Nervous System

Question 1

Central nervous system (CNS)

Answer 1

composed of the brain and spinal cord.

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Answer 2

composed of spinal nerves that branch from the spinal cord and cranial nerves that branch from the brain.

Question 3

Cerebrum

Answer 3

the largest part of the brain; composed of right/left hemispheres.

It performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement.

Question 4

Cerebellum

Answer 4

located under the cerebrum.

Its function is to coordinate muscle movements, maintain posture, and balance.

Question 5

Brainstem

Answer 5

acts as a relay center connecting the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord.

It performs many automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature, wake and sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and swallowing.

Question 6

The right/left hemispheres are joined by:

Answer 6

a bundle of fibers called the corpus callosum that transmits messages from one side to the other.

Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. If a stroke occurs on the right side of the brain, your left arm or leg may be weak or paralyzed.

Question 7

In general, the left hemisphere controls: ; the right hemisphere controls:

Answer 7

speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing; creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills

Question 8

Each hemisphere has four lobes:

Answer 8

Frontal
Temporal
Parietal
Occipital

Question 9

Frontal is responsible for:

Answer 9

personality, behavior, emotions; judgment, planning, problem solving; speech, speaking, writing (Broca’s area); body movement (motor strip); intelligence, concentration, self-awareness.

Question 10

Temporal is responsible for:

Answer 10

understanding language (Wernicke’s area); memory; hearing; sequencing and organization.

Question 11

Parietal is responsible for:

Answer 11

interprets language, words; sense of touch, pain, temperature (sensory strip); interprets signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory; spatial and visual perception.

Question 12

Occipital is responsible for:

Answer 12

interprets vision (color, light, movement).

Question 13

Left hemisphere:

Answer 13

responsible for language/speech; called the “dominant” hemisphere.

Question 14

Right

Answer 14

plays large part in interpreting visual information and spatial processing.

Question 15

Aphasia

Answer 15

a disturbance of language affecting speech production, comprehension, reading or writing, due to brain injury - most commonly from stroke or trauma. The type of aphasia depends on the brain area damaged.

Question 16

Broca’s area

Answer 16

lies in the left frontal lobe. If your area is damaged, one may have difficulty moving the tongue or facial muscles to produce the sounds of speech. The person can still read and understand spoken language but has difficulty in speaking and writing (i.e., forming letters and words, doesn’t write within the lines) - called Broca’s aphasia.

Question 17

Wernicke’s area

Answer 17

lies in the left temporal lobe. Damage to this area causes Wernicke’s aphasia. The individual may speak in long sentences that have no meaning, add unnecessary words, and even create new words. They can make speech sounds, however they have difficulty understanding speech and are therefore unaware of their mistakes.

Question 18

Cortex

Answer 18

the surface of the cerebrum

Question 19

Gray matter

Answer 19

the nerve cell bodies color the cortex grey-brown giving it its name

Question 20

white matter

Answer 20

beneath the cortex are long nerve fibers (axons) that connect brain areas to each other

Question 21

a fold is called a: ; the valley between is a:

Answer 21

gyrus; sulcus

Question 22

the folding of the cortex increases the brain’s:

Answer 22

surface area allowing more neurons to fit inside the skull and enabling higher functions.

Question 23

White matter tracts

Answer 23

pathways that connect areas of the cortex to each other

Question 24

Hypothalamus

Answer 24

located in the floor of the third ventricle and is the master control of the autonomic system. It plays a role in controlling behaviors such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and sexual response. It also regulates body temperature, blood pressure, emotions, and secretions of hormones.

Question 25

Pituitary gland

Answer 25

lies in a small pocket of bone at the skull base called the sella turcica. The pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus of the brain by the pituitary stalk.

Question 26

Pineal gland

Answer 26

located behind the third ventricle. It helps regulate the body’s internal clock and circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin. It has some role in sexual development.

Question 27

Thalamus

Answer 27

serves as a relay station for almost all information that comes and goes to the cortex. It plays a role in pain sensation, attention, alertness and memory.

Question 28

Basal ganglia

Answer 28

includes the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. These nuclei work with the cerebellum to coordinate fine motions, such as fingertip movements.

Question 29

Limbic system

Answer 29

the center of our emotions, learning, and memory. Included in this system are the cingulate gyri, hypothalamus, amygdala (emotional reactions) and hippocampus (memory).

