The Nervous System Flashcards
Central nervous system
Consists of the brain and spinal cord. The brain is split into right and left hemispheres, which exhibit contralateral control and lateralization. The three major parts of the brain are the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain.
Nervous system
Receives and transmits information.
Hindbrain
The top part of the spinal cord; includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.
Medulla
Controls basic biological functions, such as breathing, swallowing, and balance.
Pons
Controls facial expressions, sleep, dreaming.
Cerebellum
Controls fine motor movements.
Midbrain
Coordinates basic movements with sensory information.
Forebrain
Large in humans; includes the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures such as the thalamus, hypothalamus, and basal ganglia.
Basal ganglia
Regulates muscle contractions and movements.
Thalamus
Incorporates and relays sensory information to the cortex.
Hypothalamus
Controls motivated behavior, such as eating, drinking, and sex.
Hippocampus
Helps process and receive long term and spatial memory.
Amygdala
Controls emotion and valuation of stimuli.
Cerebral cortex
Receives sensory information and transmits motor information.
Corpus callosum
A nerve tracts beneath the cortex that connects the two hemispheres of the brain and allows them to communicate.
Occipital lobe
Processes vision.
Temporal lobe
Processes sound.
Parietal lobe
An area of the cortex located directly behind the frontal lobe. It’s functions include: processing sensory information from body parts, which includes touching, locating positions of limbs, and feeling temperature and pain; and carry out several cognitive functions, such as attending to and perceiving objects.
Frontal lobe
Control speech, learning, thinking, decision-making, and abstract thought.
Peripheral nervous system
Includes all nerves that spread through the body from the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system has two divisions.
Somatic division
Controls voluntary muscle movements and sense organs.
Autonomic division
Controls involuntary actions and the internal organs; divided into two parts.
Sympathetic nervous system
Gets the body ready for emergency action.
Parasympathetic nervous system
Becomes active during states of relaxation.
Limbic system
Refers to a group of about half a dozen interconnected structures that make up the core of the forebrain. Lindeke system structures are involved with many motivational behavior such as obtaining food, drink, and sex; with organizing emotional behaviors such as fear, anger, and aggression; and with storing of memories.
Made up of the amygdala, hypothalamus, thalamus, and Hippocampus.
