anatomy/physiology of nervous system

Question 1

frontal lobe

Answer 1

• voluntary muscle activation
• emotions, judgement, higher order cognitive functions
• brocas area (motor aspect of speech)

Question 2

parietal lobe

Answer 2

• integration of sensation
• touch, proprioceptive, pain, temperature

Question 3

temporal lobe

Answer 3

• receives/processes auditory stimuli
• wernicke’s area (language comprehension)

Question 4

occipital lobe

Answer 4

• receives/processes visual stimuli

Question 5

limbic system

Answer 5

feeding, aggression, emotions, endocrine aspects of sexual response, long term memory formation

Question 6

basal ganglia

Answer 6

voluntary movement, postural adjustments, refines coordination, forms and stores motor plans, produces dopamine

Question 7

2 basal ganglia disorders

Answer 7

• parkinsons disease: reduced dopamine
• huntingtons disease: degeneration of caudate nucleus

Question 8

thalamus

Answer 8

integrates and relays sensory information

Question 9

hypothalamus

Answer 9

maintains homeostasis

Question 10

epithalamus

Answer 10

secretes hormones that influence pituitary gland and several other organs

Question 11

brain stem

Answer 11

relay station for auditory, visual, and pupillary reflexes
- important in motor control and muscle tone

Question 12

pons

Answer 12

controlling autonomic functioning
- initiates REM sleep
- center for horizontal gaze

Question 13

medulla oblongata

Answer 13

vital cardiac, respiratory, and vasomotor centers
- controls vomiting, swallowing, gagging, and coughing

Question 14

ascending pathways

Answer 14

• dorsal columns/medial lemniscal system
• spinothalamic tract
• spinocerebellar
• spinoreticular tract

Question 15

descending pathways

Answer 15

• corticospinal tract
• vestibulospinal tract
• rubrospinal tract
• reticulospinal tract
• tectospinal tract

Question 16

dorsal columns/medial lemniscal system

Answer 16

convey sensations of proprioception, kinesthesia, vibration, pressure, and tactile discrimination to the somatosensory cortex

Question 17

spinothalamic tract

Answer 17

convey sensations of pain, temperature, and crude touch

Question 18

spinocerebellar tract

Answer 18

conveys unconscious proprioception, touch and pressure information from LEs to the cerebellum for the coordination of individual muscles

Question 19

corticospinal tract

Answer 19

arise from the primary motor cortex, descend in brainstem, cross medulla (10% remain ipsilateral, 90% become contralateral) and synapse on motor spinal nerves that innervate skeletal muscles; important for voluntary motor control

Question 20

vestibulospinal tract

Answer 20

arise from vestibular nucleus and descend to the spinal cord important for control of muscle tone, antigravity muscles, and postural reflexesr

Question 21

rubrospinal tract

Answer 21

arises in contralateral red nucleus and descends in lateral white columns to spinal gray; assists in motor function

Question 22

reticulospinal tract

Answer 22

arises in reticular formation of brain stem and descends in both the ventral and lateral columns
- can inhibit or stimulate motor activity
- important for preparatory and movement related activities and postural control

Question 23

tectospinal tract

Answer 23

arises from the superior colliculus and descends to the ventral gray; assists in head turning responses in response to verbal stimuli

Question 24

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 24

• prepares for fight/flight
• emergency responses
• raises heart rate and blood pressure
• constricts peripheral blood vessels and redistributes blood
• inhibits peristalsis

Question 25

autonomic nervous system

Answer 25

- conserves and restores homeostasis - slows heart rate and reduces blood pressure - increases peristalsis and glandular activity

Question 26

complete cord lesion: UMN lesion

Answer 26

- complete bilateral loss of all sensory modalities - bilateral loss of motor function with spastic paralysis below level of lesion - loss of bladder and bowel functions with spastic bladder and bowel

Question 27

central cord lesion: UMN lesion

Answer 27

- cavitation of central cord in cervical section - loss of spinothalamic tracts with bilateral loss of pain and temperature - loss of ventral horn with bilateral loss of motor function: primarily UEs - preservation of proprioception and discriminatory sensation