The brain and spinal cord

State the function of the brain

• integration and coordination system for the control of body systems.

• processes sensory information received from the body and relays responses to effector organs (or other parts of the brain).

List sources of information input to the brain

Input sources to the brain include both sensory neurons (e.g. touch, smell, sight), and hormones.

Outline the processes of learning and memory in the brain

Memory is the process of encoding, storing and accessing information in the brain.

Learning and memory typically involving three main stages:

• encoding

• storage

• retrieval

sensory memory

The vast majority of sensory inputs (e.g. sights, sounds) will be forgotten within milliseconds. 

short term memory

Short term memory can store information for up to (about)    1 minute. An example would be a phone number you remember for a short period.

Encoding storage

Encoding is the process of converting short-term memories into long term^**.

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of accessing stored information to be actively used in cognitive processes 

List organs of the central nervous system

The nervous system can be divided into two main parts:

• Central nervous system (CNS)

  • The brain and spinal cord

  Peripheral nervous system (PNS) 

  • All the “peripheral nerves”   that link the CNS to the body’s receptors and effectors.

Outline the two main tissues types of the central nervous system

The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) can be characterised by two distinct regions – white matter and grey matter.

White matter

composed of bundles of myelinated axons which connect the various grey matter regions together

Grey matter

composed of the neuronal cell bodies and dendrites, as well as unmyelinated nerve fibres.

• Grey matter functions as the regions of the brain where information is processed.

Compare and contrast conscious and unconscious processing

Conscious and unconscious processing represent two fundamental modes of information processing in the CNS.

• Conscious

  • Involves awareness, voluntary control, and deliberate cognitive activity (e.g. decision making, problem solving, cooking, walking^*). 

• Unconscious

  • Actions that occur automatically and efficiently to facilitate rapid responses to the environment (e.g. breathing, digestion, heartbeat, reflexes, etc.)

Spinal cord and the type of processes it can coordinate

All conscious thoughts and decisions are made in the brain. 

The spinal cord is the vital conduit for communication between the brain and the rest of the body - but it only relays conscious information from the brain.

Identify the cerebellum on a diagram of the human brain

at the bottom next to the brain stem

• The cerebellum appears as a separate structure at the base of the brain.

State the function of the cerebellum

It is responsible for coordinating unconscious motor functions – such as balance and movement coordination.