Unit 3 Flashcards
Nervous System
Responsible for coordinating actions/movements and transmitting sensory signals
Central Nervous System (CNS)
The brain and the spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
All the nerves outside the brain and the spinal cord that connect to the rest of the limbs and organs of the body
Somatic Nervous System
- Part of the PNS
- Associated with skeletal muscle, voluntary control of body movments
Automatic Nervous System
- Part if the PNS
- Influences the function of internal organs
Sympathetic Nervous System
Helps your body activate its “flight-or-flight” response
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Relaxes your body after periods of stress or danger
Nucleus (Neuron)
Neuron’s life-support center
Dendrites (Neuron)
Receives information from previous neuron and conducts the impulse toward the nucleus
Axon (Neuron)
Carries neural messages away from the nucleus toward other neurons, muscles, or glands
Myelin Sheath (Neuron)
Fatty cells covering the axon which help speed neural impulses
Axon Terminal Branches (Neuron)
Forms connection across the synapse with dendrites of the next neuron
Synapse (Neuron)
Neurons pass electrical or chemical signals to each other
Afferent/Sensory Neurons
Sends sensation information you experience up to your brain
Efferent/Motor Neurons
Muscle moments impulses carried out from the brain
Interneurons
Communication neurons in the spinal cord
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that transmit across the synaptic gap between neurons
Brainstem
- Oldest part of the brain
- Beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull
Medulla (Brainstem)
- Base of the Brainstem
- Controls heartbeat and breathing
Pons (Brainstem)
- Connects different brain regions together
- Involved in facial expressions
Reticular Formation (Brainstem)
A nerve network that plays an important role in controlling arousal
Thalamus (Brainstem)
- Located on top of the Brainstem
- Directs messages to sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
Cerebellum (Brainstem)
- The “little brain” attached to the back of the Brainstem
- Helps coordinate voluntary moment and balance
- Creates implicit memories
The Limbic System
- Associated with emotions and drives
- A doughnut shaped system at the border of the Brainstem
Amygdala (Limbic System)
- 2 almond shaped neural clusters
- Linked to anger, aggression, and fear
Hypothalamus (Limbic System)
- Lies below the thalamus
- Directs eating/drinking, sex drives, and body temperature
- Helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
Hippocampus (Limbic System)
Linked to explicit memory
Pituitary Gland (Limbic System)
- Master endocrine gland
- Linked to growth
Cerebral Cortex
The fabric of interconnected neural cells that cover the cerebral hemispheres
Frontal lobes (Cerebral Cortex)
Involved in in speaking, muscle moments, making plans, and judgments
Parietal Lobes (Cerebral Cortex)
Involved in sensations, pressure, and pain
Occipital Lobes (Cerebral Cortex)
Eyesight
Temporal Lobes (Cerebral Cortex)
Hearing
Motor Cortex (Cerebral Cortex)
Area near the back of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary moments
Sensory Cortex (Cerebral Cortex)
Area near the front of the frontal lobes that registers and processes body sensations
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Electrodes on the scalp to create recordings of the waves of electrical activity that are across the brain’s surface
CT (CAT) Scan
A series of X-ray photos taken from different angles and combined by a computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body
PET Scan
A display of the brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task
MRI Scan
Uses magnetic fields and radio waved to produce images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain
Glial Cells
Nourish, support, and protect neurons
Broca’s Area
Left of the frontal lobe, directs muscle moments involved in speech
Wernicke’s Area
Left of the temporal lobe, compression and expression in language
