The Brain and Nervous System Flashcards
how is the brain and the spinal cord protected
brain is protected by the skull
spinal cord is protected by the vertabrae
what does the previous card make up?
the spinal cord and brain makes up the central nervous system (CNS)
define fibers
fibers carries information to and away from the central nervous system
what is the fibers a part of
this is a part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
what is the difference between sensory and motor pathways
sensory brings IN information INTO the CNS
motor pathways connects the brain and spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement
what is the sensory and motor pathways a part of
somatic nervous system
what is the subdivision of the PNS
automatic nervous system
what is the subdivision of the ANS
enteric nervous system
describe the brain network
- nervous system
- CNS - brain and spinal cord
- PNS - somatic and autonomic nervous system
what does the enteric nervous system deal with
gastrointestinal tract and aids in digestion
THE BRAIN
describe the following terms
- dorsal/ superior
- ventral/ inferior
- medial
- lateral
- anterior
- posterior
- rostral
- caudal
- dorsal/superior: atop or within the brain
- ventral/inferior: bottom
- medial: midline
- lateral: towards the side
- anterior: in front
- posterior: back
- rostral: beak (towards front)
- caudal: tail (towards back)
mention about the slice and view
- coronal - frontal
- horizontal - dorsal
- saggital - medial
define the following that gives the cerebral cortex its wrinkling appearance
- fissure
- sulcus
- gyri
- fissure: extends deeply in the brain, split opening between lobes
- sulcus: groove or furrow
- gyri: ridge or fold between 2 clefts; bumplike appearance
describe the cerebral cortex
- thin layer
- BARK
- wrinkled
- folded in
- creates sulk
- outermost part of the cerebrum
- where information processing happens
describe the cerebrum
- largest part of the brain
- contains the 4 lobes; occipital, frontal, temporal and parietal lobe
- coordinating movements
- deals with language and memory
- regulates temperature
- sensory processing
what is the corpus callosum
- myelinated white fibers between left and right hemisphere
- allows for communication to occur from one side to the other, vice versa
- this connects the 2 hemispheres together
list the 4 lobes
- frontal
- parietal
- temporal
- occipital
what is the frontal lobe responsible for
- executive functioning
- planning
- reasoning and arguments
- decision making
what is the parietal lobe responsible for
- sensory perception and integration of those senses
- goal oriented movement
- needed to perform a physical or cognitive task
what is the temporal lobe responsible for
- hearing
- language
- music
- processing of auditory information
- encoding of information
- consist of the lateral fissure that separates temporal from frontal and partial lobe
what is the occipital lobe responsible for
- visual processing and perception
- seeing shapes, colour, form and motion
what does the forebrain contain
- cerebral hemispheres
- basal ganglia
- limbic system
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
what is the forebrain responsible for
- mental activities
- movement
- emotions
- behaviours
what is the basal ganglia responsible for
- motor movements/ voluntary movements
- executive functions
- behavior
- emotions
what is the limbic system responsible for
- memory
- emotions
- behaviours
what are the 2 structures that are a part of the diencephalon
- hypothalamus
- thalamus
what is the hypothalamus responsible for
- controls body hormones production
- temperature regulation
- feeding
- sexual behaviour
- sleeping
- emotional behaviour
- movement
what is the thalamus responsible for
- channels sensory information travelling to the cerebral cortex from all sensory systems
- gateway
- relays input
- into other targeted regions
- axons projects out to communicate
what does the midbrain contain neural circuits for
- hearing
- seeing
- orienting movements
- pain perception functions
what are the 3 structures associated with the hindbrain
- cerebellum
- reticular formation
- pons and medulla oblongata
what does the cerebellum play a role in
- motor coordination
- motor learning
- maintaining body equilibrium
what does the reticular formation deal with
- sleep wake behaviour
- behavioural arousal
what does the pons and medulla deal with
- controls vital body movements
what are the 3 main parts of the brainstem
- midbrain
- pons
- medulla oblongata
describe the brainstem
- is connected to the spinal cord
- regulates body functions
- controls balans
list the four main types of connections between regions
- projections between one lobe to another
- projections within a lobe
- inter hemispheric connections
- connections through the thalamus
- projections within a lobe
- communication happening in one specific lobe
- projections between one lobe to another
- communicating from lobe to another
- e.g. occipital lobe to frontal lobe
- inter hemispheric connections
- corpus callosum
- mirror image side
- coming into one hemisphere, passing that specific information into the other side (exact location as the previous one)
- connections through the thalamus
- sensory gateway to channel incoming information
describe the difference between grey and white matter
white matter
- bundles of axons
- located in cerebral cortex
- sending information OUT INTO other lobes
grey matter
- where information processing is happening
- located in the dendrites, cell bodies and terminals
why is white matter white?
why is grey matter grey?
