The nervous system and the brain Flashcards
differentiate between the central and peripheral nervous systems
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: sending
- Brain & Spinal Chord
- helps the brain communicate with the rest of the body by sending messages to the peripheral system
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: receiving
- sensory neurones
- interact with the external environment
- Autonomic and Somatic Nervous Systems
explain the areas and role of the cerebral cortex
FRONTAL LOBE
- largest lobe ( the front is the largest)
- functions: initiating movement, language planning, judgement, problems solving aspects of ones personality.
OCCIPITAL LOBE
- at the rear of the brain ( I have eyes at the back of my head)
- primary visual cortex
- integration of visual stimuli
TEMPORAL LOBE
- at the side above the ears (temple of the head)
- primary auditory cortex
- Wernicke’s Area ( comprehension of speech)
PARIETAL LOBE
- allows a person to perceive their own body
- know where things are in relation to space
THALAMUS
- above the brain stem
- relaying motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex.
describe the areas of the brain responsible for voluntary movement
FRONTAL LOBE
- Motor cortex
- Broca’s area
describe the areas of the brain responsible for emotion
TEMPORAL LOBE
Amygdala
MIDBRAIN
- periaqueductal gray
what is neuroplasticity?
- change its activity
- intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli
identify the parts of the central nervous system
- BRAIN
- SPINAL CHORD
state the name of the upper portion of the human’s brain that is a wrinkled and folded layer of grey matter
- CEREBRAL CORTEX
determine the task most likely to use Wernicke’s area of the brain:
a) putting a jigsaw puzzle together
b) painting a picture
c) recognising a picture
d) understanding English subtitles in a foreign movie
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
d) understanding English subtitles in a foreign movie
identify the function of the temporal lobe
primary auditory cortex:
- Percives sensory input, and auditory stimuli
state the function of the occipital lobe
primary visual cortex:
- rods: the intensity of light (brightness)
- cones: the colour variation of light
- form and motion of visual stimuli
identify the area that is most likely to be damaged if a patient is unable to move their right hand
LEFT HEMISPHERE -> damage to the right side of body
explain a two-neurone reflex arc
MONOSYNAPTIC
- involving only one synapse
- affector neurone (peripheral nervous system to the CNS) brings sensation from receptors in the body
-effector neurone (CNS to a gland) carries motor messages to muscles in the body
describe the function of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum
BASAL GANGLIA
- control of movement
- information gathering process
CEREBELLUM
- coordinating and remembering movements
describe the role of the hippocampus
-consolidation of memories
- transfer these too other parts of the brain for long-term memories
explain the difference between conscious and unconscious responses to sensory stimuli
CONSCIOUS RESPONSES
- controlled by individual
- goal driven
UNCONSCIOUS RESPONSES
- involuntary
- occur automatically
What is the Autonomic and Somatic Nervous system?
SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- voluntary movements of the skeletal muscles
- motor neurones
- CNS <Somatic> appropriate muscles</Somatic>
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- communication of information from CNS to body’s non-skeletal muscles (involuntary)
What is Parasympathetic NS and Sympathetic NS?
SYMPATHETIC
- when a person is threatened it becomes activated
-fight, fright, freeze
PARASYMPATHETIC
- cools a person down
- rest and digest
Compare Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area
Broca’s area = language production
Wernicke’s area= language comprehension
What is Geschwind’s territory?
- area of the brain
- connection between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area
explain a three-neurone reflex arc
POLYSYNAPTIC
- involving interneurons connecting the affector and effector neurones
- two synapses
what is the role of the hypothalamus?
HYPOTHALAMUS
- controls emotions
- motivated behaviours
The somatic nervous system carries information from ____ to the _____
Sensory receptors -> CNS
Nicole was attending a job interview for a promotion that was very important to her. Just before her interview, she felt her heart beating very fast and noticed that the palms of her hands were sweating. During the interview, Nicole noticed that her heart rate decreased and her palms felt much drier after about ten minutes.
a) Which part of Nicole’s nervous system was most likely to be dominant just before her interview?
b) Which part of Nicole’s nervous system was most likely to be dominant ten minutes after the start of her interview?
c) What other symptoms might Nicole have experienced just before her interview, even though she may not have been aware of them?
a) The sympathetic nervous system
b) The parasympathetic nervous system
c) dilated pupils, increased release of glucose.
Paul suffered a head injury as a result of a sporting accident. Since the accident, Paul has great difficulty speaking. He generally speaks in very short, unclear sentences, and often omits simple words such as ‘the’ and ‘a’. Psychological testing has indicated that Paul’s reading and writing abilities are unaffected.
Paul has most likely suffered damage to ______ area in the ______ lobe.
Broca’s; frontal
Describe why the surface of the cerebral cortex is convoluted.
Maximizes the brain’s surface-to-volume ratio. A higher surface-to-volume ratio allows the brain to pack in more neurons in a given space while decreasing the relative distance between them.
identify three areas specifically involved in voluntary motor control and describe the role each plays, clearly distinguishing between them.
PRIMARY MOTOR CORTEX
- creates the function of movement for each part
BASAL GANGLIA
- initiates movement; regulates movement; times/ places movement
CEREBELLUM
- creates movements; create balance; awareness of the bodys position in space
Identify which system the amygdala is part of and describe how this system works to keep us safe.
The amygdala is part of the limbic system. That consists of the hypothalamus, Hippocampus, amygdala and Thalamus. They help us to store emotional memories and retain that information so we can learn from similar experiences or threats to guide future behaviour and keep us safe.
What is the role of Brocas Area
initiating speech and language, planning speech and sending motor signals to muscles for mouth to move
What is the role of Geschwindes Territory
The pathway between both Brocas Area and Wernicke’s Area. It also processes semantics and phonetic language.
What is the role of Wernicke’s Area
Understanding and perceiving speech.
Explain Reflex action
Reflex action is the immediate action of the body where Autonomic responses involve your flight, fright freeze response.
compare conscious and unconscious responses
Conscious responses to stimulioccur when a person is awake and aware that s/he is responding. Unconscious responses to stimulioccur when a person is either not awake or not aware that s/he is responding. People don’t think about or plan unconscious responses the way they do conscious responses.
explain the steps involved in executing a voluntary movement :
- Planing (1) & initiating (2)- mainly controlled by different areas of the cerebral cortex: motor cortex, cerebellum & basal ganglia
- Execution (3) involves relaying the command from the CNS through the PNS to the muscles involved in the movement.
what parts of the brain are involved in voluntary movement
Primary motor cortex, Basal Ganglia, Cerebellum
Role of the Primary Motor cortex
responsible for movement of the bodies skeletal muscles, activates the neural impulses that execute voluntary movement. Right send responsible for left side of body
Role of the Basal Ganglia
modulate the activity of the motor cortex through a connection with the thalamus, which relays the information to the cortical areas
Role of the Cerebellum
The cerebellum is important for movement control and plays a particularly crucial role in balance and locomotion.
What actions of someone who has damage to the primary motor cortex might be like?
Damage to the primary motor cortex can result in motor deficits, includingweakness, paralysis, and loss of fine motor control
what might happen to someone who has suffered an injury to the basal ganglia?
Damage to the basal ganglia cells may causeproblems controlling speech, movement, and posture.
describe the role of the amygdala in emotion:
The amygdala helps to store memories of events and emotions so that an individual may be able to recognize similar events in the future.
Compare the hypothalamus and hippocampus
Hippocampus plays a role in emotional processing, includinganxiety and avoidance behaviors.
The hypothalamus is involved in emotions such as pleasure and rage, while the median part is associated with aversion, displeasure, and a tendency to uncontrollable and loud laughing.
