Structure of the Nervous System Flashcards
What is the nervous system divided into?
the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What does the CNS consist of?
The brain and spinal cord
What is the PNS subdivided into?
the somatic nervous system (SNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS)
What does the SNS consist of?
nerve fibres that connect to the skin, muscles and joints
What does the ANS do?
regulates functions of organs and glands
What is the ANS subdivided into?
the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the forebrain?
Ventricles:
- lateral
- third
Subdivisions
- Telencephalon
- Diencephalon
Principle structures of Telencephalon:
- Cerebral cortex
- Basal ganglia
- Limbic system
Principle structures of Diencephalon
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the midbrain?
Ventricle:
- Cerebral aqueduct
Subdivision
- Mesencephalon
Principle structure of Mesencephalon:
- Tectum Tegmentum
What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the hindbrain?
Ventricle
- Fourth
Subdivisions:
- Metencephalon
- Myelencephalon
Principle Structures associated with Metencephalon
- Cerebellum
- Pons
Principle structures associated with the Myelencephalon
- Medulla oblongata
Which is the largest section of the brain?
The forebrain
What is the cerebral cortex?
Thin, wrinkled layer of tissue covering the brain consisting of two hemispheres
How does the cerebral cortex fit in the skull?
it is crumpled up (area 2500 cm^2)
What are the grooves and bulges of the cerebral cortex called?
- grooves are called sulcus (sulci)
- bulges are called gyrus (gyri)
- Deep sulci are called fissures
What is the outer bit of the cerebral cortex called?
the grey matter (made up of cell bodies)
What is the inner bit of the cerebral cortex called?
white matter (made up of axons and dendrites)
How do the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex communicate?
Through the corpus callosum
What can the cerebral cortex be divided into and how?
- Cerebral cortex can be divided into four cortical lobes by fissures:
Frontal – central fissure divides this from parietal
Parietal – occipital fissure divides this from occipital
Occipital Lobe – extra occipital fissure divides this from temporal
Temporal lobe – sylvian fissure divides this from frontal lobe - FPOT
What function does the occipital lobe have?
primary visual cortex – processing sensory visual information, located at back of head near Calcarine fissure
What function does the temporal lobe have?
primary auditory cortex – near sylvian fissure
What functions does the frontal lobe have?
- primary motor cortex – different parts control different areas of the body (neurons in different regions of the motor cortex connect to muscles in different regions of the contralateral side of the body)
- Primary somatosensory cortex – adjacent to primary motor cortex, takes information from the outside and processes it accordingly (receives information from the body senses; different regions receive information from different parts of the body)
What organisation does the Primary motor cortex have?
- Somatotopic organisation
- Certain body parts are organised in the motor cortex in a specific way
- A large part of the motor cortex is dedicated to hand movement and another large part is dedicated to face movement because we use them a lot
What is a Brodmann area?
a region of the cerebral cortex based on its cytoarchitectonics, or structure and organization of cells
How many areas did Brodmann distinguish?
- 46 areas, each carrying an individual number and some being further subdivided
- Humans have 47 different cell types in the cerebral cortex
What have many of the areas Brodmann defined based solely on their neuronal organization since be correlated closely to?
diverse cortical functions (i.e. Brodmann areas 1, 2 and 3 are the primary somatosensory cortex; 17 – primary visual cortex)