BioPsych Exam 1

Medial

Towards the middle

Lateral

Towards the sides

Dorsal

Towards the head

Posterior

Towards the back

Ventral

Towards the bttom

Anterior

Towards the front

Neuraxis

Imaginary line along the spine that aligns the brain & body

Caudal

Towards the very back of the brain, if describing further than posterior

Rostral

Towards the nose or very front of the brain, if describing further than anterior

Claudal

Rostral is to Anterior as Posterior is to…

Ipsilateral

Neuron pathway and function occurs on the same side of the body (ex. odor gets in the left nostril and interacts with the left hemisphere)

Contralateral

Neuron pathway and function occur on opposite sides of the body (ex. motor cortex in left hemisphere controls the right side of the body)

Corpus Callosum

Connects the left and right hemispheres, allowing contralateral communication

Frontal/Transveral Cut

Sagittal Cut

Horizontal Cut

CNS

Component of the nervous system that is covered in bone, harboring the skull/brain and spine/vertebrae

PNS

Component of the nervous system that does not include bone, sending and recieving info to/from the CNS

12

How many cranial nerves exist in the brain?

Ventral side

What side of the brain shows all 12 pathways of the cranial nerves?

31 pairs, 62 nerves

How many spinal pairs and individual nerves are there?

Cervical (8)

This group of spinal nerves surrounds the head and shoulders

Thoracic (12)

This group of spinal nerves surrounds the abdomen

Lumbar (5)

This group of spinal nerves surrounds the legs & bottom area of body

Sacral (5)

This group of spinal nerves surrounds the pelvic area

Coccygeal (1)

This group of spinal nerves surrounds the butt (humans) or tail (animals)

Somatic Nervous System

A voluntary component of the NS that can control skeletal muscles (ex. movement and speech)

Somatic Afferent Nerves

Controls sensory information somatic pathways (ex. temperature, touch)

Somatic Efferent Nerves

Controls motor function in somatic pathways (ex. movement of limbs and torso)

Autonomic Nervous System

Involuntary component of the nervous system that runs survival functions and controls smooth and cardiac muscles

Autonomic Afferent Nerves

Controls sensory infomation in autonomic pathways (ex. inflamamtion responses, changes in blood pessure)

Autonomic Efferent Nerves

Controls motor functions in autonomic pathways (ex. blood flow, beating of the heart)

Sympathetic Nervous System

NS component that activates the body, creating a rush of activity (ex. fight or flight, adrenaline, heartrate)

Sympathetic Nervous System

This nervous system component helps with reacting quickly, based on what is happening in the environment

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Part of NS that brings the body down from an activated state, helping it rest and relax (“rest and digest”)

decrease, increase

Both autonomic nervous systems _____ activtaion in some areas to ______ activation in others

Gangilon

Bundle of neural cell bodies that gather together to localize nerves in neural pathways

Thoracic and lumbar regions, having many postgang. neurons going towards organs

Where are the ganglia in the sympathetic nervous system?

Cervical region, most ganglia are near the organs

Where are the ganglia in the parasympathetic nervous system?

Meninges

3 layers of tissues that stabilize, protect, and support the soft part of the CNS

Meninges

Allows nutrients to feed neurons and throws out waste from cellular activity

Scalp, Skull, Dura Mater, Arachnoid, Subarachnoid Space, PIa Mater, Brain

What is the order of bone + meninge layers?

Scalp

The skin the layers the top of the head

Skull

The vertebrae/bone on top of the brain

Dura Mater

Outermost layer of the meninges; considered stiff, unflexible, and the strongest for protection

Arachnoid

Second layer of the meninges; contains filaments that atatches to the dura mater

Subarachnoid Space w/ CSF

Space within the filaments of arachnoid that contain CSF which flows through the brain

Pia Mater

Third and thinnest layer of meninges; flexible, attaches to filaments, folds itself all around the nooks and crannies of CNS (like plastic wrap)

Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF)

Cushions the brain and protects the spinal cord, stabilizing impacts by absorbing them