the brain and nervous system Flashcards
(22 cards)
what are the cranial meninges?
the membrane covering the brain and the spinal cord
what are the layers of the cranial meninges, from skull to brain?
skull bone, dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater and brain
where does cerebrospinal fluid flow from and to?
the ventricles of the brain to the subarachnoid space
give 2 roles of the cerebrospinal fluid?
protecting against shock
keeping the brain buoyant to reduce weight
what percentage of the bodies total cardiac output is used by the brain?
15-20%
what are the two regions of blood supply to the brain and what is In each?
anterior: left and right internal carotid arteries
posterior: left and right vertebral arteries
briefly describe the structure of the blood brain barrier?
endothelial cells held together by tight junctions, containing transport proteins
what key feature must molecules have to be able to cross the BBB and why?
lipophilicity, because the BBB is made of phospholipids
name the 3 regions of the brain?
forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain
what area of the brain is the cardiovascular centre?
medulla
what system is responsible for motivation, memory and learning?
the limbic system
what area of the brain is responsible for sending memories to long term storage?
hippocampus
what is the difference between the autonomic and somatic nervous systems?
autonomic: things we cannot control e.g heart rate, somatic: things we control e.g movement
what are the two branches of the autonomic nervous system and what do they do?
sympathetic: fight or flight, increases heart rate and excites the body
parasympathetic: rest and digest, controls digestion and is responsible for the slowing down of the body e.g lowering heart rate
what are the 4 regions of the spinal cord?
cervical, thoratic, lumbar and sacral
what are the 4 areas of the brain and where are they located?
frontal lobe (forehead), parietal lobe (the top of the head), the occipital lobe (the back of the head) and the temporal lobe (the sides of the head)
what is the brain stem made up of?
thalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla and spinal cord
which area of the brain pre loads our decisions, e.g calculating a response if we were to fall down the stairs?
the cerebellum
from a mid saggital view, where is the grey and white matter and what causes the difference in colour?
grey surrounds the outside and white is contained in the middle. grey matter is where the neurone cell bodies are located, white matter is where the neurone axons are located, the white is due to myelination
what cells in the nervous system are responsible for creating the myelin sheath?
oligodendrocytes
what cells in the nervous system are responsible for transferring mitochondria to neurones to provide energy?
astrocytes
explain how resting potential is established and maintained?
