central nervous system

what is the cerebrum

controls conscious thought, actions, and sensroy perception

what is the diencephalon

primary relay and processing center for sensory info and autonomic control

what is the brain stem

helps regulate vital body functions that you dont have to think about (breathing and heart rate)

what is the cerebellum

smooths and coordinated body movements and helps maintain equilibrium

what structures make up the brain stem

midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata

what is the function of the midbrain

motor movement, auditory and visual processing

what is the function of the pons

transmits signals between forebrain and cerebellum

what is the function of the medulla oblongata

maintains heart rate, circulations, and breathing

what structures make up the diencephalon

the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus

what is the function of the thalamus

relay station fro sensor and motor info

what is the function of the hypothalamus

maintains bodies homeostasis

what is the function of the epithalamus

connects limbic system to other parts of the brain

what are the four ventricles

2 lateral ventricles, third ventricle is in the diencephalon, fourth ventricle in the hind brain; they circulate and secrete cerbrospinal fluid

what are the functions of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

provides protection, nourishment, and waste removal for the brain

where is cerebrospinal fluid made

in the choroid plexus in the ventricles

what path does the cerebrospinal fluid take through the brain and spinal cord

over the surface of the brain and down the length of the spinal cord while in the subarachnoid space

what are the five lobes of the brain

frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula

what does the frontal lobe control

primary motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortex

what does the parietal lobe control

primary somatosensory cortex, posterior parietal cortex

what does the temporal lobe control

contains wernicke’s area and hippocampus

what does the occipital lobe contain

contains primary and secondary visual cortex

what is a sulcus (sulci)

a groove or furrow on the surface of the brain

what is a gyrus (gyri)

a ridge on the cerebral cortex

what is a fissure

a deep groove that divides the brain into two hemispheres

what major structure separates the left cerebral hemisphere from the right

the longitudinal fissure

what major structure separates the cerebrum from the cerebellum

the transverse fissure

what is the central sulcus

a deep groove that separates the frontal and parietal lobes

what is the precentral gyrus

controls voluntary movement

what is the postcentral gyrus

process sensory info from the body including touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

what is the path of motor control from the brain to skeletal muscle

what is the function of the primary somatosensory cortex/somatosensory association area

receiving and processing sensory info from the body regarding touch, pressure, temperature pain and proprioception

what is the function of the primary visual cortex/visual association area

processing basic visual features like lines, color, and spatial frequency from incoming visual info

what ist he function of the auditory/association area

analyzing and categorizing different sound frequencies and patterns

what is the olfactory cortex

sense of smell located in the cerebrum

what is the function of the gustatory cortex

perceiving and distinguishing different tastes

what is the frontal eye field

control of visual attention and eye movement

what is wernicke’s area

comprehension of spoken and written language what

what is broca’s area

production of speech

how do primary cortex and association areas work together

what is the functon of the limbic system

processing and regulating emotions, memory, motivation, and behavior

what is the function of the reticular activating system

regulated arousal and sleep-wake transitions

describe the pathway of incoming sensory information

describe the pathway of outgoing motor commands

what is the cervical elargment

a section of the spinal cord thats responsible for processing sensory information and controlling motor function in the upper limb

what is the lumbar elargment

a wider section of spinal cord that contains nerve roots that supply the lower limbs

what is the conus medullaris

the terminal end of the spinal cord

what is the cauda equina

the collection of nerves at the end of the spinal cord

what is the filum terminal

a fibrous band that anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx

what is white matter

a tissue in the brain that allows different areas of the brain to communicate and exchange information; fibers are usually myelinated and bundled into tracts

what is gray matter

dark tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve cells bodies and branching dendrites

what is the epidural space

a tissue plane that surrond the spinal cord and nerves and is located between the dura mater and periosteum and ligaments of the vertebral canal

what is the denticulate ligament

lateral projections of the spinal pia mater forminf trangular shaped ligamnets that anchor the spinal cord along its length to the dura mater on each side

what are the three meninges found in the spinal cord

dura mater (tough outer layer), pia mater (delicate inner layer), arachnoid mater (web-like middle layer)

