Central Nervous System Flashcards
What is the central nervous system?
The brain and the spinal cord
How is the central nervous system protected?
By layers of physical and chemical barriers
What is the overall function of the brain?
The brain receives information and controls voluntary and involuntary activities to sustain the organism
Identify the three main parts of the brain and one function of each part.
Cerebrum: Conscious intellectual functions (memory, reading)
Cerebellum: Coordination and balance
Brain Stem: Unconscious autonomic functions (Breathing, heartbeat)
Describe the hemispheres of the brain.
Left hemisphere and right hemisphere are similar in shape, size, and both connected together by the corpus callosum
Explain and give examples of lateralization of the brain.
Concentration in only one hemisphere
Left: Speech and language
Right: Memory and spatial awareness
Identify one function of each of the four lobes of the cerebrum.
Frontal Lobe: Executive function, decision making
Parietal Lobe: Sensory input
Occipital Lobe: Vision input
Temporal Lobe: Audio input
Summarize the structure and function of the cerebral cortex.
Thin layer of gray matter outside of the cerebrum with many folds for increased surface area
Processes information
Explain how the hypothalamus controls the endocrine system.
It controls the pituitary gland, a major gland in the endocrine system
Describe the spinal cord.
A long tube of nervous tissues that extends from the brain stem to the pelvis
What is the main function of the spinal cord?
It passes messages to and from the body to the brain
Explain how reflex actions occur.
- Sensory receptor responds to sensation
- Sensory receptor sends a nerve impulse to the spinal cord
- Interneuron receives message in spinal cord, sends message to motor neuron
- Motor neuron carries impulse to muscle
- Muscle contracts in response
Why do severe spinal cord injuries usually cause paralysis?
Nerve impulses are interrupted and can no longer travel back and forth between the brain and body beyond the point of injury
What do you think are some possible consequences of severe damage to the brain stem? How might this compare to the consequences of severe damage to the frontal lobe? Explain your answer.
Severe damage to the brain stem can affect unconscious automatic functions of the body.
It can affect your breathing and digestion.
Severe damage to the frontal lobe can affect voluntary movement.
It can affect your movement and ability to speak.
Information travels very quickly in the nervous system, but generally, the longer the path between areas, the longer it takes. Based on this, explain why you think reflexes often occur at the spinal cord level and do not require input from the brain.
Because the spinal cord is made up of neurons, which can pass information to each other without input from the brain.
