Nervous System - 11.2

Question 1

What is the central nervous system?

Answer 1

Structural and functional Centre of the entire nervous system

Site of neural integration and processing - receives information from senses - evaluates information - initiates outgoing response

Question 2

What can damage to the nervous system affect?

Answer 2

Temperament, motor control, and homeostasis

Question 3

What is Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)?

Answer 3

Disease that causes sponge like holes in the brain - often called “mad cow disease”

Initially causes nervousness and over sensitivity to touch

Question 4

What causes BSE?

Answer 4

an infectious protein

Question 5

What are the two main types of tissue that the nervous system is composed of?

Answer 5

Grey matter and white matter

Question 6

Describe grey matter.

Answer 6

Grey matter is grey - contains mostly cell bodies, dendrites, and short, unmyelinated axons (nerve fibers)

Contains many spinal neurons

Question 7

Where is grey matter found?

Answer 7

Found around the outside areas of the brain - Forms H shape core of spinal cord

Question 8

Describe white matter?

Answer 8

White matter is white - contains myelinated axons that run together in tracts

Question 9

Where is white matter found?

Answer 9

Forms in the inner region of some areas of the brain - outer area of the spinal cord

Question 10

What is the spinal cord?

Answer 10

The spinal cord is a nerve tissue - extends out of the skull from the brain - and downward through a canal within the backbone

Question 11

Why is the spinal cord important?

Answer 11

It is the vital communication center between the brain and PNS

Within spinal cord - sensory neurons carry messages to the brain for interpretation
- Motor neurons relay messages from the brain to effectors

Primary reflex center - coordinating rapid incoming and outgoing neural information

Question 12

What are the delicate tissues of the spinal cord protected by?

Answer 12

Cerebrospinal fluid
Soft tissue layers
Spinal column ( a series of backbone - vertebrae)

Question 13

What happens if you injure the spinal column?

Answer 13

You can damage the spinal cord - resulting in paralysis

Question 14

Greek philosopher Aristotle knew that directly touching the brain did not cause any sensations to owner, what did he conclude?

Answer 14

He concluded that the heart must be in control of human intelligence - sensations - and body functions

Question 15

What is the Centre for intelligence, consciousness, and emotion?

Answer 15

The Brain!

Question 16

What are the three regions of the brain?

Answer 16

The hindbrain, mid brain, and forebrain

Question 17

Describe the brain.

Answer 17

Brain is fragile - has gelatin like consistency

skulls form bony, protective layer around brain

Meninges

Question 18

What are meninges?

Answer 18

Three layers of tough, elastic tissue within spinal cord and brain - directly encloses the brain and spinal cord

Question 19

What is the cerebellum and describe it.

Answer 19

It is a walnut shaped structure

Located below and largely behind cerebrum

Involved in unconscious coordination ( reflexes and body movements)
- Voluntary motor skills (hitting tennis ball, playing piano)

Receives information from specialized sensors (proprioceptors - located within skeletal muscles and joints)

Question 20

What is the medulla oblongata and describe it.

Answer 20

Sits at base of the brain stem - connects brain with spinal cord

Contains centers that control autonomic, involuntary movements (heart rate, breathing, dilation and constriction of blood vessels)

Question 21

What is the pons and describe it?

Answer 21

It is found above and in front of the medulla oblongata

Serves as a relay center between - neurons of the right and left halves of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and rest of brain

Question 22

What is the Midbrain and describe it?

Answer 22

It is found above the pons

Relays visual and auditory information - between areas of the forebrain and hindbrain

Plays important role in eye movement - control of skeletal muscles

Question 23

What is the Thalamus and what does it do?

Answer 23

It sits at the base of the forebrain

Consists of neurons that provide connections between various parts of the brain
- between forebrain and hindbrain
- sensory system (not smell) and cerebellum

Often referred to as “the great relay station of the brain”

Question 24

What is the Hypothalamus and what does it do?

Answer 24

It helps regulate the bodies internal environment and behavior

Contains neurons that control blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, basic drives (thirst, hunger), emotions (fear, rage)

Damage to it - person can display unusual, violent behavior

Major link between nervous and endocrine systems

Coordinates the actions of the pituitary gland - regulating and producing the release of certain hormones

Question 25

What is the cerebrum and what does it do?

Answer 25

Largest part of the brain Divided into right and left cerebral hemispheres (contains the intellect, memory, conscious, and language centres) It interprets and controls the response to sensory information

Question 26

What are the meninges and what are its three layers?