Question 30

Memory is a complex process that includes three phases:

Answer 30

encoding (deciding what information is important)
storing
recalling

Question 31

Encoding

Answer 31

your brain has to pay attention and rehearse in order for an event to move from short-term to long-term memory.

Question 32

Short-term memory

Answer 32

working memory; occurs in the prefrontal cortex. It stores information for about one minute and its capacity is limited to about 7 items. For example, it enables you to dial a phone number someone just told you. It also intervenes during reading, to memorize the sentence you have just read, so that the next one makes sense.

Question 33

Long-term memory

Answer 33

processed in the hippocampus of the temporal lobe and is activated when you want to memorize something for a longer time. This memory has unlimited content and duration capacity. It contains personal memories as well as facts and figures.

Question 34

Skill memory

Answer 34

processed in the cerebellum, which relays information to the basal ganglia. It stores automatic learned memories like tying a shoe, playing an instrument, or riding a bike.

Question 35

Ventricles

Answer 35

hollow fluid-filled cavities within the brain

Question 36

choroid plexus

Answer 36

ribbon-like structure inside the ventricles that makes cerebrospinal fluid

Question 37

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Answer 37

clear colorless fluid that flows within and around the brain and spinal cord to help cushion it from injury.

This circulating fluid is constantly being absorbed and replenished.

Question 38

Skull bones:

Answer 38

1. frontal
2. parietal (2)
3. temporal (2)
4. sphenoid
5. occipital
6. ethmoid

Question 39

Facial bones:

Answer 39

1. maxilla
2. zygoma
3. nasal
4. palatine.
5. lacrimal.
6. inferior nasal conchae
7. mandible
8. vomer

Question 40

Inside the skull are three distinct areas:

Answer 40

1. anterior fossa
2. middle fossa
3. posterior fossa

doctors sometimes refer to a tumor’s location by these terms (e.g., middle fossa meningioma)

Question 41

Cranial nerves originate:

Answer 41

from the brainstem, exit the skull through holes called foramina, and travel to the parts of the body they innervate.

The brainstem exits the skull through the foramen magnum.

Question 42

Ten of the twelve pairs of cranial nerves that control hearing, eye movement, facial sensations, taste, swallowing, and movement of the face, neck, shoulder, and tongue muscles originate:

Answer 42

in the brainstem.

the cranial nerves for smell and vision originate in the cerebrum.

Question 43

Dura mater

Answer 43

a strong, thick membrane that closely lines the inside of the skull; its two layers, the periosteal and meningeal dura, are fused and separate only to form venous sinuses. The dura creates little folds or compartments. There are two special dural folds, the flax and the tentorium. The falx separates the right and left hemispheres of the brain and the tentorium separates the cerebrum from the cerebellum.

Question 44

Arachnoid mater

Answer 44

a thin, web-like membrane that covers the entire brain. The arachnoid is made of elastic tissue. The space between the dura and arachnoid membranes is called the subdural space.

Question 45

Pia mater

Answer 45

hugs the surface of the brain following its folds and grooves. The pia mater has many blood vessels that reach deep into the brain. The space between the arachnoid and pia is called the subarachnoid space. It is here where the cerebrospinal fluid bathes and cushions the brain.

Question 46

Blood is carried to the brain by two paired arteries:

Answer 46

the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries.

the internal carotid arteries supply most of the cerebrum.

Question 47

The brain is made up of two types of cells:

Answer 47

nerve cells (neurons) and glia cells

Question 48

Nerve cells consist of:

Answer 48

cell body, dendrites and an axon

Question 49

Neurons transmit their energy to each other across a tiny gap called a:

Answer 49

synapse

Question 50

A neuron has many arms called:

Answer 50

dendrites, which act like antennae picking up messages from other nerve cells.

Question 51

Glia cells

Answer 51

the cells of the brain that provide neurons with nourishment, protection, and structural support.

There are about 10 to 50 times more glia than nerve cells and are the most common type of cells involved in brain tumors.

Question 52

Astroglia/astrocytes

Answer 52

caretakers; regulate the blood brain barrier, allowing nutrients and molecules to interact with neurons. They control homeostasis, neuronal defense and repair, scar formation, and also affect electrical impulses.

Question 53

Oligodendroglia

Answer 53

create a fatty substance called myelin that insulates axons – allowing electrical messages to travel faster.

Question 54

Ependymal cells

Answer 54

line the ventricles and secrete cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Question 55

Microglia

Answer 55

the brain’s immune cells, protecting it from invaders and cleaning up debris. They also prune synapses.