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Structure of the Nervous System Flashcards

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
What is the limbic system?
set of structures involved in learning, memory and emotion
26
What are some structures of the limbic system?
 Limbic cortex  Hippocampus (plays role in memory consolidation)  Amygdala (plays role in processing emotions – particular negative ones)  Fornix  Mammillary bodies (part of hypothalamus)
27
What are the Basal Ganglia?
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
What do major structures of the Basal Ganglia motor system include?
 Caudate (tail) nucleus  Putamen (shell)  Globus Pallidus
29
What is the Diencephalon?
Part of forebrain consisting largely of thalamus and hypothalamus
30
What is the Thalamus?
main sensory relay for all senses (except smell) in the cortex - Nuclei: LGN, MGN
31
What is the hypothalamus and what is it primarily concerned with?
- 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
What is another name for the midbrain and what is it comprised of?
Mesencephalon: comprised of the tectum and tegmentum?
33
What is the Tectum made up of?
1. Superior colliculi – subcortical sensory pathway involved in fast eye movements (vision) 2. Inferior colliculi – part of auditory pathway
34
What role does the Tegmentum have and what is it made up of?
- role in motor movement made up of 3 large nuclei: 1. Reticular formation 2. Red nucleus 3. Substantia nigra
35
What does the hindbrain contain?
both the metencephalon and the myelencephalon
36
What is the Metencephalon?
a structure comprised of the cerebellum and the pons
37
Give features of the Cerebellum
 Appears as a mini brain |  Involved in motor coordination and smooth execution of movement
38
Give features of the Pons
 Part of the reticular formation  Involved in sleep and arousal  Link between cerebellum and cerebrum
39
What does the myelencephalon contain and what is it involved in?
contains the medulla oblongata, involved in basic life functions, such as breathing, swallowing, vomiting, coughing and sneezing heart rate and wake-sleep cycles
40
What is the spinal cord?
CNS tissue extending caudally from the medulla in the brain
41
What is the organisation of the spinal cord?
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
What does the spinal cord communicate with?
the sense organs and muscles below the level of the head
43
What are the primary components of the spinal cord?
 Dorsal roots |  Ventral roots
44
What is the Bell-Majendie law?
 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
Where is the peripheral nervous system and what does it do?
- Outside the skull and spine | - Brings information into the CNS and carry signals out of the CNS
46
What does the somatic nervous system do?
controls the movement of skeletal muscles or transmits somatosensory information to the CNS
47
What is the somatic nervous system made up of?
- 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
Give functions of the Cranial nerves
 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
Give features of Spinal nerves
 Peripheral nerves attached to the spinal cord |  31 pairs of nerves – afferent and efferent, travel to muscles and sensory receptors
50
What does the autonomic nervous system do?
- 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
Give features of the sympathetic nervous system
 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
Give features of the parasympathetic system
 Rest and restore  Relaxing the body  Located in lumbar and thoracic in the middle
53
In the autonomic nervous system are nerves afferent or efferent?
efferent
54
Where are the limbic system and basal ganglia primarily located?
in the subcortical regions of the brain – located deep within it, beneath the cerebral cortex
55
Where is the primary auditory cortex located?
on the upper surface of the lateral fissure
56
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?
vertical strip of cortex just caudal to the central sulcus
57
Where is the primary motor cortex located?
just in front of the somatosensory cortex
58
Where does each primary sensory area of the cerebral cortex send information?
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
What is the prefrontal cortex involved with?
the control of movement and formulating plans and strategies
60
What is Parkinson's disease caused by?
degeneration of certain neurons located in the midbrain that send axons to the caudate nucleus and the putamen.

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