nervous sytem: the central nervous system Flashcards
(49 cards)
identify the structure of the nervous system
its divided into the central nervous system- brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system- cranial (functions in the head) and spinal nerves ( sensory and motor functions
where does most of the processing occur in the nervous system
the most complex part and processing occurs in the brain but a little bit is performed in the spine
what are the two type of pathways part of the peripheral nervous system
motor pathways- leaving the central nervous system and targets different muscle in the body
sensory pathways- sensing whats happening in the environment like visual.
how does the central nervous system relay and receive information
via the peripheral nervous system
is it motor or sensory pathway that is divided into two parts and what are they
it is motor. its autonomic- controlling unconscious functions like heart rate, smooth muscle (regulation of the gut) and somatic- driving voluntary movements- skeletal muscle movements.
what are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system
sympathetic- activation in response to threat parasympathetic- relaxes the body
what do all the systems in the motor pathways in the nervous system share
they all drive effectors- muscle/endocrine/exocrine.
do sensory pathways have effectors or receptors
receptors
whats the connection between motor and sensory pathways
the sensory pathways monitor what is happening within the effectors for the body to know what is happening at any given time. this is to know if the e.g movement from motor gets feedback from the sensory pathways to know if that moment was successful or not.
provide a basic example of this pathways working
a visual stimulus (sensory pathway) which is the retina (receptor). it then goes to the central nervous system and goes to the brain
what is the difference between afferent vs efferent
afferent: sensory information going TO the central nervous system
efferent: motor pathways going FROM the central nervous system.
how do the nervous system ensure it knows what is going on.
the sensory pathways monitor the effectors eg. drive action of a particular muscle, the receptor regulates the effector to know that the movement was successful. its the constant feedback where each part modulates each other.
explain the structures of the brain
includes the forebrain: cerebral cortex and the thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, Amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia
the hindbrain: includes the brainstem and cerebellum.
what is the cerebral cortex and what is it role
biggest part of the brain where the most complex processing occurs. it is convulated and the majority of what you see on the outside. it has a left and right hemisphere and is. connected by the corpus callosum
what is the brainstem
it includes the midbrain. pons and medulla. it is essentially a connection of the forebrain and spinal cord- contains pathways that are sensory and motor.
where and what is the role of the medulla
the medulla is at the bottom of the brain. it is connected to the spinal cord and has neurone that allow us to breathe and for heart rate.
what is the corpus collosum
connects left and right hemisphere of the cerebral cortex and allows them to communicate
what are the four parts of the cerebral cortex
frontal, parietal, temporal and oxibital.
what is the coronal slice
it cutting the brain in the centre to reveal the grey and white matter
what is the difference between grey and white matter in the brain
grey matter: contains the neuronal cell bodies where the nucleus resides
white matter contains the part of the neuron that holds the axon- connecting part of the neuron- wiring that connects them.
what happens when different axons come together
they form a pathway. a good example of this is the corpus collasum- has many axons of neutrons that connect left to right and vice versa.
why is he white matter really white
contain mylin- insulates the axons which wrap around it. it is made of 80% lipid.
what are the roles of the four parts of the cererbral cortex
frontal: high execute functions like emotional regulation, planning, reasoning and problem solving
parental: integrating sensory information like touch, temp, pressure and pain - includes skin but not eyes or ears.
temporal: processing sensory information and important for hearing, recognising language, and forming memories
occipital: major visual processing centre in the brain
which part of the brain is responsible for the production of speech
frontal lobe. damage here through stroke- no blood flow in the brain and damages the neuron means that the person will lose the ability to lose speaking selectively. it is only on the left side of the brain. there is only one artery that supply blood to here.
