Lecture 6 - nervous system and brain anatomy

Question 1

6 parts of the nervous system?

Answer 1

1. central nervous system (CNS)
2. peripheral nervous system
3. somatic system
4. autonomic system
5. sympathetic system
6. parasympathetic system

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) job?

Answer 2

Connects the central nervous system with the rest of the body through nerves

Includes:
- sympathetic
- parasympathetic

Question 3

Sympathetic system?

Answer 3

prepares for emergency, physical activity
fight or flight response

Question 4

Parasympathetic system?

Answer 4

balances use of energy
counteracts sympathetic system

Question 5

When sympathetic system is activated, we stop salivating. Why?

Answer 5

We don’t need to digest food when we’re in fight or flight / emergency mode

Question 6

When the sympathetic system is activated, our lungs relax. Why?

Answer 6

They relax so we can take bigger breaths, breathe more easily, get more air

Question 7

Cerebral cortex:

Answer 7

Outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres
Gives wrinkled appearance
More wrinkly = more surface space = more complex functions

Question 8

cerebrum vs cerebellum?

Answer 8

Cerebrum: really big front part, all 4 lobes
Cerebellum: piece in the back, basic survival functions

Question 9

What are the 4 lobes? Where are they?

Answer 9

1. frontal lobe (forehead to halfway back ish)
2. occipital lobe (back, near the neck)
3. temporal lobe (ears/temples)
4. parietal lobe (on top)

Question 10

Occipital lobe? Where? Cortex?

Answer 10

• Most posterior/back part of the brain
• Visual cortex
  –>Visual sensation –> perception

Question 11

Parietal lobe? Where? Cortex?

Answer 11

• top of the head
• somatosensory cortex

Question 12

Somatosensory cortex? Importance? Damage/problems?

Answer 12

• Important for touch and spatial awareness (where you are in a space/relative to other things)
• Involved in attention
• Damage –> hemineglect

Question 13

Hemineglect? Damage to what?

Answer 13

• damage to the somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobe
• you lose parts of your spatial awareness, usually on one specific side of the body
• movement is fine, just awareness of parts of the body
• might forget to put on one leg of their pants
• can also affect imagination –> struggle to draw a clock from memory

Question 14

Temporal lobe? Where? Cortex?

Answer 14

• ears/temples
• auditory cortex
• sensation of sound –> perception
• also important for recognizing faces
• damage:
  –> prosopagnosia (can’t recognize faces)

Question 15

Frontal lobe? Cortex?

Answer 15

• forehead/front of brain
• primary motor cortex
  –> back part of the frontal lobe
• prefrontal cortex
  –> gives you ‘humanity’
  –> memory, emotions
  –> developing/acting on plans
  –> understanding cultural norms, empathy

Question 16

Subcortical structures?

Answer 16

1. Hindbrain
2. Midbrain
3. Forebrain

Question 17

Hindbrain? Parts? Importance?

Answer 17

• synonym for brain stem
• connection between spinal cord and brain
• basic functions for survival and communication with nervous system
• parts:
  –> cerebellum
  –> medulla
  –> pons
  –> reticular formation

Question 18

Cerebellum?

Answer 18

Fine motor skills, equilibrium, balance, language, memory, learning
Cognitive and motor functions

Question 19

Medulla

Answer 19

Keeps us alive:
- heart beat
- blood pressure
- breathing
- digestive system
very little cognitive function

Question 20

Pons

Answer 20

Bridge from sensations to motor actions
Important for sleep

Question 21

Reticular formation

Answer 21

Alertness, consciousness
Damage can cause comas

Question 22

Midbrain?

Answer 22

Originally started in first stages of development. Gets hidden/trapped under the rest
2 parts:
- tectum
- tegmentum
–> huge number of dopamine pathways
–> connection to parkinsons
–> one of the pathways central to drug addiction

Question 23

Forebrain? Parts?

Answer 23

• hypothalamus –> homeostasis
• limbic system –> emotional behavior
  –> amygdala
  –> hippocampus

Question 24

Hypothalamus function?

Answer 24

• releases hormones
• hunger, thirst, sex behavior, stress, temperature, pH levels, blood pressure, mood
• connects pituitary to adrenal cortex
• many mental disorders
  –> PTSD = hypoactivity
  –> Depression = hyperactivity

Question 25

Amygdala?

Answer 25

• fear response
• memory of fear, awareness and response to threat
• damage can make someone immune to fear

Question 26

Hippocampus?

Answer 26

• form memory
• connected to hypothalamus
• chronic high cortisol levels are damaging, associated with memory loss

Question 27

What happens if the medulla is greatly lesioned?

Answer 27

The person would likely die. The medulla accounts for many functions necessary for survival, such as breathing, heart beat, blood pressure, digestion, etc.

Question 28

What part of the brain was lesioned in the study case H.M.? What happened to him
because of it?

Answer 28

In an attempt to control his seizures, H. M. underwent brain surgery to remove his hippocampus and amygdala. As a result of his surgery, H. M’s seizures decreased, but he could no longer form new memories or remember the prior 11 years of his life. Hippocampus is very important for memory

Question 29

Function of the hippocampus?

Answer 29

Majorly important for memory, especially long term memory