The Nervous System (NS) + Cranial Nerves (CN)

Question 1

What are the complex cells that make up the nervous sytem?

Answer 1

Neurons

Question 2

What do neurons do?

Answer 2

Transmit information to and from the brain and spinal cord (SC) to various parts of your body

e.g. sensory information is brought into your brain; in turn, a motor response is sent out

Sensory in, motor out

Question 3

Two major divisions of the NS

Answer 3

Central Nervous System (CNS
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Question 4

CNS

Answer 4

Include: brain + spinal cord

Brain - body’s computer

SC: Pathway for messages sent from the brain to the body and vice-versa

Question 5

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 5

CN and spinal nerves

CN: 12 pairs. About 7 are critical for speech production, voice, deglutition (swallowing), mastication (chewing), hearing, facial expression, and articulation

SN: 31 pairs. Some SN innervate the muscles of respiration

Question 6

The brain is also called

Answer 6

The cerebrum or cortex

Question 7

Externally the brain is what color

Answer 7

Gray in appearance - hence the name “gray matter”

Below the level of “gray matter” is white matter. This neural tissue is whitish in appearance.

Question 8

Neural tissue below the gray matter is called

Answer 8

subcortical tissue

Majority of the brain is made up of subcortical tissue

Question 9

Sulci (sulcus) + fissures

Answer 9

Looking at the surface of the brain, you can see sulci (plural)

sulcus (singular)

fissures

Some sulci have specific names and serve as landmarks on the surface of the brain

Question 10

The brain is divided into two sides

Answer 10

Left and right hemispheres - called hemispheres or cerebral hemispheres

Each hemisphere responsible for different yet complementary functions, and both hemispheres communicate with each other to share information

most people who are right handed, the left hemisphere will be dominant for language functions - due to contralateral (opposite side of the body) innervation

L hemisphere will control the right side of the body and vice versa

Question 11

Special band of fibers that join the hemispheres

Answer 11

corpus callosum

type of commissural fiber - they join the left and right hemisphere together

Question 12

Specific Sulci that serve as landmarks

Answer 12

1. Central sulcus - separates the frontal lobes from parietal
2. Lateral sulcus - separates temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes
3. Parieto-occipital sulcus - separates the occipital lobe from the parietal lobes
4. Precentral sulcus - immediately anterior to the central sulcus. it houses the primary motor area/cortex
5. Postcentral sulcus - immediately posterior to the central sulcus. It houses the primary somatosensory or sensory area/cortex

Question 13

Entire brain is encased in bone called?

Answer 13

Cranium

Actually made up of several bones that are joined by joints. These joints are synarthrodial joints (joints that do not move)

When a baby is born, these joints are not fused. The cranium is very malleable - it is cartilage. Babies are basically made up of cartilage and then, over time, this cartilage hardens into bone

Question 14

Lobes of the brain

Answer 14

Frontal Lobes: 2, left and right. Most anterior of the lobes

Temporal Lobes: 2, L + R

Parietal Lobes: 2, L + R

Occipital Lobe: 2, L + R. Most posterior of the lobes

Question 15

Primary vs. Association areas

Answer 15

Brain contains both throughout the cortex

Primary areas - make you aware of a stimulus

Association areas - allow you to interpret that stimulus