Nervous System Flashcards
Peripheral nervous system
Carries messages to and from the central nervous system
Sensory division of PNS
Receptors to stimuli; sensory neurons send signals to CNS
Motor division
Contains motor neurons which carry signals from CNS to effectors
Somatic nervous system
Allows voluntary movement
Autonomic nervous system
Regulates involuntary, subconscious activities
Cerebrum
Complex portion of brain consisting of two hemispheres
Cerebral cortex
Thin outer layer (gray matter); billions of unmyelinated nerve cells and neuroglial cells
Cerebral white matter
Nerve cells with myelinated axons; communicates between neurons in the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body
Areas of cerebrum
Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Temporal lobe
Occipital lobe
Frontal lobe
Motor function, personality, speech
Parietal lobe
Sensory functions (e.g. Taste)
Temporal lobe
Auditory and olfaction (smell)
Occipital lobe
Visual cortex
Cerebrum functions
- voluntary movement
- interpreting sensations
- language
- decision making
- self-awareness
- creativity
- memories
Midbrain
Relays and integrates signals
Pons
Bridge between higher and lower brains
Medulla oblongata
Autonomic centers for respiration, heart rate, and digestion
Cerebellum
- Coordinates voluntary, sensory-motor movements
- stores memory of “learned motor patterns”
Thalamus
Processes sensory signals and relays information to appropriate centers
Hypothalamus
Responsible for homeostasis; controls heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, body temperature, and hunger
Limbic system
Complex set of structures responsible for emotions and formation of memories
Acquired brain injury
Cerebrovascular accident; death of neurons from interruption of blood flow to a region of the brain
Causes of cerebrovascular accidents
Stroke, aneurysm, heart attack, meningitis, substance abuse
Meningitis
Infections of meninges (membranes surrounding brain and spinal cord)