UNIT 1 - aos 1 - how does the brain function Flashcards
two main nervous systems?
- central nervous system
- peripheral nervous system
what makes up the central nervous system?
- spinal cord
- brain
two main parts of the peripheral nervous system?
- somatic nervous system
- autonomic nervous system
explain the somatic nervous system
part of the PNS that is responsible for the voluntary movement of the skeletal muscles.
explain motor neurons
communicate messages from the CNS to the particular muscles that an organism intends to move
explain sensory neurons
are responsible for converting external stimuli from the environment into electrical impulses, and sent to the brain
explain the autonomic nervous system
responsible for the communication of information between the CNS to the body’s non- skeletal muscles. It controls involuntary functions of the body, such as digestion and heartbeat.
two main parts of the autonomic nervous system?
- sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
explain the sympathetic nervous system
is the emergency system of the body, and becomes active when the body perceives danger or stress. This is known as the flight, fight or freeze response.
explain the parasympathetic nervous system
operates in relatively calm situations. It is responsible for maintaining automatic bodily functions, such as digestion, normal heart rate, and normal breathing. This is known as homeostasis.
what are the components of the brain?
- hindbrain
- midbrain
- forebrain
what makes up the hindbrain?
- medulla
- pons
- cerebellum
what is the role of the medulla
in the hindbrain, and controls involuntary functions including breathing, heartbeat, and digestion
what is the role of the pons
in the hindbrain, sits above the medulla and it sorts and relays messages between different sections of the brain.
what is the role of the cerebellum
in the hindbrain, receives information from the pons, and controls voluntary tasks
what makes up the midbrain?
- reticular formation
what is the role of the reticular formation
controls arousal and the ‘sleeping and waking’ cycle
what makes up the forebrain?
- cerebral cortex
- hypothalamus
- thalamus
what is the role of the cerebral cortex
responsible for:
- receiving information from the environment
- controlling our responses
- higher order thinking, problem-solving and planning
is very much involved in memory, language, and regulation of emotions
what is the role of the hypothalamus
is very important in the role of basic survival actions such as:
- sleep
- regulation of body temperatures
- expression of emotions
- the four F’s; feeding, fighting, fleeing and fornification
what is the role of the thalamus
receives information from our senses and sends it to the rest of the brain
what is contralateral organization?
the term used to describe how the left side of the brain is responsible for the right side of the body, and vice versa
what are gyri?
the bulges in the cerebral cortex
what are sulci?
the valleys in the cerebral cortex
what are the four lobes of the brain?
- frontal
- parietal
- temporal
- occipital
what is the role of the frontal lobes?
are the biggest and have several functions
- initiating movement of the body (motor functions)
- language
- aspects of personality
what is the primary cortex of the frontal lobes and its role?
primary motor cortex - responsible for the movement of the skeletal muscles of the body, and operates in contralateral organization
damage to the frontal lobes?
- may be unable to learn from experience
- make mistakes in planning because they lack foresight
what is the role of the parietal lobes?
most of the parietal lobe is taken up by its primary cortex, and it receives
- touch
- pressure
- temperature
- pain from body
Also operates in contralateral organization
what is the primary cortex of the parietal lobes?
primary somatosensory cortex
what is the role of the temporal lobes?
processes auditory information, or sensations received by the ears
what is the primary cortex of the temporal lobes?
primary auditory cortex
damage to temporal lobes?
likely to experience deafness
what is the role of the occipital lobes?
responsible for vision. info from the left side of retina processed in the left occipital lobe, and vice versa. info from center of the retina processed in both occipital lobes
what is the primary cortex of the occipital lobes and its role?
primary visual cortex - process different types of visual stimuli, and the association areas organise these into more complex forms to enable interpretation
what is hemispheric specialization?
the lobes and primary cortices in each hemisphere receive information from the opposite side of a body, and the primary motor cortices are responsible for movement of the opposite sides of the body
explain neuroplasticity
the ability of the brain to change as a result of learning and experience
what are the two types of plasticity?
- adaptive
- developmental
what is adaptive plasticity?
the ability of the brain to change, adapt and grow throughout life. this diminishes with age
what is developmental plasticity?
the development and consolidation of neural pathways in babies, children, and adults
what are the five stages of plasticity?
- proliferation
- migration
- circuit formation
- synaptic pruning
- myelination
what is proliferation?
is a process where an unborn babies cell that will become neurons, divide and multiply, creating approximately 250 000 cells per minute
what is migration?
newly formed neurons move outward to their destined location. they move to their final location in the CNS and the locations determine what their function will become
what is circuit formation?
occurs when the axons of new neurons grow out to target cells and form synapses with them. this is called synaptogenesis
what is synaptic pruning?
involves the elimination of excess neurons and synapses, that is those that have not established a connection with a neighbouring cell will die
what is myelination?
a process where the axons of the neurons in the child’s brain become insulted by myelin and is the final stage before the brain becomes fully mature
what is synaptogenesis?
the process of molding or forming new synapses
what are sensitive periods?
are the best or optimum times for a developing individual to learn specific things. during these periods the growing brain needs specific types of stimulation to establish neural pathways
what is aphasia?
is the impairment of language caused by damge to the brain, usually by stroke
what is brochas aphasia?
is caused by damage to the left frontal lobe. a person with brocas aphasia has difficulty expressing themselves in words or sentences but their ability to comprehend speech is largely unaffected
what is wernicke’s aphasia?
is caused by damage to the left temporal lobe. a person with wernicke’s aphasia has difficulty understanding written and spoken language, and in producing written and spoken language that makes sense to others. people with wernicke’s amphasia can speak fluently, but what they say is giberish and does not make sense
what is spatial neglect?
usually occurs after brain injury and a person ignores stimuli on one side of their body. mainly relates to visual stimuli, and they are ‘blind’, but this is not ordinary blindness because the eyes function normally