- it is white because of the axon being surrounded and wrapped in myelin sheath
- unmyelinated and found in the cell bodies, dendrites, and axon terminals
what are the 4 ventricles
- right lateral ventricle
- left lateral ventricle
- third ventricle
- fourth ventircle
describe the ventricles
- measure of atrophy
- filled with CSF
- Protects the CNS
- provides support to the blood system
- acts as a cushion to protect the most vital part of the brain
what are the 3 layers of the meninges
- dura mater
- arachnoid membrane
- pia mater
define the cerebral asymmetry
- both hemispheres are similar in structure = responsible for different functions
- known as cerebral lateralization
- right and left hemispheres operate the contralateral sides of the body
cerebral asymmetry - left hemisphere
- language processing
- arthritic
- analytical thinking
- damage to this area = struggle with the functions that is happening on the RIGHT side - acts contralaterally from the opposite side of damage) *
cerebral asymmetry - right hemisphere
- visuospatial processing
- emotional processing
- holistic thinking
- damage to this area = struggle with the functions that is happening on the LEFT side - acts contralaterally from the opposite side of damage) *
provide example for cerebral asymmetry - left vs right visual field
- the left visual fields of both eyes
- projects to the right visual cortex
- both right fields project to the left visual cortex
example:
- spoon being presented to RIGHT field, person can say ‘spoon’
- spoon being presented to LEFT field, person cannot say what the item is
what are the 4 differences seen in cerebral asymmetry
- schizophrenia
- dyslexia
- handedness
- sex differences
schizophrenia and cerebral asymmetry
- reduced brain asymmetry
- contributes to symptoms
- unequal functioning on both hemispheres
- auditory hallucinations
dyslexia and cerebral asymmetry
- have bilateral language dominance
- in both hemispheres
handedness and cerebral asymmetry
- left handed = bilateral language dominance
- in both hemispheres
sex differences and cerebral asymmetry
- females showing stronger left sided language lateralization
what are the 3 main functions of the spinal cord
- acts as a pathway for impulses going to and from the brain
- control automatic reflexes without consulting the high brain centres
- control body movement and function
what are the 2 types of nerves located in the somatic nervous system
- cranial nerves
- spinal nerves
what are the 12 pairs of cranial nerves
- olfactory
- oculomotor
- trigeminal
- facial
- glossopharyngeal
- accessory
- optic
- trochlear
- abducens
- vestibulocochlear
- vagus
- hypoglossal
what are the spinal nerves responsible for
- 31 pairs of spinal nerves
- facility voluntary motor control
- sensory perception
- reflex responses
describe the spinal nerve connections
- posterior root
- anterior root
- white matter
- branches
- posterior root: brings IN sensory information
- anterior root: sends OUT motor information
- white matter: carries information TO and FROM the brain
- branches: sensory neurone may influence motor neurons
what are the sections of the autonomic nervous system
- sympathetic
- parasympathetic
COMMUNICATION
describe the electrical action potentials used to convey information from one area to another
- neurons has a resting potential
- when its threshold is reached it becomes depolarized
- depolarization causes an electrical spike
- the membrane is then depolarized
- the membrane is then depolarized
- during hyper polarization stage the neuron is in refractory period
- the wave of action potential travels down the axon
electrical to neurochemical messages
- these synapses carry either excitatory or inhibitory messages
- involved with breathing, heart, rate, cognition, and sleep
what are the 4 neurotransmission steps
- synthesis
- release
- receptor action
- inactivation
describe synthesis
- transported from the cell nucleus to the terminal buttons
- made from from building blocks imported into the terminal
- packaged into vesicles
describe release
- response to the action potential, the transmitter is released across the membrane by exocytosis
describe the receptor action
- transmitter crosses the synaptic cleft and binds to a receptor
describe the inactivation
- transmitter is either taken back into the terminal or inactivated in the synaptic cleft
what are the 3 neurotransmitter classes
- small molecule transmitters
- neuropeptide transmitters
- transmitter gases
small molecule transmitters
- derived from food and breaks down into acetylcholine (EACh)
- amines
- amino acids
- essential for communication between motor neurons and muscle fibers
- key for rest and digest
- involved with learning, memory, arousal, and attention
Neuropeptide transmitters
- made through translation of mRNA from instructions in the neurons DNA
transmitter gases
- synthesized in the cell as needed
what are the 4 types of amines
- dopamine
- serotonin
- norepinephrine
- epinephrine
dopamine
- movement
- attention
- learning
- reinforcing behaviours
serotonin
- mood regulation
- aggression
- appetite
- arousal
- pain perception
- respiration
norepinephrine
- alertness
- arousal
- attention
- stress response
epinephrine
- stress response
what are the 3 amino acids
- glutamate (Glu)
- gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
- histamine
glutamate
- learning
- memory
- motor function
- pain perception
- neuropsychiatric disorders
gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
- stress and anxiety
- mood
- sleep
- pain perception
histamine
- arousal and waking
- constriction of smooth muscles
what are the 7 functions of neurotransmitters
- hormones
- stress
- mother and infant bond
- learning
- eating regulation
- drinking
- pleasure and pain
cholinergic system
- waking behaviour
- attention
- memory
dopaminergic system
- coordinating movements
- addiction
noradrenergic system
- emotions
- hyperactivity and ADHD
- learning
serotonergic system
- wakefulness
- learning
- depression and schizophrenia
