Nervous System Study Guide - Biology 275

Three connective tissue layers that separate and support the soft tissue of the brain from the bones of the cranium.

Outer, dense irregular connective tissue covering of the brain that forms two fused layers and contains dural venous sinuses.

Delicate web of collagen and elastic fibers that lies external to the pia mater and contains the subarachnoid space.

Innermost layer of the cranial meninges, a thin layer of areolar connective tissue that covers small blood vessels and helps with CSF formation.

Cavities within the brain that are derived from the neural canal and contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

CSF is produced by the choroid plexus in the ventricles and flows through the ventricles and subarachnoid space, providing buoyancy, protection, and environmental stability to the brain.

A barrier that regulates the substances that can enter the interstitial fluid of the brain, protecting neurons from exposure to drugs and variations in normal substances.

Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula lobes, each with specific functional areas.

Located in the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe, responsible for controlling voluntary skeletal muscle activity.

Responsible for receiving, processing, and storing sensory information, such as touch, temperature, and proprioception.

Integrate and interpret sensory information, allowing for conscious awareness and higher intellectual functions.

Paired masses of gray matter buried deep within the cerebral hemispheres, involved in motor control, emotions, and sensory integration.

Composed of the epithalamus, thalamus, and hypothalamus, responsible for sensory relay, autonomic control, endocrine regulation, and other functions.

Relayed to the cerebral cortex and stimulate the sensation of thirst.

Directs the pineal gland to secrete melatonin at certain times of the day.

Controls emotional responses such as pleasure, aggression, fear, rage, contentment, and sex drive.

Stimulates fluid intake and acts as the "thirst center".

Regulates appetite and releases GnRH, GHRh, and PIH.

Directs olfaction sensations and controls swallowing.

Produces oxytocin primarily.

Regulates body temperature as the "thermostat".

Produces ADH.

Produces hunger and satiety sensations, acting as the "safety center".

Connects the cerebrum, diencephalon, and cerebellum to the spinal cord.

Superior portion of the brainstem, containing motor tracts, substantia nigra, and reticular formation.

Produces dopamine, affecting movement, emotional response, and pleasure/pain.

Sandwiched between substantia nigra and periaqueductal gray matter, issues involuntary motor commands.

Bulging region on the anterior part of the brainstem, containing respiratory centers and cranial nerve nuclei.

Connects the brain and spinal cord, contains pyramids, and regulates vital functions.

Coordinates muscle actions, stores movement memories, and receives proprioceptive information.

Composed of multiple structures that process and experience emotions.

Processes sensory input, maintains mental alertness, and regulates muscle tone.

Include memory, learning, and reasoning, involving complex networks and axon arrays.

Myelination of CNS axons continues throughout the first 2 years, brain growth is 95% complete by age 5.

12 pairs of nerves with various sensory, motor, and autonomic functions.

Part of the CNS, provides a link between the brain and body, and is protected by the vertebral column and meninges.

Centrally located in the spinal cord, composed of neuron cell bodies, dendrites, unmyelinated axons, and glial cells.

Peripherally located and composed of myelinated axons.

Contains three horns - posterior, anterior, and lateral - with different cell bodies and functions.

Transmit ascending information from sensory receptors to the CNS.

Transmit descending information from the brain to muscles and glands.

Formed from the union of an anterior root and a posterior root.

Networks of interwoven anterior rami that occur in pairs on either side of the body.

A rapid, preprogrammed response of muscles or glands to a stimulus.

Includes sensory input from special senses, skin, muscles, and joints, and motor output to control skeletal muscle.

Includes involuntary motor output to cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and glands.

Innervate skeletal muscle fibers in the somatic nervous system.

Preganglionic axons reside in the thoracic and lumbar regions of the spinal cord.

Preganglionic axons extend through cranial nerves and sacral regions of the spinal cord.

Include spinal nerve pathway, postganglionic sympathetic nerve pathway, splanchnic nerve pathway, and adrenal medulla pathway.

Most organs are innervated by both divisions of the ANS.

Help maintain homeostasis and include stretch reflex, Golgi reflex, withdrawal reflex, and crossed-extensor reflex.

Acetylcholine and norepinephrine are the main neurotransmitters, and cholinergic and adrenergic receptors are involved.