The human brain and nervous system

Question 1

The nervous system

Answer 1

CNS - brain and spinal cord
PNS - nerves and sensory organs of the body outside of the brain and spinal cord

Question 2

Anatomical directions

Answer 2

Caudal <——————–> Rostral
Posterior <—————> Anterior
^ Dorsal v Ventral

Question 3

Neurons

Answer 3

Sensory - respond to external stimuli, transmit sensory information to CNS (afferent = arriving)
Motor - carry messengers from CNS to muscles and glands. (efferent = exiting)
Interneurons - transmit messages to other neurons

Question 4

Features of the PNS

Answer 4

• Somatic: in contact with the external environment:
  conveys information from sensory detectors to the brain and controls movement
• Autonomic: internal environment: regulates internal functioning e.g. digestion, respiration, circulation, secretion of sex hormones

Both systems use:
- AFFERENT nerves (sensory information TOWARDS CNS)
- EFFERENT nerves (motor signals AWAY from CNS to the organs).

Question 5

Autonomic NS

Answer 5

Sympathetic - activated by conditions that promote arousal e.g. increase heart rate, energy expenditure
- Fight or Flight system

Parasympathetic - activated by conditions of recovery e.g. decrease heart rate, energy conservation
- Rest and Digest system

Question 6

Divisions of the brain

Answer 6

• Hindbrain
• Midbrain
• Forebrain

Question 7

The Hindbrain

Answer 7

Myelencephalon
- Medulla - controls basic functioning (breathing) and involved in reflex responses

Metencephalon
- Cerebellum - involved in the development and coordination of movement
- Pons - regions involved in motor control and sensory analysis

Question 8

The Midbrain

Answer 8

Mesencephalon
- Tectum - relays visual and auditory information
- Superior colliculus (visual)
- Inferior colliculus (auditory)

Tegmentum
- Substantia nigra - movement and reward
- Red nucleus - basic body movements
- Reticular formation - controls consciousness and arousal

Question 9

The forebrain

Answer 9

Diencephalon
- Epithalamus - contains pineal gland
- Thalamus - relay station for sensory info transmitted to cerebral cortex
- Hypothalamus - sensor for human’s basic needs

Telencephalon
- Limbic system (emotion)
Amygdala (fear and anger)
Cyngulate gyrus (+ and - emotions, pain and attentional processes)
Hippocampus (memory)
- Basal Ganglia - voluntary movement, muscle tone and posture
Caudate nucleus
Putamen
Globus pallidus

Question 10

The four lobes of the brain

Answer 10

Frontal lobe
- Posterior region - primary motor cortex involved in the control of voluntary body movements
Anterior region - prefrontal cortex complex intellectual functioning

Occipital lobe
- Initial visual reception which is passed to temporal and parietal lobes

Parietal lobe
- Anterior region - somatosensory cortex (sensory info)
- Posterior region - complex visual processing (where an object is)

Temporal lobe
- Auditory information - language processing, comprehension of words
- Memory functions
- Complex visual processing (what an object is)