the neural tube, which will make the vertebras

Question 25

When does the neural tube expands to become the primary brain vesicles?

Answer 25

25 days after conception

Question 26

What part of the neural tube will form the primary brain vesicles?

Answer 26

The rostral end

Question 27

What are the 3 primary brain vesicles?

Answer 27

Forebrain Midbrain Hindbrain

Question 28

After how much time will the primary brain vesicles become secondary brain vesicles?

Answer 28

40 days after conception

Question 29

What secondary brain vesicles are associated with the forebrain?

Answer 29

Telencephalon and Diencephalon

Question 30

What secondary brain vesicle are associated with the midbrain?

Answer 30

Mesencephalon

Question 31

What secondary brain vesicle are associated with the hindbrain?

Answer 31

Metencephalon and myelencephalon

Question 32

What parts of the brain will the telencephalon become?

Answer 32

the brain hemispheres (cortex), the basal ganglia, the olfactory bulb, the hippocampus and the amygdala

Question 33

What parts of the brain will the diencephalon become?

Answer 33

The thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 34

What parts of the brain will the mesencephalon become?

Answer 34

The tectum (superior colliculus and inferior colliculus), and the tegmentum (periaqueductal gray matter, substantia nigra and red nucleus)

Question 35

What parts of the brain will the metencephalon become?

Answer 35

The cerebellum and the pons

Question 36

What parts of the brain will the myelencephalon become?

Answer 36

The medulla

Question 37

What are the roles of the circumvolutions on the surface of the brain?

Answer 37

* Can augment the surface area of the cortex * Have roles in enhancing connectivity between neurons * Serve as anatomical landmarks useful for designating specific brain areas (ex: interhemispheric fissure)

Question 38

What important structures are in the frontal lobes?

Answer 38

Broca's area (left lobe), precentral gyrus (primary motor cortex)

Question 39

What important structures are in the parietal lobes?

Answer 39

The primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus), the posterior parietal cortex, and the medial parietal region

Question 40

What important structures are in the temporal lobes?

Answer 40

Wernicke's area, and primary auditory cortex

Question 41

What important structures are in the occipital lobes?

Answer 41

Primary visual cortex

Question 42

What is the Broca's area responsible for?

Answer 42

speech production

Question 43

What is the precentral gyrus (primary motor cortex) responsible for?

Answer 43

body movement

Question 44

What is the primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus) responsible for?

Answer 44

Sensation in parts of the body

Question 45

What is the posterior parietal cortex responsible for?

Answer 45

Proprioception (ability to sense the position of the body)

Question 46

What is the medial parietal region responsible for?

Answer 46

"route knowledge"

Question 47

What is the Wernicke's area responsible for?

Answer 47

understanding language

Question 48

What is the primary auditory cortex responsible for?

Answer 48

analyze of sounds

Question 49

What is the primary visual cortex responsible for?

Answer 49

Where visual information is 1st analyzed

Question 50

What are the 3 subcortical structures

Answer 50

The basal ganglia, the hippocampus and the amygdala

Question 51

What is the basal ganglia composed of (3 nuclei)

Answer 51

- Ventral striatum (nucleus acumbens) - Dorsal Striatum (caudate nucleus and putamen) - Substantia Nigra

Question 52

What is the basal ganglia responsible for?

Answer 52

smooth exectution of movements and selection of appropriate actions

Question 53

What is the hippocampus responsible for?

Answer 53

Plays a role in memory and in spatial environment navigation

Question 54

What is the amygdala responsible for?

Answer 54

processing emotions and fear

Question 55

What are the 2 structures of the forebrain?

Answer 55

Diencephalon and Telencephalon

Question 56

What is the role of the thalamus?

Answer 56

rely station between sensory receptors and interpreting brain regions (except for smells)

Question 57

What is the hypothalamus responsible for?

Answer 57

major player in body homeostasis and in the release of hormones

Question 58

What is the midbrain responsible for?

Answer 58

Motor movements, auditory and visual processing

Question 59

What is the midbrain (mesencephalon) composed of?

Answer 59

The tectum (superior and inferior colliculus) and tegmentum

Question 60

What is the hindbrain composed of?

Answer 60

The pons, the medulla and the cerebellum

Question 61

How is the spinal cord divided in terms of spinal nerves?

Answer 61

* 8 cervical (8 spinal nerves) * 12 thoracic (12 spinal nerves) * 5 lumbar (5 spinal nerves) * 5 sacral (5 spinal nerves) * 3 coccygeal (1 spinal nerve)

Question 62

How many spinal nerves are there considering we have 33 vertebras? why?

Answer 62

31 spinal nerves; the 2 last coccygeal vertebrae do not have a corresponding spinal nerve

Question 63

What is the grey matter in the spinal cord made of?

Answer 63

cell bodies of neurons (ventral and dorsal roots are made of this)

Question 64

What is the white matter in the spinal cord made of?

Answer 64

axons of the neurons (carry info from and to the brain)

Question 65

Where do sensory nerve fibers enter the spinal cord through?

Answer 65

The dorsal nerve root (made of ascending fibers)

Question 66

Where do motor nerve fibers exit the spinal cord through?

Answer 66

Ventral nerve roots (descending fibers)

Question 67

What are the 2 parts of the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 67

Somatic NS (brain and major muscles/sensory systems) and Autonomic NS (brain and viscera; sympathetic and parasympathetic NS)

Question 68

What are the 3 layers of protection of the brain?

Answer 68

- Meninges - Cerebrospinal fluid - Blood-brain barrier

Question 69

What are the 3 parts of the meninges?

Answer 69

Pia mater Arachnoid Dura mater