Nervous System/Senses Lab Practical Study Guide

Cranial Nerves

  • Olfactory (I) – smell

  • Optic (II) – vision

  • Oculomotor (III) – eye movement + pupil constriction

  • Trochlear (IV) – superior oblique muscle

  • Trigeminal (V) – facial sensation + chewing

  • Abducens (VI) – lateral rectus (moves eye laterally)

  • Facial (VII) – facial expression + taste (anterior 2/3)

  • Vestibulocochlear (VIII) – hearing + balance

  • Glossopharyngeal (IX) – taste (posterior 1/3) + swallowing

  • Vagus (X) – parasympathetic (heart, lungs, digestion)

  • Accessory (XI) – head/neck movement

  • Hypoglossal (XII) – tongue movement

Brain Lobes / Surface Anatomy

  • Frontal Lobe – thinking, planning, movement

  • Parietal Lobe – touch, temperature, pain

  • Temporal Lobe – hearing, memory

  • Occipital Lobe – vision

  • Central Sulcus – separates frontal and parietal lobes

  • Lateral Sulcus – separates temporal lobe

  • Longitudinal Fissure – divides hemispheres

  • Precentral Gyrus – primary motor cortex

  • Postcentral Gyrus – primary somatosensory cortex

  • Broca’s Area – speech production

  • Wernicke’s Area – language comprehension

Sagittal Brain

  • Corpus Callosum – connects hemispheres

  • Septum Pellucidum – separates lateral ventricles

  • Fornix – memory pathway

  • Internal Capsule – motor/sensory relay

Ventricles / CSF Flow

  • Lateral Ventricles – largest CSF-filled cavities

  • Interventricular Foramen – opening to third ventricle

  • Third Ventricle – midline cavity

  • Cerebral Aqueduct – connects third to fourth ventricle

  • Fourth Ventricle – between brainstem and cerebellum

  • Choroid Plexus – produces CSF

  • Ependymal Cells – circulate CSF

Brainstem + Cerebellum

  • Midbrain – contains visual and auditory reflex centers

  • Superior Colliculi – visual reflexes

  • Inferior Colliculi – auditory reflexes

  • Pons – sleep and breathing regulation

  • Medulla Oblongata – heart rate and breathing control

  • Cerebellum – coordination and balance

  • Arbor Vitae – cerebellar white matter

  • Vermis – connects cerebellar hemispheres

Meninges

  • Dura Mater – tough outer meningeal layer

  • Arachnoid Mater – middle layer

  • Pia Mater – inner layer (touches brain)

  • Falx Cerebri – separates cerebral hemispheres

  • Tentorium Cerebelli – separates cerebrum and cerebellum

Eye

  • Cornea – light entry

  • Lens – focuses light

  • Retina – photoreceptors

  • Macula – central vision

  • Fovea Centralis – sharpest vision

  • Optic Nerve – carries visual signals

Ear

  • Pinna – collects sound

  • Tympanic Membrane – vibrates with sound

  • Ossicles – amplify sound (malleus, incus, stapes)

  • Cochlea – hearing

  • Semicircular Canals – balance