NSCI 175 Exam 2 Study Guide EXAM ||MOST RECENT EXAM
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Describe the gross organization of the mammalian nervous system in terms
of the two divisions: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral
nervous system (PNS)
The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord.
The PNS consists of all parts of the nervous system outside of the brain and
spinal cord.
The Central Nervous System (CNS)
The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is responsible for
processing and interpreting sensory input, responding to sensory input,
and serving as a conduit for signals between the brain.
The Peripheral Nervous System
The PNS consists of all parts of the nervous system outside of the brain and
spinal cord. The Somatic PNS commands skeletal muscles, skin, and joints
(uses motor axons). The Autonomic/Visceral PNS controls viscera (body
organs and smooth
muscle) using visceral motor fibers. This system controls physical reactions
that are out of our control, such as butterflies in the stomach.
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The Cranial Nerves
12 pairs of nerves that carry sensory and motor messages to and from the brain
-Convey information about olfaction, vision, eye movement,
touch/pain, taste, hearing, balance, visceral feelings, muscle
movement, and more
Efferent
Exiting motor information
-Efferent motor information is carried from the spinal cord to the muscles
through the ventral root
Afferent
Incoming motor information
-Afferent sensory information from the body to the spinal cord is carried
into the spinal column through the dorsal root
Somatic Nervous System
A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that controls conscious and
subconscious actions through its control of skeletal muscles, skin, and joints
-The body's somatic motor neurons (somas in ventral spinal cord of CNS,
axons in PNS) command muscle contraction
-The cell bodies of somatosensory neurons (which collect info from skin,
muscles, and joints) lie in the dorsal root ganglia
-Signals originate from upper motor neurons in the primary motor cortex
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Autonomic/ Visceral Nervous System
The branch of the nervous system that deals with unconsciously controlled
actions; further broken down into Parasympathetic and Sympathetic
-Innervates internal organs, blood vessels, and glands
-Contract and relax smooth muscles using visceral muscle fibers
-Manages bodily responses that our "our of our control" such as blushing
and butterflies in the stomach
-Signals originate from the visceral motor nuclei in the hypothalamus
Dorsal vs Ventral Roots
Dorsal roots carry sensory information to the spinal cord from the body and
carry afferent sensory signals while the ventral roots carry motor
information from the
spinal cord to the body and carry efferent signals
Describe how the human brain is similar and different from other mammalian
brains
Rodent brains gain size much quicker than they gain neurons but primate
brains have a significantly larger number of neurons than rodent brains.
-Humans have 86 billion neurons and our brains are larger than those of
other primates with an especially large frontal cortex.
- We are able to cook which helped us take in enough food to provide
adequate energy for neurons.
-Cooking pre-digests food which makes it easier for the body to get the
energy out of eating in less time. This lead to a rapid increase in brain size
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Name the four lobes of the cerebral cortex
frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
Computed Tomography (CT) Scan
Generates images of slices of the brain to detect tumors, tissue damage,
brains swelling, and birth defects
-Shows gross organization of grey and white matter and the positioning of
the ventricles
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A technique that uses magnetic fields' interaction with Hydrogen ions
and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that
distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see
structures within the brain
-Much more detailed map than CT
-Shows tumors, tissue damage, brain swelling, and birth defects
-Images can be made in any plane
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