describe ganglia

cluster of nerve cell bodies found throughout bodu

describe a nucleus

structure in a cell that contains the chromosomes

what is a fiber tract

connect cortical areas within the same hemisphere

what is meant by a mixed nerve

a nerve that contains both sensory and motor nerve fibers

what is a spinal nerve

carries both sensory and motor signals to and from periphery composed of a mix of afferent and efferent fibers

what is the posterior gray horn

processes sensory info; interneurons and projection neurons

what is the anterior gray horn

sends motor commands; motor neurons

what is the dorsal root

transmits sensory info into the spinal cord w

what is the ventral root

carries motor info from the spinal cord to muscles and glands

what is the dorsal root ganglia

houses the cell bodies of sensory neurons

the gray matter of the spinal cord is dominated by

cell bodies of neurons, neuroglia, and unmyelinated axons

a synapse is

a junction between a neuron and a cell, site of neuronal communication, site of neurotransmitter release, and separated by a synaptic cleft

T/F: grey matter maiinly contains bundles of axons

false

T/F: the ventral root of the spinal cord contains bundles of sensory axons

false

T/F: projection fiber tracts connect the left and right cerebral hemispheres

false

what are the directional terms of the CNS

rostral (toward the nose) and caudal (toward the tail)

what protects the spinal cord

vertebrae, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluid

what functions does the brain perform

intelligence, consciousness, sensory and motor neuron, involved in innervation of the head, autonomic nervous system, and endocrine system

what is brain nuclei

all gray matter in the brain is in the form of clusters of neuron cell bodies

what is the brodman area

52 structurally distinct area

what are the three functional areas

sensory area (conscious awareness of sensation), association areas (integrate diverse information), motor areas (control voluntary movement)

what is a cortical area

involved in conscious awareness of sensation; premotor, primary motor, frontal eye field, and broca’s area

what is spacial discrimination

precisely locates a stimulus; certain regions are more adept at distinguishing precise stimuli

what is sensory homunculus

a body map of the sensory cortex

what is cerebral hemispheres

receive sensory input from the opposite side of the body

what is the primary auditory cortex

conscious awareness of sound, sound waves excite receptors in the inner ear; located on the superior edge of the temporal bone

what is the auditory association area

lies posterior to the primary auditory cortex, in the center of the wernicke’s area; permits evaluation of different sounds

what is the multimodal association areas

receives input from multiple sensory areas and sends output to multiple areas

what is the primary motor cortex area

controls motor function; pyramidal cells (large neurons)

what is the corticospinal tract

descends through brainstem and spinal cord; axons signal motor neurons to control skilled movements; contralateral

what does contralateral mean

pyramidal

what is the motor homunculus

body map of the motor cortex

what is somatotopy

body is represented spatially in many parts of the CNS

what is the premotor cortex

located anterior to the precentral gyrus; controls voluntary actions dependent on sensory feedback

what are the fiber tracts within cerebral white matter

commissures, association fibers, and projection fibers

what is commissures

allows communication between cerebral fibers

what is the largesr commissure

corpus callosum

what is association fibers

connect different parts of the same hemisphere

wwhat is projection fibers

run vertically; descend from the cerebral cortex and ascend to the cortex from lower regions

what is the amygdala

located in the cerebrum but is considered part of the limbic system

what is the basal nuclei

cooperate with the cerebral cortex in controlling movements; receives info from many cortical areas

what is the cingulate gyrus

allows us to shift between thoughts; interprets pain as unpleasent

what is the hippocampus

remembers facts and events which are sent to the cortex for storage as long term memories

what is the amygdaloid body

processes fear which can be retrieved later

what protects the brain from injury

the skull, meninges, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood-brain barrier

what is the function of the meninges

cover and protect the CNS; enclose and protect the vessels that supply the CNS; contains the cerebral spinal fluid

what is the blood-brain barrier

prevents most blood-borne toxins from entering the brain (impermeable capillaries); allows oxygen, alcohol, nicotine, and anesthetics through