Unit 3: Lecture Study Guide - Central Nervous System PDF

**[Unit 3: Lecture Study Guide]** **Central Nervous System (CNS)** The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord. It's the body's command center. - - - - - - **[Embryonic Development]** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

**[Unit 3: Lecture Study Guide]** **Central Nervous System (CNS)** The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord. It's the body's command center. - - - - - - **[Embryonic Development]** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  **[Gray Matter and White Matter]** - - - - **[Ventricles of the Brain]** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **[The Cerebral Cortex]** The cerebral cortex is the "executive suite" of the nervous system, the home of the "conscious mind." It enables people to be aware of themselves and their sensations, to initiate and control voluntary movements, and to communicate, remember and understand. - - - - **[Functional Areas of the Cerebral Cortex]** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  **Cerebral Cortex - Structures, Location, and Functions** +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | | **Location** | **Function** | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | **Sensory areas** | | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Primary somatosensory | Located in the | Receives information | | cortex | postcentral gyrus | from the skin and | | | | skeletal muscles | | | | | | | | Exhibits spatial | | | | discrimination | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Primary visual cortex | Seen on the extreme | Processes sensory | | | posterior tip of the | information from the | | | occipital lobe | retina | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Primary auditory | Located at the | Processes sensory | | cortex | superior margin of | information from the | | | the temporal lobe | cochlea; pitch rhythm | | | | and volume | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Gustatory (taste) | | Processes sensory | | cortex | | information from the | | | | tongue | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Vestibular | | Processes sensory | | (equilibrium) cortex | | information from the | | | | vestibular apparatus | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Olfactory (smell) | | Processes smells | | cortex | | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | | **Location** | **Function** | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | **Association areas** | | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Somatosensory | Located posterior to | Integrates different | | association cortex | the primary | sensory inputs from | | | somatosensory cortex | somatosensory cortex | | | | to understand | | | | sensations | | | | | | | | Determines size, | | | | texture, and | | | | relationship of parts | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Visual association | Surrounds the primary | Processes visual | | area | visual cortex | information by | | | | analyzing color, form | | | | and movement | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Auditory association | Located posterior to | Identifies sounds, | | area | the primary auditory | memories of past | | | cortex | sounds | | | | | | | | \*\*Wernicke's area | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Anterior association | Located in the | Involved with | | area | anterior portion of | intellect, cognition, | | | the frontal lobe | recall and | | (prefrontal cortex) | | personality | | | | | | | | Necessary for | | | | judgment, reasoning, | | | | persistence and | | | | conscience | | | | | | | | Closely linked to the | | | | limbic system | | | | (emotional part of | | | | the brain) | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Posterior association | | Integrates input from | | area | | somatosensory, visual | | | | and auditory | | | | association areas; | | | | creates spatial | | | | awareness of the | | | | body; performs | | | | language | | | | comprehension and | | | | analysis | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Limbic association | | Integrates input from | | area | | other cortical areas | | | | to form memory, | | | | guides emotional | | | | response, influences | | | | motor response | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | | **Location** | **Function** | +=======================+=======================+=======================+ | **Motor areas** | | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Primary motor cortex | Located in the | Allows conscious | | | precentral gyrus | control of precise, | | | | skilled, voluntary | | | | movement | | | | | | | | \*\*\*Composed of | | | | pyramidal cells whose | | | | axons make up the | | | | corticospinal tract | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Premotor cortex | Located anterior to | Controls learned, | | | precentral gyrus | repetitious, or | | | | patterned motor | | | | skills | | | | | | | | Coordinates | | | | simultaneous or | | | | sequential actions | | | | | | | | Involved in the | | | | planning of movements | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Frontal eye field | Located anterior to | Controls voluntary | | | the premotor cortex | movements of eyes | | | and superior to | | | | Broca's area | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+ | Broca's area | Located anterior to | A motor speech area | | | the inferior region | that directs muscles | | | of the premotor area | of the tongue | | | | | | | Present in one | Active as one | | | hemisphere (usually | prepares to speak | | | the left) | | +-----------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+  **[Protection of the Brain and Spinal Cord:]** The brain is protected by **bone**, **meninges** and **cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).** Harmful substances are shielded from the brain by the **blood-brain barrier.** **[Meninges:]** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **[Cerebrospinal Fluid:]** - - - - - - **[Choroid Plexuses:]** - - - - **[Blood-Brain Barrier:]** The BBB results primarily from special features of the endothelium that makes up the walls of the brain capillaries. The endothelial cells in brain capillaries are joined together around their entire perimeters by tight junctions, making those capillaries the least permeable capillaries in the body. All nutrients (including oxygen) and ions needed by the neurons pass through, some by special transport mechanisms in the plasma membranes of the endothelial cells. - - - - - **[Spinal Cord:]** - - - - - - - - - -  **[Gray Matter and Spinal Roots:]** - - - -