Nervous System - Part One

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Cerebral cortex, Cerebellum, Brainstem, Spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

cranial nerves and spinal nerves

Autonomic nervous system

Controls involuntary activity of visceral muscles and internal organs and glands.

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

Somatic efferent system

It includes the neurons that provide motor innervation to striated voluntary skeletal muscle

Somatic afferent system

sensory input from body to CNS (towards)

dorsal

refers to the top of the cerebrum or the back of the brainstem/spinal cord

Rostral

Refers to the top of the cerebrum

Ventral

refers to the inferior aspect of the cerebrum or the front of the brainstem/spinal cord

The primary function of the meninges

protect the CNS

Cerebrum

area of the brain responsible for all voluntary activities of the body; functions in intellectual and emotional processing

Frontal lobe

paired lobe at the front of the brain associated with behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movement

Parietal lobe

paired lobe of the on the superior part of the brain whose plays a vital role in touch sensory information processing.

Temporal lobe

paired lobe of the lateral sides of the brain near the ears and temples that is the primary receiving area for auditory information and understanding speech

Occipital lobe

lobe on the posterior portion of the brain that processes visual information

Insula

cerebral lobe located deep within lateral sulcus and is involved in pain, taste, smell

Cerebral cortex

outer region of the cerebrum, containing sheets of nerve cells; gray matter of the brain; the executive suite of the brain, where our conscious mind is found

Gray matter

Brain and spinal cord tissue that appears gray with the naked eye; consists mainly of neuronal cell bodies (nuclei) and lacks myelinated axons.

White matter

Whitish nervous tissue of the CNS consisting of neurons and their myelin sheaths.

Meninges

three layers of connective tissue in which the brain and spinal cord are wrapped; includes dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater

Gyrus

A ridged or raised portion of a convoluted brain surface.

Dura mater

thick, outermost layer of the meninges surrounding and protecting the brain and spinal cord

Sulcus

shallow grooves in the brain

Arachnoid mater

weblike middle layer of the three meninges

brain fissures

a large furrow that divides the brain into lobes, and also into the two hemispheres.

Pia mater

the delicate innermost membrane enveloping the brain and spinal cord

Cerebral lobes

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

Spinal cord

a major part of the central nervous system which conducts sensory and motor nerve impulses to and from the brain

Synapse

A junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next.

Terminal end boutons (buttons)

Located at tip of telodendria

Transmit information to next neuron

Contain synaptic vesicles

synaptic vesicles

Tiny pouches or sacs in the terminal end boutons that contain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another

excitatory neurotransmitters

chemicals released from the terminal buttons of a neuron that excite the next neuron into firing

Inhibitory neurotransmitters

chemicals released from the terminal buttons of a neuron that inhibit the next neuron from firing

presynaptic neuron

conducts impulses toward the synapse

postsynaptic neuron

the neuron on the receiving end of the synapse

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

axon hillock

Cone shaped region of an axon where it joins the cell body.

synaptic cleft

The narrow gap that separates the presynaptic neuron from the postsynaptic cell.

Anatomical Divisions of the Nervous System

Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Functional divisions of the nervous system

autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system