Central Nervous System: Brain and Cerebrum

• The nervous system gathers information, transmits it to the brain and spine, processes it, and sends instructions to muscles, glands, and organs for appropriate responses.

Central Nervous System

• The central nervous system (CNS) is the command center.
• Sensory receptor information is delivered to and processed by the CNS.
• The brain and spinal cord comprise it.

Brain

• The brain is a three-pound organ that controls bodily functions and interprets external information.
• It governs intelligence, creativity, emotion, and memory.
• The brain, protected by the skull, consists of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem.

Cerebrum

• The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, divided into right and left hemispheres by the corpus callosum.
• The frontal lobe controls movement, planning, and coordination.
• The temporal lobe handles auditory perception, speech, and complex visual perception.
• The parietal lobe is responsible for sensory processing, attention, and language.
• The occipital lobe is the visual center which processes visual information.

Cerebellum

• The cerebellum, located under the cerebrum, coordinates muscle movements, maintains posture, and balance.

Brainstem

• The brainstem relays information between the cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord.
• It consists of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
• The brainstem manages automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, body temperature, wake-sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, and swallowing.

Spinal Cord

• The spinal cord runs along the back, carrying information between the brain and body.
• It also performs other tasks.
• It links the brain to the nerves in the rest of the body, working together.

Peripheral Nervous System

• The primary role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) is to connect the CNS to the organs, limbs, and skin.
• Nerves extend from the CNS to the outermost body areas.
• It is divided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.

Somatic Nervous System

• The somatic nervous system is associated with voluntary responses.
• It relays information from skin, sense organs, and skeletal muscles to the CNS.
• It contains sensory neurons, also known as afferent neurons, which carry information from the body to the CNS.
• And contains motor neurons, also known as efferent neurons, which carry information from the brain and spinal cord to muscle fibers.

Autonomic Nervous System

• The autonomic nervous system is a largely unconscious (involuntary) control system.
• It relays information to internal organs and has two divisions.
• The sympathetic nervous system controls the body's responses to stressful (fight or flight) situations.
• The parasympathetic nervous system functions when the body is at rest or during normal functions.

Neuron

• The neuron is the basic functional unit of the nervous system containing a cell body, axon, and dendrites.
• Sensory neurons bring messages to the CNS.
• Motor neurons carry messages from the CNS.
• Interneurons are located between sensory and motor neurons in the CNS.

Responding to Stimulus

• A nerve impulse involves chemical and electrical changes conducted along the neuron membrane.
• A synapse is a small gap at the end of a neuron that allows a signal to pass to another neuron.
• Neurotransmitters are chemicals in the junction that initiate impulses in the second neuron.

An overview of the central nervous system (CNS), its components- brain and spinal cord. A detailed look at cerebrum, its structure and functions. Focus on the cerebrum's lobes that include frontal, temporal, and parietal.