Psyc 111 1st Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture I The Neuron II Neurotransmitters Outline of Current Lecture I The Nervous System II The Spinal Cord III The Brain Current Lecture I The Nervous System There are 3 types of neurons in the body sensory neurons which come from the body and go to the brain and control the central nervous system afferent Then there are motor neurons which move from the central nervous system to the body efferent Lastly there are interneurons which communicate within the central nervous system and are found in the cerebral cortex The nervous system is broken up into the peripheral and central systems The peripheral includes the somatic nervous system which includes the skeleton and is the conscious or voluntary part of the nervous system It also includes the autonomic nervous system The autonomic nervous system is broken up into parts The first part is the sympathetic nervous system which raises the heart rate and blood pressure of the body It also releases glucose and fat for high energy raises blood flow to skeletal muscles and decreases digestive processes The parasympathetic nervous system deals with the opposite reactions to the processes the sympathetic nervous system deals with The central nervous system CNS is made up of the brain and the spinal cord II The Spinal Cord The spinal cord has ascending and descending tracts where sensory neurons ascend from the body to the brain and motor neurons descend from the brain to the body It carries messages from the spinal nerves and the brain The spinal cord is also responsible for rhythmic movements such as walking running or swimming It organizes the reflexes of the body III The Brain The brainstem is made up of the medulla pons and the midbrain It controls more complicated reflexes in the body The midbrain itself controls basic movement patterns eating drinking fighting grooming as well as sleep and arousal The thalamus acts as the relay station of the brain where sensory input sends directions to cortical areas Brain activity can be studied in a multitude of ways Lesions are when a part of the brain is removed to be studied Singlecell recording is the study and measurement of individual cells while brain imaging includes CAT scans PET scans and MRI s The limbic system is made up of the hippocampus the amygdala and the hypothalamus The amygdala controls emotions and drives related behaviors in the body The hypothalamus deals with homeostatic mechanisms and controls the autonomic nervous system It also controls motor functions The cerebral cortex has two hemispheres the right and the left The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and vice versa The frontal lobe is the youngest and most derived part of the brain and is where the consciousness is The parietal lobe is the primary motor are and association areas The occipital lobe is the visual area of the brain Lastly the temporal lobe deals with sensory input such as visual memories