Structure of the nervous system

Question 1

What are the two parts of the CNS?

Answer 1

The brain and spine

Question 2

What are the three parts of the brain?

Answer 2

Forebrain, cerebellum, and brainstem

Question 3

What are the four lobes of the cerebrum?

Answer 3

Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

Question 4

What is the frontal lobe for?

Answer 4

Motor areas, including speech; decision making; higher functions

Question 5

What is the parietal lobe for?

Answer 5

Integrating visual and sensory information from different sense to build a coherent picture of the world; allows coordination of movements in a complex environment

Question 6

What is the temporal lobe for?

Answer 6

Memory; face recognition; object recognition; understanding language

Question 7

What is the occipital lobe for?

Answer 7

Vision; all input from eyes goes here

Question 8

What are the two layers of the cerebrum?

Answer 8

Grey matter and white matter

Question 9

What is the grey matter of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 9

Outer layer of the cerebral cortex; composed of cell bodies

Question 10

What is white matter of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 10

Inner layer of the cerebral cortex; composed of myelinated fibre tracts; carries information in and out of cerebrum

Question 11

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 11

Thick bundle of nerves which connects the two hemispheres

Question 12

What are the protrusions and folds of the cerebral cortex called?

Answer 12

Protrusions are gyrus, folds inwards are sulcus; they increase the surface area of the cortex

Question 13

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

Answer 13

Are important integrating centres controlling movement, posture, and personality traits

Question 14

What are the two parts of the forebrain?

Answer 14

Cerebrum and diencephalon

Question 15

What are the three parts of the diencephalon?

Answer 15

Thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland

Question 16

What is the function of the thalamus?

Answer 16

Synaptic relay station for all sensory pathways but smell en route to cortex; important integrating centre for inputs to cortex; participates in control of skeletal muscle coordination; key role in awareness

Question 17

What is the function of the hypothalamus?

Answer 17

Command centre for neural and endocrine coordination; responsible for internal homeostasis; regulate survival behaviours; generates and regulates circadian rhythms; participates in generation of emotional behaviour and regulation of autonomic function; regulated pituitary gland

Question 18

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

Answer 18

Produces own hormones and stimulates all other hormones-producing glands

Question 19

What is the limbic system?

Answer 19

Set of structures associated with learning and emotion, coordinated by hypothalamus; frontal lobe, temporal lobe, thalamus, hypothalamus

Question 20

What are the inputs of the cerebellum?

Answer 20

From muscles and joints, skin, eyes and ears, viscera, and motor cortex

Question 21

What are the roles of the cerebellum?

Answer 21

Coordination of movements (posture and balance), participates in skill learning

Question 22

What is the brainstem?

Answer 22

Contains all fibres passing between spinal cord, forebrain, and cerebellum

Question 23

What are the three parts of the brainstem?

Answer 23

Midbrain, pons, and medulla

Question 24

What runs through the brainstem?

Answer 24

Reticular formation

Question 25

What is the function of the reticular formation?

Answer 25

Connects spinal cord to forebrain and cerebellum; receives and integrates input from all regions of CNS; innervates most regions of brain and spinal cord (arousal, wakefulness, attention); is the only part of the brain essential for life

Question 26

What are the roles of the brainstem?

Answer 26

Motor function, CV control, respiratory control, sleep, wakefulness, attention

Question 27

How many pairs of spinal nerves are there?

Answer 27

31 pairs

Question 28

What is the grey matter of the spinal cord?

Answer 28

Entering axons of afferent neurons, interneurons, cell bodies and dendrites of efferent neurons, and glial cells

Question 29

What is the white matter of the spinal cord?

Answer 29

Myelinated axons; bidirectional transfer of information

Question 30

What is the dorsal root?

Answer 30

Where afferent nerve fibres enter spinal cord

Question 31

What is the dorsal root ganglion?

Answer 31

Contains cell bodies of afferent neurons

Question 32

What is the ventral root?

Answer 32

Where axons of efferent neurons leave cord

Question 33

What are spinal nerves?

Answer 33

Dorsal and ventral roots from same level of spinal cord combine; have one on each side of the body

Question 34

What do cervical nerves do?

Answer 34

Control muscles and glands; receive sensory information from neck, shoulder, arms and hands

Question 35

What do thoracic nerves innervate?

Answer 35

Chest and abdominal walls

Question 36

What do lumbar nerves innervate?

Answer 36

Hips and legs

Question 37

What do sacral nerves innervate?

Answer 37

Genitals and lower gastrointestinal tract

Question 38

How many cranial nerves are there?

Answer 38

12 pairs

Question 39

How many nerves are there total?

Answer 39

43 pairs of nerves

Question 40

How are cranial nerves named?

Answer 40

For organ they innervate, and roman numerals for order they appear on inferior surface of the brain

Question 41

Name a nerve which is exclusively afferent?

Answer 41

Optic nerve

Question 42

What are the two divisions of the PNS?

Answer 42

Afferent and efferent

Question 43

What is the afferent division of the PNS?

Answer 43

Sensory receptors to CNS; long part of axon outside CNS

Question 44

What is the efferent division of the PNS?

Answer 44

CNS to the muscles and glands

Question 45

What are the two divisions of the efferent PNS?

Answer 45

Somatic and autonomic

Question 46

What is the somatic PNS?

Answer 46

To skeletal muscles, is only excitatory

Question 47

What is the neurotransmitter of the SPNS?

Answer 47

Ach, binds to nicotinic receptors

Question 48

How many neurons are in a somatic pathway?

Answer 48

A singular neuron to the effector muscle

Question 49

Where is the cell body of a somatic neuron located?

Answer 49

Within CNS (brainstem or spinal cord)

Question 50

What is the structure of a somatic neuron?

Answer 50

Large diameter, and myelinated, so action potential is rapidly conducted

Question 51

How many neurons is involved in the automatic pathway?

Answer 51

Two neurons connect CNS to effector cells to smooth/cardiac/GI neurons; have autonomic ganglion/synapse in PNS

Question 52

What are the two sections of the autonomic PNS?

Answer 52

Parasympathetic and sympathetic

Question 53

Which branch of the autonomic PNS is involved in rest and digest?

Answer 53

Parasympathetic

Question 54

Which branch of the autonomic PNS has ganglia close to target organ?

Answer 54

Parasympathetic

Question 55

Where do the nerves of the parasympathetic system leave the CNS?

Answer 55

At the level of the brain and sacral spine

Question 56

Where do the nerves of the sympathetic system leave the CNS?

Answer 56

At the level of the thoracic and lumbar spine

Question 57

What is the neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic pathway?

Answer 57

ACh acts as NT, binding with nicotinic receptors

Question 58

What are collateral ganglia?

Answer 58

A second abdominal cavity ganglia nearer to effector organ in sympathetic pathway

Question 59

Where is primary ganglia within the sympathetic pathway?

Answer 59

Close to spinal cord

Question 60

What is the neurotransmitter of the sympathetic pathway?

Answer 60

ACh acts as NT for first synapse, NE and Epi act as NT for second synapse; NE an Epi bind to adrenergic receptors

Question 61

What are sympathetic trunks?

Answer 61

On each side of spinal cord, extend length of cord; preganglionic sympathetic neurons which leave cord between T1 and L2 and travel up and down trunk before synapsing; alternative pathways, e.g. collateral ganglia; SNS can act as a single unit, whilst PSNS is made up of independent components; responses are tailored to specific demands