exam 3 Flashcards
(131 cards)
Nervous System (NS)
• The “control system” for our body
• Responsible for all movements involved in speech
production
• Normal functioning NS required for normal speech
• NS disruptions result in abnormal speech
• NS disruptions can also result in language and cognitive
disorders
NS Divisions
- Central Nervous System (CNS)
- brain and spinal cord
- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
- somatic system
- cranial and spinal nerves
- autonomic system
- sympathetic division (activating)
- parasympathetic division (dampening)
Brain Tissue: Glial Cells
- Made of connective tissue
- Known as the “supporting cells”
- Four main functions:
- Surround neurons and hold them in place
- Supply nutrients and oxygen to neurons
- Insulate one neuron from another
- Destroy and remove dead neurons (waste)
Brain Tissue: Glial Cells
Astrocytes
Oligodendrocytes
Schwann cells
Microglia
Astrocytes
ost common type; connect blood and
nerve cells
Oligodendrocytes
found in the CNS; forms myelin
sheath (insulation layers that wrap around nerve cells)
Schwann cells
found in the PNS; forms myelin sheath
Microglia
found in CNS; clean up waste and harmful
organisms
Brain Tissue: Neurons
Specialized nerve cells that processes and transmits
information through electrical and chemical signals
The core component of the NS
Basic structure across all neurons
Neuron Structure
• Cell body (or soma): made up of a nucleus surround
by cytoplasm
• Organelles are specialized microstructures located in
the cytoplasm
• Dendrites: short projections that branch off the cell
body; transmit nerve impulses towards the cell body
• Axon: extends off the cell body; transmit nerve
impulses away from the cell body
• Myelin sheath wraps around most axons
• Nodes of Ranvier: interrupt myelin sheath; speed up
rate of nerve transmission
• Terminal branches: axon divides at its endpoint;
branches end in terminal buttons
• Terminal buttons: contain neurotransmitters; the
site of communication from with nerve cells
Neuronal Communication
Synapse: gap between nerve cells
• Axo axonal synapse: synapse between an axon and
another axon
• Axo somatic synapse: synapse between an axon and
cell body (soma)
• Axodendritic synapse: synapse between an axon
and dendrite
• Communication accomplished by neurotransmission
Neurotransmission
An electrochemical process
◦ At rest, more positive ions (Na+ and K+) outside cell and
more negative ions (Cl-) inside cell
◦ Imbalance creates voltage across cell membrane, resting
membrane potential (RMP)
◦ Depolarization: Na+ enters cell, reversing electrical
charge to positive
◦ Repolarization: K+ leaves cell, reverting electrical
charge to negative
Central Nervous System
Protective tissue and fluid that surrounds the brain and
spinal cord
Three layered system:
1. Dura matter: outermost layer; tough connective
tissue; blood vessels
2. Arachnoid matter: delicate tissue; no blood vessels
3. Pia matter: delicate vascular tissue closest to the brain
CNS: Hemispheres
• Left hemisphere and right hemisphere
• Connected by nerve pathways, known as the corpus
callosum
CNS: Cortex
• Outermost layer of brain • “Gray matter” • Convoluted surface, with many folds: • Gyri: raised tissue • Sulci: shallow depressions • Fissures: deep grooves * Increase surface area without increasing space. • Neocortex: 95% of cortex. Responsible for higher order thinking and processing
CNS: Lobes of the Brain
Sulci and fissures separate cortex into four lobes:
1. Frontal
2. Parietal
3. Temporal
4. Occipital
Brodmann areas: 52 functional areas of human cortex
(including areas most important for speech & hearing) *
Caveats to Broadmann’s Area
1.Areas in brain are not completely separated and
boundaries are not precise
2. Identified areas in brain are not the only brain site for a
particular function
3. Lobes in left and right hemispheres are not identical in
either structure or function
Frontal Lobe
• Largest lobe in the brain.
• Motor and higher mental functions:
• Speech and language; Problem solving; Attention; Memory;
Personality and emotion; Symbolic function; Social behavior.
• Areas associated with speech & hearing:
• Motor strip(#4)
• Premotor area & supplementary motor area (#6)
• Broca’s area (#44, #45)
Parietal Lobes
- Sensory functions:
- Touch; Pressure; Pain; Proprioception; Temperature
- Areas associated with speech & hearing:
- Primary somatosensory area (#3, #2, #1)
- Somatosensory association area (#5, #7)
- Angular gyrus (#39)
- Supramarginal gyrus (#40)
Temporal Lobes
- Understanding functions:
- Hearing; Memory; Language (understanding and formulating).
- Areas associated with speech & hearing:
- Primary auditory cortex (#41)
- Auditory association area (#42)
- Wernicke’s area (#22)
Occipital Lobe
- Reception and processing of visual information
- Areas associated with speech & hearing:
- Primary visual area (#17)
- Visual association area (#18, #19)
Cerebrum
• Main mass of brain • “White matter” • Myelinated nerve fibers involved in the transmission of information • Deep in cerebrum, are pockets of gray matter: • Basal nuclei • Thalamus • hypothalamus
Cerebrum: Basal Nuclei
• AKA Basal Ganglia
• Composed of the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus,
putamen, and substantia nigra
• Primary functions to regulate motor control (balance,
posture, coordination) and precise voluntary
movements
• Damage to the basal nuclei is seen in conditions like
Parkinson’s Disease and Huntington’s Disease
Cerebrum: Thalamus
• A collection of motor function nuclei and sensory function nuclei. • The “gateway to consciousness” • And a “relay station” • Thalamic nuclei critical to speech and hearing: • Ventral anterior nuclei (VA) • Ventral lateral nuclei (VL) • Medical geniculate body • Lateral geniculate body