Nervous System - Brain

• star shaped
• helps with blood brain barrier
• regulates tissue fluid composition
• structurally replaces damaged neurons
• assists in neuron development

• simple cuboidal cells
• has many branches
• lines brain ventricles and spinal cavity
• forms choroid plexus (which produces CSF)

• tiny, skinny branches
• wandering cells
• phagocytes that remove cellular debris/dead/damaged tissue

• large bulbous cells
• slender extensions
• processes reach multiple axons
• wraps axon with a protective covering called myelin (makes myelin in CNS)

• flattened cells around cell bodies
• separate cell bodies from interstitial fluid
• regulates exchange of nutrients and waste product neurons and their environments

make myelin to cover axons in PNS

point of junction between two neurons (or other cells) and consists of three elements: pre-synaptic neuron, post-synaptic neuron, and synaptic cleft

usually the axon terminal containing neurotransmitter molecules

membranous region of another neuron or target cell that has receptors that bind the neurotransmitter released from the axon terminal

very tiny space between the pre-synaptic and post-synaptic elements where the neurotransmitter is released into during the process of neurotransmission

made up of telencephalon (cerebral cortex) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland)

• outer gray matter
• highly convoluted (folded)
• has no myelin

fold of tissue (like mountains)

gap between adjacent gyri (like valleys)

• deep to gray matter
• has myelin

separates right and left hemispheres

separates frontal from temporal lobes

separates frontal from parietal lobes

• anterior regions involved with cognition, personality, mood, and affect
• pre-central gyrus is the primary voluntary motor area

post-central gyrus is the primary somatosensory area

• memory function
• conscious perception of auditory and olfactory stimuli

visual cortex

• group of CNS nuclei located deep to cerebral cortex
• function to subconsciously regulate contractile activity of skeletal muscles

• caudate nucleus
• putamen
• globus pallidus

• Parkinson's disease (dopamine depletion causes frozen limbs; hypokinesia = slowness of movement)
• Huntington's disease (degeneration of caudate nucleus causes excessive motion; hyperkinesia = excess movement)

contains thalamus (anterior/ventral groups), hypothalamus, and pituitary gland

provide conscious awareness of emotional states

serve as a "relay center" for sensory and motor signals traveling to specific areas of cerebral cortex

• control of autonomic functions (heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rhythm, digestive functions)
• endocrine related functions include producing hormones
• produce emotional and behavioral drives (thirst, feeding, sex)
• facilitates adjustments in body temperature

made up of tectum and tegmentum

contains two pairs of sensory nuclei (superior and inferior colliculi) forming a structure called the corpora quadrigemina (4 bumps)

responsible for reflexes caused by visual stimuli

responsible for reflexes caused by auditory stimuli

has red nucleus, substantial nigra, and cerebral peduncles

• black substance
• nucleus located ventral to the tegmentum of the midbrain that is responsible for producing the majority of dopamine in CNS
• degeneration of dopamine neurons causes Parkinson's disease

has metencephalon (cerebellum and pons) and myelecephalon (medulla oblongata)

• coordinates rapid, automatic adjustments that maintain balance and equilibrium fine-tuning of skilled voluntary motor activity to produce smooth, accurate movements
• diseases of cerebellum lead to ataxia (a disturbance in balance)

• contains sensory and motor "brainstem" nuclei
• contains nuclei involved with the control of respiratory rhythm (pneumotaxic and apneustic center)
• rounded structure; above medulla oblongata

• similar to pons - sensory and motor nuclei located here
• nuclei involved in control of respiratory rate also, autonomic centers for regulation of visceral functions (cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive system activities)