Structure of the Nervous System Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the nervous system divided into?

A

the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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2
Q

What does the CNS consist of?

A

The brain and spinal cord

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3
Q

What is the PNS subdivided into?

A

the somatic nervous system (SNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS)

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4
Q

What does the SNS consist of?

A

nerve fibres that connect to the skin, muscles and joints

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5
Q

What does the ANS do?

A

regulates functions of organs and glands

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6
Q

What is the ANS subdivided into?

A

the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system

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7
Q

What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the forebrain?

A

Ventricles:

  • lateral
  • third

Subdivisions

  • Telencephalon
  • Diencephalon

Principle structures of Telencephalon:

  • Cerebral cortex
  • Basal ganglia
  • Limbic system

Principle structures of Diencephalon

  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
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8
Q

What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the midbrain?

A

Ventricle:
- Cerebral aqueduct

Subdivision
- Mesencephalon

Principle structure of Mesencephalon:
- Tectum Tegmentum

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9
Q

What are the ventricles, subdivisions and principle structures associated with the subdivisions in the hindbrain?

A

Ventricle
- Fourth

Subdivisions:

  • Metencephalon
  • Myelencephalon

Principle Structures associated with Metencephalon

  • Cerebellum
  • Pons

Principle structures associated with the Myelencephalon
- Medulla oblongata

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10
Q

Which is the largest section of the brain?

A

The forebrain

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11
Q

What is the cerebral cortex?

A

Thin, wrinkled layer of tissue covering the brain consisting of two hemispheres

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12
Q

How does the cerebral cortex fit in the skull?

A

it is crumpled up (area 2500 cm^2)

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13
Q

What are the grooves and bulges of the cerebral cortex called?

A
  • grooves are called sulcus (sulci)
  • bulges are called gyrus (gyri)
  • Deep sulci are called fissures
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14
Q

What is the outer bit of the cerebral cortex called?

A

the grey matter (made up of cell bodies)

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15
Q

What is the inner bit of the cerebral cortex called?

A

white matter (made up of axons and dendrites)

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16
Q

How do the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex communicate?

A

Through the corpus callosum

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17
Q

What can the cerebral cortex be divided into and how?

A
  • 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
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18
Q

What function does the occipital lobe have?

A

primary visual cortex – processing sensory visual information, located at back of head near Calcarine fissure

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19
Q

What function does the temporal lobe have?

A

primary auditory cortex – near sylvian fissure

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20
Q

What functions does the frontal lobe have?

A
  • 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)
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21
Q

What organisation does the Primary motor cortex have?

A
  • 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
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22
Q

What is a Brodmann area?

A

a region of the cerebral cortex based on its cytoarchitectonics, or structure and organization of cells

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23
Q

How many areas did Brodmann distinguish?

A
  • 46 areas, each carrying an individual number and some being further subdivided
  • Humans have 47 different cell types in the cerebral cortex
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24
Q

What have many of the areas Brodmann defined based solely on their neuronal organization since be correlated closely to?

A

diverse cortical functions (i.e. Brodmann areas 1, 2 and 3 are the primary somatosensory cortex; 17 – primary visual cortex)

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25
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

set of structures involved in learning, memory and emotion

26
Q

What are some structures of the limbic system?

A

 Limbic cortex
 Hippocampus (plays role in memory consolidation)
 Amygdala (plays role in processing emotions – particular negative ones)
 Fornix
 Mammillary bodies (part of hypothalamus)

27
Q

What are the Basal Ganglia?

A

Set of structures involved in processing information for motor movement
- collection of subcortical nuclei in the forebrain which lie beneath the anterior portion of the lateral ventricles

28
Q

What do major structures of the Basal Ganglia motor system include?

A

 Caudate (tail) nucleus
 Putamen (shell)
 Globus Pallidus

29
Q

What is the Diencephalon?

A

Part of forebrain consisting largely of thalamus and hypothalamus

30
Q

What is the Thalamus?

A

main sensory relay for all senses (except smell) in the cortex
- Nuclei: LGN, MGN

31
Q

What is the hypothalamus and what is it primarily concerned with?

A
  • set of nuclei involved in regulating the autonomic nervous system, controlling the pituitary gland. Much of the endocrine system controlled by hormones produced in the hypothalamus
  • Primarily concerned with the body and its regulating: fighting, feeding, fleeing, mating.
32
Q

What is another name for the midbrain and what is it comprised of?

