NBL 230 Central Nervous System

what does the central nervous system overall do?

integrates sensory infor, coordinates conscious/unconscious activity, sorts and carries info, higher cognitive functions (thinking, planning, decisions)

corpus callosum

band of nerve fibers (axons) that connect that left and right hemis of the brain

if cut, causes split brain syndrome in which the two sides cant communicate with each other

proprioceptions

the send of position of body parts relatice to other neighboring parts

somatosensation

general senses which respond to stimuli like temp, pain, pressure, and vibration

gyrus

raised ridge/fold in the cerebral cortex

sulcus

grooves on the surface of the brain

parts of the brain

cerebral cortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, hypothalmus

cerebral cortex

outermost part of the brain; some functions are localized to one hemi, the functions of the hemis are overall similar.

four lobes of the brain

frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital

frontal lobe

controls cognitive functions (maintaining attention, speech, and decision making), personality, socialization, and assessing risk

contains olfactory bulb, motor cortex

parietal lobe

involved in speech and reading, processesing somatosensation and proprioception

(contains a somatosensory map of the body)

occipital lobe

involved in seeing, recognizing, and identifying visual cues

temporal lobe

processing and interpreting sounds

contains the hippocampus, which processes memory formation

mid brain and brainstem

parts other than the cerebral cortex

involved in sleep, memory, attention, motor coordination, and motivation.

basal ganglia

controls movement and posture; involved in motivation

thalamus

receives sensory and motor inputs and sends to cortex, as well as receives feedback from the cortex

helps regulate consciousness and sleep states

hypothalamus

regulates the pituitary gland, indirectly regulating body temp and sleep cycles.

limbic system

includes amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus

regulates emotion, fear, and motivation, and emotional memories

cerebellum

controls motor reflexes, balance, and muscle coordination

brainstem

transmits signals from the brain to the spinal cord

also controlls unconscious functions like breathing, heart rate, and alertness

cingulate gyrus

part of the cerebral cortex belonging to the fornicate gyrus, which arches over the corpus callosum

endocrine system

system of ductless glands that secrete hormones into the blood