midterm 2 Flashcards
(244 cards)
what is in the central nervous system?
brain and spinal cord
what does gray matter consist of?
unmyelinated somas, dendrites and axons- sensory and motor nuclei
what does white matter consist of?
myelinated axons that carry info to and from the brain
function of the spinal cord?
major pathways for info flowing between brain and skin, joint and muscles
dorsal root function?
carries sensory info to CNS
ventral root function
carries motor info to muscles and glands
what are the 4 regions of the spinal cord?
cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral
nuclei?
clusters of cell bodies in CNS
ganglia?
clusters of cell bodies in PNS
what is a spinal reflex?
initiated a response without input from the brain
stimulus > sensory info > integrating center > command to muscles > response
how do chemical and electrical signals in neurons lead to complex behaviours?
individual neurons reductionist > groups of neurons (circuits, pathways, networks) > complex behaviour
what are the 4 major regions of the brain stem?
midbrain (eye movement), pons (relay station between cerebrum and cerebellum, coordination of breathing), medulla (control of involuntary functions), reticular formation (arousal, sleep, muscle tone, pain modulation)
what is the brainstorm made up of?
11-12 cranial nerves (carry sensory and motor info for head and neck) and many nuclei
what does the medulla contain and it’s function?
white matter (ascending somatosensory tracts and descending corticospinal tracts- crossover at the pyramids) controls involuntary functioning in the cardiovascular center and the medullary respiratory center - vomiting, swallowing (deglutition), coughing, sneezing, hiccuping
pons - contents and function
contains nuclei and tracts, relays info between cerebrum and cerebellum, assists the medulla in the coordination of breathing
midbrain contents and function
junction between nuclei and tracts, contains the substantia nigra, controls eye movement, relays auditory and visual reflexes in response to stimuli
what is the reticular formation and function?
extends throughout the brain stem (small clusters of neuronal cell bodies interspersed among ascending and descending tracts) important in consciousness, arousal, attention and alertness. reticular activating system sends sensory info to cortex, RAS inactivated during sleep, damage can induce coma, regulates muscle tone, assists in vital functions
cerebellum contents and function
second largest brain structure (2 cerebellar hemispheres), process sensory info and coordinates the execution of movement, sends feedback signals to motor areas of the cerebral cortex via its connection to the thalamus helping to correct and errors and smooth the movements, regulates posture and balance
diencephalon contents
lies between brain stem and cerebrum, 2 primary structures (thalamus and hypothalamus), 2 endocrine structures (pineal gland and pituitary)
thalamus functions
relay center: relieves sensory info from optic tract, ears, spinal cord and motor info from cerebellum and projects info to cerebrum for processing
pineal gland function
cyclically releases melatonin involved in sleep/wake
hypothalamus function
center for homeostasis, influences autonomic and endocrine function, helps maintain blood glucose concentrations, maintains body temp, controls body osmolarity, stimulates shivering/sweating, controls reproductive functions, controls food intake, influences behaviour/emotions, release of hormones
pituitary contents
endocrine output of the hypothalamus, posterior pituitary is neural tissue, anterior pituitary is endocrine tissue, infundibulum is the stalk that connects the pituitary to the brain
posterior pituitary function
an extension of the brain that secretes neurohormones made in the hypothalamus.
neurohormone is made and packaged in cell body of neuron > vesicles are transported down the cell > vesicles containing neurohormones are stored in posterior pituitary > neurohormones are released into blood