BIOS 286: Intro Slides

nervous system

what organ system consists of the brain and spinal cord?

anatomy & physiology, normal v pathology

what do we study about the brain?

maintain homeostasis

why do we need organ systems?

homeostasis

the processes used by living things to maintain stable conditions in order to survive

hypothalamus

• fight or flight response

• hunger and thirst

• sexual behavior

• thermoregulation

• etc.

temperature homeostasis

mechanisms geared towards maintaining the body temperature at a set point

physiology and anatomy

levels of organization of living organisms

physiology

the study of the functions of living organisms and their components

anatomy

the study of the structure of living organisms and their components

clinical, experimental research, & theoretical research

what are the three types of neuroscience?

theoretical neuroscience

• mathematical and computational tools

• often deals w large amounts of experimental data

• provides a quantitative basis to describe what the nervous system does

• uncover general principles and functions (create theoretical models)

the brain

what is the control center of our body?

~3 lbs

how much does the brain weigh?

20%

how much energy does the brain use from the total energy available?
A) 2%

B) 5%

C) 10%

D) 20%

sperm whale

what mammal has the biggest brain at almost 20 lbs?

high

does the brain have high or low fat contents?

~25%

roughly what percentage of the body’s cholesterol is the brain?

no, pain receptors are not present

can the brain feel pain?

communication and signal generation/transduction

what is most of the energy used by the brain for?

brain and spinal cord

what does the central nervous system (CNS) consist of?

peripheral nerves connecting the CNS to the muscles and organs in the body

what does the peripheral nervous system (PNS) consist of?

motor neurons and sensory neurons

what two types of neurons make up the PNS?

muscles and glands

the motor neurons connect the CNS to what?

somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system

what are the two PNS branches that motor neurons belong to?

sensory organs

the sensory neurons connect the CNS to what?

somatic nervous system

controls voluntary movements

autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary responses

sympathetic division and parasympathetic division

what are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

sympathetic division

“fight or flight” (stress response)

parasympathetic division

“rest or digest” (recovery response)

bodily functions

the CNS controls various what?

internal and external

the CNS processes information from the ______ and _____ environment

appropriate responses (to the environment)

the CNS generates

spinal cord

a long, thin, tubular bundle of nerves that is an extension of the brain

transmission of neural information between the periphery and the brain

what is the main function of the spinal cord?

the brain stem

the spinal cord connects to the brain via

vertebral column

the spinal cord is contained within the…

vertebrae (bony structures)

what is the vertebral column made up of?

right hemisphere

touch information from the left side of the body is process by the…

• left brain hemisphere

• right brain hemisphere

information crosses over in the spinal cord

why is information from the left side of the body processed in the right hemisphere?

ipsilateral

on the same side

contralateral

on the opposite side

parietal lobe

where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?

sensory information

what does the primary somatosensory cortex process?

ganglion

a cluster of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system that appear as knots or swellings along a nerve fiber (CNS = nuclei)

vertebrae

bony structures which along with cartilaginous disks comprise the vertebral column

gray matter

collectively, the concentration of neuronal cell bodies and dendrites in the CNS

white matter

collection of the myelinated axonal processes of the nerve cells in the CNS

dorsal root

carries sensory information to CNS

ventral root

carries efferent (motor) information to muscles and glands

myelin sheaths

wrappings of bilipid membrane

axon

sends messages to dendrites (main neuron body) of other cells

midline

where does information cross sides in the spinal cord?

d. a & c

the fight-or-flight response in stressful situations or when under threat is controlled by:
a. the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system

b. the sensory division of the central nervous system

c. a branch of the peripheral nervous system

d. a & c

d. a & b

sensory information from the periphery is carried into the CNS via:

a. spinal nerves

b. dorsal roots of spinal nerves

c. ventral and dorsal roots of spinal nerves

d. a & b

meninges and cerebrospinal fluid

the brain is separated from the skull via…

arachnoid matter

lacks its own blood supply

subdural haematoma

fluid builds up between dura and arachnoid… drilling a hole in the skull to drain and relieve pressure

the meningeal dura matter and arachnoid matter

shock absorption (cerebral) fluid is located between…

brain

the _____ is the control center of the CNS

cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem

three main parts of the brain

largest

the cerebrum is the largest/smallest part of the brain

the most front part

the cerebrum is the most rostral part of the brain, meaning…

left and right hemispheres & lobes

the cerebrum is divided into…

cerebral cortex (gray matter)

the thin, highly folded sheet of neurons that is the surface of the cerebrum with a thickness of 1-4.5 mm (avg 2.5 mm)

cognition, movement, personality

the cerebral cortex contains the centers for…

cerebral white matter

contains all the cellular projections and tracts connecting the various brain areas

corpus callosum

the two hemispheres of the cerebrum are connected by the…

neural integration (sensory, motor functions, speech, language, memory, thought, etc.)

the cortex is the largest site of…

neocortex

makes up the majority of the cerebral cortex

• 6 distinct layers

• made up of gray matter

ventricular system

interconnected fluid-filled (cerebral-spinal fluid) ventricles and canals inside the brain

choroid plexus

special tissue in ventricles, produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

cerebrospinal fluid

provides shock absorption, protects the brain, provides nutrients

cerebellum

the ________ lies behind the cerebrum

neurons

the cerebellum is smaller than the cerebrum but has just as many…

movement control center (fine-tuning of voluntary motion)

the cerebellum is primarily a…

brain stem

what relays information from the cerebrum to and from the cerebellum and spinal cord?

breathing, heart rate, coordination, body temp, etc.

what are the vital functions of the brain stem?

1. movement

2. sensory processing

3. higher functions of the brain (language + communication, learning + memory)

the functions of the cerebrum

the premotor cortex, motor cortex, prefrontal area, and broca’s area

the frontal lobe consists of…

premotor cortex

storage of motor patterns

prefrontal area

concentration, elaboration of thought, judgment, inhibition, personality, emotional traits

broca’s area

language production

motor cortex

voluntary motor activity

parietal lobe

• processing sensory input

• sensory discrimination

• body orientation

• primary somatic area

• secondary somatic area

temporal lobe

• auditory reception area

• expressed behavior

• receptive speech

• memory/info retrieval

  • **Wernicke’s Area

wernicke’s area

language comprehension

occipital lobe

• visual reception area

• visual intepretation

c

the spinal cord relays what kind of information to and from the periphery?

a. only motor

b. only sensory

c. motor and sensory information that is differently carried by dorsal and ventral spinal nerve roots

d. motor and sensory information that is carried by the same spinal nerve roots

increase surface area

why is the cerebral cortex folded?

folded equally (some smoother than others)

mammalian brains are not…

gyri

ridges of the brain (“mountains”)

sulci

grooves appearing on the wrinkled surface of the brain (shallower fissures)

coronal plane

sideways plane of reference (arm to arm)

sagittal plane

forward plane of reference (symmetrical split of body)

rostral

anterior (front)

caudal

posterior (back)

superior

dorsal

inferior

ventral

medial

mid-sagittal (sideways view)