the brain and nervous system

Question 1

what are the cranial meninges?

Answer 1

the membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord

Question 2

what are the layers of the cranial meninges, from skull to brain?

Answer 2

skull bone, dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater and brain

Question 3

where does cerebrospinal fluid flow from and to?

Answer 3

the ventricles of the brain to the subarachnoid space

Question 4

give 2 roles of the cerebrospinal fluid?

Answer 4

protecting against shock
keeping the brain buoyant to reduce weight

Question 5

what percentage of the bodies total cardiac output is used by the brain?

Answer 5

15-20%

Question 6

what are the two regions of blood supply to the brain and what is In each?

Answer 6

anterior: left and right internal carotid arteries
posterior: left and right vertebral arteries

Question 7

briefly describe the structure of the blood brain barrier?

Answer 7

endothelial cells held together by tight junctions, containing transport proteins

Question 8

what key feature must molecules have to be able to cross the BBB and why?

Answer 8

lipophilicity, because the BBB is made of phospholipids

Question 9

name the 3 regions of the brain?

Answer 9

forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain

Question 10

what area of the brain is the cardiovascular centre?

Answer 10

medulla

Question 11

what system is responsible for motivation, memory and learning?

Answer 11

the limbic system

Question 12

what area of the brain is responsible for sending memories to long term storage?

Answer 12

hippocampus

Question 13

what is the difference between the autonomic and somatic nervous systems?

Answer 13

autonomic: things we cannot control e.g heart rate, somatic: things we control e.g movement

Question 14

what are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system and what do they do?

Answer 14

sympathetic: fight or flight, increases heart rate and excites the body
parasympathetic: rest and digest, controls digestion and is responsible for the slowing down of the body e.g lowering heart rate

Question 15

what are the 4 regions of the spinal cord?

Answer 15

cervical, thoratic, lumbar and sacral

Question 16

what are the 4 areas of the brain and where are they located?

Answer 16

frontal lobe (forehead), parietal lobe (the top of the head), the occipital lobe (the back of the head) and the temporal lobe (the sides of the head)

Question 17

what is the brain stem made up of?

Answer 17

thalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla and spinal cord

Question 18

which area of the brain pre loads our decisions, e.g calculating a response if we were to fall down the stairs?

Answer 18

the cerebellum

Question 19

from a mid saggital view, where is the grey and white matter and what causes the difference in colour?

Answer 19

grey surrounds the outside and white is contained in the middle. grey matter is where the neurone cell bodies are located, white matter is where the neurone axons are located, the white is due to myelination

Question 20

what cells in the nervous system are responsible for creating the myelin sheath?

Answer 20

oligodendrocytes

Question 21

what cells in the nervous system are responsible for transferring mitochondria to neurones to provide energy?

Answer 21

astrocytes

Question 22

explain how resting potential is established and maintained?