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Questions and Answers
What is the primary function of the cerebrum?
What is the primary function of the cerebrum?
- Processing sensory information from the skin
- Initiation and control of voluntary muscle contraction (correct)
- Regulating hormonal output from the pituitary gland
- Coordination of involuntary muscle actions
Which structure connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain?
Which structure connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain?
- Corpus callosum (correct)
- Cerebellum
- Hypothalamus
- Thalamus
What role does the thalamus play in sensory perception?
What role does the thalamus play in sensory perception?
- It processes only visual and auditory stimuli.
- It integrates complex sensory inputs from different organs.
- It is responsible for controlling voluntary muscle movements.
- It relays sensory information and provides basic perception. (correct)
Which of the following is NOT a function of the hypothalamus?
Which of the following is NOT a function of the hypothalamus?
What is the approximate weight of the human brain?
What is the approximate weight of the human brain?
Which area of the brain is primarily associated with mental activities like memory and reasoning?
Which area of the brain is primarily associated with mental activities like memory and reasoning?
What are the primary components the mid brain is composed of?
What are the primary components the mid brain is composed of?
Which statement is true about cerebrospinal fluid?
Which statement is true about cerebrospinal fluid?
What is the primary role of the pons in the central nervous system?
What is the primary role of the pons in the central nervous system?
Which function is NOT performed by the medulla oblongata?
Which function is NOT performed by the medulla oblongata?
What substance surrounds and protects the spinal cord?
What substance surrounds and protects the spinal cord?
How often is cerebrospinal fluid typically renewed?
How often is cerebrospinal fluid typically renewed?
What component within cerebrospinal fluid is responsible for transporting hormones in the brain?
What component within cerebrospinal fluid is responsible for transporting hormones in the brain?
Which function of cerebrospinal fluid helps reduce brain weight?
Which function of cerebrospinal fluid helps reduce brain weight?
What type of impulses does the spinal cord primarily convey?
What type of impulses does the spinal cord primarily convey?
What is the thickness of the spinal cord approximately comparable to?
What is the thickness of the spinal cord approximately comparable to?
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Study Notes
Central Nervous System
- Brain:
- Weighs 1.4 kg
- Lies in the cranial cavity
- Composed of:
- Cerebrum
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Midbrain
- Pons
- Medulla oblongata
- Cerebellum
- Cerebrum:
- Largest part of the brain
- Has 3 main functional areas associated with:
- Mental activities (memory, intelligence, problem-solving, reflection, judgement, thinking, reasoning, initiative, inhibition, moral sense of responsibility, and learning)
- Sensory perception (perception of pain, temperature, and touch)
- Initiation and control of voluntary muscle contraction
- Cerebral cortex is highly wrinkled, increasing surface area and neuron density
- Divided into two hemispheres (left and right) by a deep furrow
- Corpus callosum connects both hemispheres
- Thalamus:
- Small structure that receives sensory information from the skin, viscera, and special sense organs
- Processes rudimentary perception of touch, pain, temperature
- Plays a role in arousal and the processing of emotions and complex reflexes
- Hypothalamus:
- Situated within the cerebrum
- Attached to the pituitary gland
- Controls hormone release
- Controls autonomic nervous system effectors
- Involved in emotional reactions, hunger and thirst, body temperature regulation, and biological clocks
- Midbrain:
- Composed of nuclei and nerve fibers that connect the cerebrum with lower parts of the brain and spinal cord
- Contains relay stations for ascending and descending nerve fibers
- Important for auditory and visual reflexes
- Pons:
- Contains nerve fibers that form a bridge between the two hemispheres of the cerebrum
- Processes information from several cranial nerves
- Medulla Oblongata:
- Continuous with the spinal cord
- Controls effectors (cardiovascular center, respiratory center)
- Contains reflex centers for coughing, vomiting, sneezing, and swallowing
- Spinal Cord:
- Nerves carry impulses from the brain to organs and tissues
- Descend through the spinal column
- Starts in the medulla oblongata
- Elongated, cylindrical part of the CNS
- Suspended in the vertebral canal
- Surrounded by meninges and cerebrospinal fluid
- Approximately the thickness of a little finger (about 45 cm long)
Cerebrospinal Fluid
- Clear, colorless fluid
- Occupies the subarachnoid space in the brain
- Acts as a cushion or buffer for the cortex
- Renewed 4 times daily
- Contains proteins, glucose, and lymphocytes
Functions of Cerebrospinal Fluid
- Protection:
- Acts as a buffer that lessens the impact of blows to the head
- Buoyancy:
- Reduces the brain's weight (from 1400g to 50g) to minimize pressure on the base of the brain
- Excretion of waste products:
- One-way flow from the CSF to the blood takes away potentially harmful metabolites, drugs, and other substances from the brain
- Endocrine medium for the brain:
- Transports hormones to specific areas of the brain
Peripheral Nervous System
- Composed of nerves that extend from the CNS to the rest of the body.
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