The nervous system and the brain

Question 1

differentiate between the central and peripheral nervous systems

Answer 1

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

Question 2

explain the areas and role of the cerebral cortex

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

describe the areas of the brain responsible for voluntary movement

Answer 3

FRONTAL LOBE
- Motor cortex
- Broca’s area

Question 4

describe the areas of the brain responsible for emotion

Answer 4

TEMPORAL LOBE
Amygdala

MIDBRAIN
- periaqueductal gray

Question 5

what is neuroplasticity?

Answer 5

• change its activity
• intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli

Question 6

identify the parts of the central nervous system

Answer 6

• BRAIN
• SPINAL CHORD

Question 7

state the name of the upper portion of the human’s brain that is a wrinkled and folded layer of grey matter

Answer 7

• CEREBRAL CORTEX

Question 8

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

Answer 8

LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION

d) understanding English subtitles in a foreign movie

Question 9

identify the function of the temporal lobe

Answer 9

primary auditory cortex:
- Percives sensory input, and auditory stimuli

Question 10

state the function of the occipital lobe

Answer 10

primary visual cortex:
- rods: the intensity of light (brightness)
- cones: the colour variation of light
- form and motion of visual stimuli

Question 11

identify the area that is most likely to be damaged if a patient is unable to move their right hand

Answer 11

LEFT HEMISPHERE -> damage to the right side of body

Question 12

explain a two-neurone reflex arc

Answer 12

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

Question 13

describe the function of the basal ganglia and the cerebellum

Answer 13

BASAL GANGLIA
- control of movement
- information gathering process

CEREBELLUM
- coordinating and remembering movements

Question 14

describe the role of the hippocampus

Answer 14

-consolidation of memories
- transfer these too other parts of the brain for long-term memories

Question 15

explain the difference between conscious and unconscious responses to sensory stimuli

Answer 15

CONSCIOUS RESPONSES
- controlled by individual
- goal driven

UNCONSCIOUS RESPONSES
- involuntary
- occur automatically

Question 16

What is the Autonomic and Somatic Nervous system?

Answer 16

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)

Question 17

What is Parasympathetic NS and Sympathetic NS?

Answer 17

SYMPATHETIC
- when a person is threatened it becomes activated
-fight, fright, freeze

PARASYMPATHETIC
- cools a person down
- rest and digest

Question 18

Compare Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

Answer 18

Broca’s area = language production
Wernicke’s area= language comprehension

Question 19

What is Geschwind’s territory?

Answer 19

• area of the brain
• connection between Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

Question 20

explain a three-neurone reflex arc

Answer 20

POLYSYNAPTIC
- involving interneurons connecting the affector and effector neurones
- two synapses

Question 21

what is the role of the hypothalamus?

Answer 21

HYPOTHALAMUS
- controls emotions
- motivated behaviours

Question 22

The somatic nervous system carries information from ____ to the _____

Answer 22

Sensory receptors -> CNS

Question 23

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?

Answer 23

a) The sympathetic nervous system

b) The parasympathetic nervous system

c) dilated pupils, increased release of glucose.

Question 24

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.

Answer 24

Broca’s; frontal

Question 25

Describe why the surface of the cerebral cortex is convoluted.

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

identify three areas specifically involved in voluntary motor control and describe the role each plays, clearly distinguishing between them.

Answer 26

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

Question 27

Identify which system the amygdala is part of and describe how this system works to keep us safe.

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

What is the role of Brocas Area

Answer 28

initiating speech and language, planning speech and sending motor signals to muscles for mouth to move

Question 29

What is the role of Geschwindes Territory

Answer 29

The pathway between both Brocas Area and Wernicke’s Area. It also processes semantics and phonetic language.

Question 30

What is the role of Wernicke’s Area

Answer 30

Understanding and perceiving speech.

Question 31

Explain Reflex action

Answer 31

Reflex action is the immediate action of the body where Autonomic responses involve your flight, fright freeze response.

Question 32

compare conscious and unconscious responses

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

explain the steps involved in executing a voluntary movement :

Answer 33

• 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.

Question 34

what parts of the brain are involved in voluntary movement

Answer 34

Primary motor cortex, Basal Ganglia, Cerebellum

Question 35

Role of the Primary Motor cortex

Answer 35

responsible for movement of the bodies skeletal muscles, activates the neural impulses that execute voluntary movement. Right send responsible for left side of body

Question 36

Role of the Basal Ganglia

Answer 36

modulate the activity of the motor cortex through a connection with the thalamus, which relays the information to the cortical areas

Question 37

Role of the Cerebellum

Answer 37

The cerebellum is important for movement control and plays a particularly crucial role in balance and locomotion.

Question 38

What actions of someone who has damage to the primary motor cortex might be like?

Answer 38

Damage to the primary motor cortex can result in motor deficits, includingweakness, paralysis, and loss of fine motor control

Question 39

what might happen to someone who has suffered an injury to the basal ganglia?

Answer 39

Damage to the basal ganglia cells may causeproblems controlling speech, movement, and posture.

Question 40

describe the role of the amygdala in emotion:

Answer 40

The amygdala helps to store memories of events and emotions so that an individual may be able to recognize similar events in the future.

Question 41

Compare the hypothalamus and hippocampus

Answer 41

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.