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chapters 3-6
Central nervous system (CNS)
Includes the brain and the spinal cord.
Nerve
A bundle of axons running together like a multiwire cable.
Tracts
Bundles of axons inside the CNS.
Nucleus
A group of cell bodies in the CNS.
Ganglion
A group of cell bodies in the PNS.
Forebrain
The front part of the brain.
What are cerebral hemispheres?
Large, wrinkled structures which dominate the
brain’s appearance
Longitudinal fissure
A division running the length of the brain which separates the two cerebral hemispheres.
Gyrus
Each ridge in the surface of the brain.
Sulcus
The groove or space between two gyri.
Fissure
A large groove or space between two gyri.
Cortex
The outer surface of the brain, made up mostly of the cell bodies of neurons.
Gray matter
The non-myelinated cell bodies of neurons, giving the cortex a gray appearance.
Four Lobes
The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes of the brain.
Dorsal
Directional term meaning towards the back.
Ventral
Directional term meaning towards the stomach.
Anterior
Directional term meaning towards the front.
Posterior
Directional term meaning towards the rear.
Superior
Directional term meaning above another structure.
Inferior
Directional term meaning below another structure.
Lateral
Directional term meaning towards the side.
Medial
Directional term meaning towards the middle.
Frontal lobe
Located anterior to the central sulcus and superior to lateral fissure
central sulcus
A sulcus which separates the frontal lobe from the
parietal lobe
Lateral fissure
A prominent fissure which separates the frontal and
parietal lobes from the temporal lobe
Precentral Gyrus
Extends the length of the central sulcus
Motor Cortex
Located in the precentral gyrus, this structure controls
voluntary (nonreflexive) movement
Broca’s area
A region which controls speech production,
contributing grammatical structure and the motor control involved in
speech
Prefrontal cortex
A region involved in planning and organization of
behavior, decision making, adjusting behavior in response to its
consequences, and planning how to achieve goals
Parietal lobes
Located superior to the lateral fissure and between the
central sulcus and the occipital lobe
Primary somatosensory cortex
Located on the postcentral gyrus,
processes the skin senses (touch, warmth, cold, and pain) and the
senses that inform us about body position and movement
Association areas
Areas which carry out further processing beyond
what the primary area does, often combining information from other
senses
Temporal lobes
Regions containing the auditory projection area,
visual and auditory association areas, an additional language area, and
structures important in learning and memory
Auditory cortex
Region which receives sound information from the
ears and lies on the superior gyrus of the temporal lobe, mostly hidden
from view within the lateral fissure.
Wernicke’s area
Association area that interprets language input
arriving from the nearby auditory and visual areas; it also generates
spoken language through Broca’s area and written language by way of
the motor cortex.
Inferior temporal cortex
Located in the lower part of the lobe, as the
name implies, and plays a major role in the visual identification of
objects
Occipital lobes
The location of the visual cortex
Visual cortex
The region where visual information is processed
Thalamus
A region that lies just below the lateral ventricles, where it
receives information from all the sensory systems except olfaction
(smell) and relays it to the respective cortical projection areas.
Hypothalamus
A smaller structure just inferior to the thalamus
which plays a major role in controlling emotion and motivated
behaviors, such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity
Pineal gland
A gland which secretes melatonin, a hormone that
induces sleep; it controls seasonal cycles in nonhuman animals and
participates with other structures in controlling daily rhythms in
humans
The Corpus Callosum are dense fibers that
carry information between hemispheres
Ventricles
Cavities in the brain which develop from the hollow
interior of the nervous system
Cerebrospinal fluid
Carries material from the blood vessels to the
CNS and transports waste materials in the other direction; made in lateral ventricles
Midbrain
Contains structures that have secondary roles in vision (superior colliculi),
hearing and movement (inferior colliculi)
Pons
Region which contains centers related to sleep and arousal,
which are part of the reticular formation
Reticular formation
Collection of many nuclei running through the
middle of the hindbrain and the midbrain
Medulla
Forms the lower part of the hindbrain; its nuclei are involved
with control of essential life processes, such as cardiovascular activity
and respiration (breathing).
Cerebellum
Refines movements initiated by the motor cortex by
controlling their speed, intensity, and direction
Dorsal root
A region of each spinal nerve where sensory neurons enter
the spinal cord
Ventral root
The region in which axons of motor neurons pass out of the
spinal cord
Reflex
A simple, automatic movement in response to a sensory stimulus
Meninges
protective three-layered membrane
Blood-brain barrier
Limits passage between the bloodstream and the
brain, provides constant protection from toxic substances and from
neurotransmitters circulating in the blood
Cranial nerves
Nerves which enter and leave the underside of the brain
Spinal nerves
Nerves which connect to the sides of the spinal cord at
each vertebra
somatic nervous system
Includes the motor neurons that operate the
skeletal muscles—that is, the ones that move the body—and the sensory
neurons that bring information into the CNS from the body and the outside
world.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
Controls smooth muscle (stomach,
blood vessels, etc.), the glands, and the heart and other organs.
Sympathetic nervous system
Activates the body in ways that help it
cope with demands such as emotional stress and physical emergencies
Parasympathetic nervous system
slows the activity of most organs to
conserve energy but also activates digestion to renew energy
Sympathetic branches from
thoracic and lumbar areas of spinal cord
What are the stages of development?
Proliferation
birth and division of new neurons
Migration
neurons travel through radial glia to final destinations
Circuit Formation
neurons send processes to targets to for connections and axons use growth cones to their destinations
Pruning
unsuccessful neuron placement; neuronal death
Myelination
What enhances the survival of neurons?
Neurotrophins
Regeneration (regrowth of severed axons) does NOT occur in the mammalian CNS. T or F?
T
Neurogenesis (the birth of new neurons) olnly occurs
in the hippocampus and near lateral ventricles
MRI looks for the brains
structure
"f” in fMRI means
function; activation + response
-emputed tomography means
CT scan
MRIs measure the brain. T or F?
F; they spin ions
MEG’s spin ions. T or F?
F; they measure the brain
EEG’s measure
electron activity
Bundles of axons in CNS are called
tracts
Diffusion means
high density
The PNS is not
autonomus
agonist means
a molecule capable of binding to and functionally activating a target
antagonist means
a molecule that binds to a target and prevents other molecules from binding
what does serotonin do?
stablizes mood
what does dopamine do?
intensifies pleasure; reward chemical
what does endorphins do?
natural painkiller
what does oxytocin do?
love hormone; responsible for attachment
Where do drugs travel to?
Bloodstream, Stomach, Brain blood barrier (capillaries)
What is a drug?
a substance that modifies behavior
Where do hydrophilic drugs enter?
the tight junction
What is a gap junction?
electrical synapse as a result of fusion; found in interneurons
What 3 regions in the brain lack the blood brain barrier?
pituitary gland, pineal gland, area postrema
What area of the brain induces vomiting?
area postrema
Route of drug administration
impacts addictiveness
How strong is a drug when snorted?
x100
How strong is a drug when injected into the spine?
x1000
What does dose mean?
how much of a drug you take
What does frequency mean?
how often a drug is taken
LSD is a
serotonin agonist
Amphetamine is a
dopamine agonist
THC is a
Ach antagonist
THC mainly impacts
perception
How is LSD and serotonin connected?
LSD excites serotonin receptors and inhibit activity of other serotonergic neurons through serotonin auto receptors
Metabolic tolerance:
Cellular tolerance:
Learned tolerance
Note 
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