Answer 26

Meninges are a three layer, elastic protective tissue that protects the central nervous system Dura mater, arachnoid layer, and pia mater

Question 27

What causes meningitis and how can it be diagnosed?

Answer 27

Meningitis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection - it can be diagnosed by testing cerebrospinal fluid

Question 28

How do the meninges protect the CNS?

Answer 28

Act as shock absorbers - prevent the direct circulation of blood through the cells of the brain and spinal cord

Question 29

What is the separation of blood and the CNS called?

Answer 29

The blood brain barrier.

Question 30

What happens if oxygen supply to the brain is disrupted?

Answer 30

stroke - when arteries that supply the brain with blood are blocked

Question 31

What are the blood capillaries that lead to the brain made of?

Answer 31

Tighly fused Epilethial cells

Question 32

What is the total amount of cerebrospinal fluid in an adult and how much is produced per day?

Answer 32

150 ml - in adult 500ml - produced per day

Question 33

Where is the cerebrospinal fluid found and what does it transport?

Answer 33

In the ventricles within the brain They transport: hormones, nutrients, and white blood cells

Question 34

What two layers of the meninges is cerebrospinal fluid found?

Answer 34

Between arachnoid layer and pia mater.

Question 35

What does each half of the cerebrum consist of?

Answer 35

Internal mass of white matter Thin outer layer made of grey matter - cerebral cortex

Question 36

What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?

Answer 36

language, memory, personality, vision, conscious thought - any other activities involved with thinking or feeling.

Question 37

Describe the structure of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 37

About 5mm thick - highly convoluted (allows to fit high concentration of grey matter) Convolution and fissures - increase surface area

Question 38

What are the left and right halves of the cerebrum called and what links them?

Answer 38

Left and right Hemispheres Linked by white matter - corpus collosum (sends messages from one hemisphere to other - telling other what the other is doing)

Question 39

What is the right brain or right cerebral hemisphere associated with?

Answer 39

holistic and intuitive thinking, visual spatial skills, and artistic abilities

Question 40

What is the left brain or left cerebral hemisphere associated with?

Answer 40

segmental, sequential, and logical ways of thinking - mathematical and linguistic skills

Question 41

Four pairs of lobes that each pair of the cerebral cortex is divided into?

Answer 41

Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, and Temporal Lobe

Question 42

Describe the occipital lobe.

Answer 42

Receives and analyzes visual information - needed for recognition of what is being seen Damage to occipital lobes - person can see object but not recognize them

Question 43

Describe the temporal lobe.

Answer 43

Share in the process of visual information - main function is auditory reception Linked to understanding speech - retrieving visual and verbal memories

Question 44

Describe the parietal lobe.

Answer 44

Receive and processes sensory information from the skin Portion of parietal lobe in a particular area of the body - related to the importance of sensory information for this part of the body Helps process information about bodies position and orientation

Question 45

Describe the frontal lobe.

Answer 45

Integrates information from other parts of the brain - controls reasoning, critical thinking, memory and personality Broca's area - involved with language use Contains motor areas that control voluntary motor movements Proportion of frontal lobe is dedicated to particular part of body - correlates with degree of complexity movement that body structure can make

Question 46

How is it possible that each side of the brain controls muscles on the opposite side of the body.

Answer 46

The nerves leading from right to left in the frontal lobe cross over in the brainstem

Question 47

What are two important areas on the left side of the cerebral cortex involved with speech?

Answer 47

Broca's area - coordinates muscles for speaking - makes thoughts words (damage to it can affect ability to speak - can still understand words though) Wernicke's area - stores information involved in language comprehension (if damaged you can utter words - words will make little sense though)

Question 48

Who is Phineas George?

Answer 48

Explosion drove metal bar through frontal lobe - he experienced a personality change

Question 49

What did Wilder Penfield do?

Answer 49

Canadian Nobel Prize recipient - He operated on people with epilepsy - applied electrical currents to surface of brain to find the problem areas

Question 50

What is PET and what does it do?

Answer 50

Positron Emission Tomography Person receives injection of radioactively labelled glucose - scanner monitors glucose consumption in the brain Can be used to diagnose Alzheimer's (detoriation of brain that leads to memory loss, confusion, lack of conscious movements).

Question 51

What is MRI and how does it work?

Answer 51

Magnetic renosance imaging Magnet is put on persons head - changes in direction of the magnetic field - induce hydrogen atoms in the brain to emit radio signals These images signals can be detected, translated, and displayed as structural and functional images.