A

Mesencephalon: comprised of the tectum and tegmentum?

33
Q

What is the Tectum made up of?

A
  1. Superior colliculi – subcortical sensory pathway involved in fast eye movements (vision)
  2. Inferior colliculi – part of auditory pathway
34
Q

What role does the Tegmentum have and what is it made up of?

A
  • role in motor movement made up of 3 large nuclei:
    1. Reticular formation
    2. Red nucleus
    3. Substantia nigra
35
Q

What does the hindbrain contain?

A

both the metencephalon and the myelencephalon

36
Q

What is the Metencephalon?

A

a structure comprised of the cerebellum and the pons

37
Q

Give features of the Cerebellum

A

 Appears as a mini brain

 Involved in motor coordination and smooth execution of movement

38
Q

Give features of the Pons

A

 Part of the reticular formation
 Involved in sleep and arousal
 Link between cerebellum and cerebrum

39
Q

What does the myelencephalon contain and what is it involved in?

A

contains the medulla oblongata, involved in basic life functions, such as breathing, swallowing, vomiting, coughing and sneezing heart rate and wake-sleep cycles

40
Q

What is the spinal cord?

A

CNS tissue extending caudally from the medulla in the brain

41
Q

What is the organisation of the spinal cord?

A

the grey matter is in the middle and is surrounded by the white matter. The grey matter has a butterfly like structure – wings always ventral

42
Q

What does the spinal cord communicate with?

A

the sense organs and muscles below the level of the head

43
Q

What are the primary components of the spinal cord?

A

 Dorsal roots

 Ventral roots

44
Q

What is the Bell-Majendie law?

A

 Dorsal roots carry sensory information to the CNS – afferent
 Ventral roots carry motor information to the muscles and glands away from the CNS – efferent

45
Q

Where is the peripheral nervous system and what does it do?

A
  • Outside the skull and spine

- Brings information into the CNS and carry signals out of the CNS

46
Q

What does the somatic nervous system do?

A

controls the movement of skeletal muscles or transmits somatosensory information to the CNS

47
Q

What is the somatic nervous system made up of?

A
  • Made up of cranial and spinal nerves which are involved in processing sensory information and controlling voluntary movement
  • Afferent nerves – toward the CNS carrying sensory information
  • Efferent nerves – away from the CNS conveying motor commands
48
Q

Give functions of the Cranial nerves

A

 12 located on ventral surface of the brain
 Vagus nerve (no.10) goes into the body
 Sensory and motor functions of head and neck
 Efferent and Afferent

49
Q

Give features of Spinal nerves

A

 Peripheral nerves attached to the spinal cord

 31 pairs of nerves – afferent and efferent, travel to muscles and sensory receptors

50
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system do?

A
  • It is a portion of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s vegetative functions
  • Regulation of smooth muscles, cardiac muscles and glands
51
Q

Give features of the sympathetic nervous system

A

 Fight or flight
 Arousal, gland stimulation, preparing the body for the expenditure of energy
 Located at the top of the peripheral nervous system and bottom

52
Q

Give features of the parasympathetic system

A

 Rest and restore
 Relaxing the body
 Located in lumbar and thoracic in the middle

53
Q

In the autonomic nervous system are nerves afferent or efferent?

A

efferent

54
Q

Where are the limbic system and basal ganglia primarily located?

A

in the subcortical regions of the brain – located deep within it, beneath the cerebral cortex

55
Q

Where is the primary auditory cortex located?

A

on the upper surface of the lateral fissure

56
Q

Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?

A

vertical strip of cortex just caudal to the central sulcus

57
Q

Where is the primary motor cortex located?

A

just in front of the somatosensory cortex

58
Q

Where does each primary sensory area of the cerebral cortex send information?

A

to adjacent regions, called the sensory association cortex. Circuits of neurons in the sensory association cortex analyse the information received from the primary sensory cortex; perception takes places there and memories are stored there

59
Q

What is the prefrontal cortex involved with?

A

the control of movement and formulating plans and strategies

60
Q

What is Parkinson’s disease caused by?

A

degeneration of certain neurons located in the midbrain that send axons to the caudate nucleus and the putamen.