Study Guide for Optional Final Exam CELLS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Know the parts of a neuron and their functions Be able to label the parts of a neu ron Dendrites branching fibers that get narrower near their ends They have specialized synaptic receptors that receive information from other neurons The greater surface area of the dendrite the more information it can receive Dendrites also have dendritic spines that are the outgrowths to receive specialized information Soma cell body contains the nucleus ribosomes and mitochondria This is where most of the metabolic work of the neuron occurs The soma also contains many synapses on its surface Axon thin fiber that is the neuron s information center conveying an impulse towards other neurons or an organ or muscle Most axons are covered with myelin sheaths Myelin sheaths insulating material that covers the axon Nodes of Ranvier interruptions in the myelin sheaths Presynaptic terminals end bulb or the point from which the axon releases chemi cals or neurotransmitters that cross through the junction between one neuron and the next How are sensory neurons and motor neurons different from each other In a sensory neuron the soma cell body lives outside of the spinal cord Sensory neu rons are said to be highly sensitive to stimulations such as light sound or touch In a motor neuron the soma lives inside of the spinal cord Motor neurons continue to mus cle fibers whereas sensory neurons continue to endings in the skin What are the functions of oligodendrocytes and schwann cells Are there other types of glial cells Oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal cord and Schwann Cells in the periphery of the body specialized types of glia that build the myelin sheaths that surround and insulate certain vertebrate axons Oligodendrocytes are myelin in the CNS while Schwann cells are myelin in the PNS There are many other types of glial cells that include Microglia remove waste mate rial Radial Glia guide the migration of neurons during embryonic development and Astrocytes pass chemicals back and forth between neurons blood and neighbor ing neurons GROSS ANATOMY OF THE BRAIN What where is the blood brain barrier The Blood Brain Barrier is the mechanism that excludes many chemicals nutrients and viruses and bacteria from the brain However it lets through small uncharged mol ecules fat soluble molecules Vitamins A D psychotropic drugs and glucose spe cial transport The blood brain barrier is found in endothelial cells with tight junctions that form the walls of capillaries These endothelial cells are found in brain tissue What is gray matter White matter Gray matter is H shaped and found in the center of the spinal cord It is packed densely with cell bodies and dendrites White matter consists mostly of myelinated axons Many neurons of the spinal cord send axons from the gray matter to the brain or other parts of the pineal cord through the white matter What are the 3 primary divisions of the brain The Forebrain is used for thinking perceiving emotion and memory and drive re lated behaviors The forebrain consists of the cortex thalamus hypothalamus hip pocampus amygdala basal ganglia and the pituitary gland The Midbrain contains sensory pathways visual and auditory processing and reflexes The midbrain can be found at the top of the brainstem The Hindbrain contains some motor control movement and reflexes breathing heart rate vomiting salivation coughing and sneezing The hindbrain is located at the bottom of the brainstem and contains the pons medulla and cerebellum For the following brain structures be able to identify them on a midline section of the brain and know generally what they do medulla pons cerebellum midbrain thalamus hypothalamus pituitary gland corpus callosum Also know hippocam pus and amygdala although you couldn t find them on a sagittal section of the brain because they are not midline structures Medulla controls vital reflexes Damage to medulla can be fatal ex trauma drugs Pons latin term for bridge reflecting the fact that in the pons axons from each half of the brain cross to the opposite side of the spinal cord so that the left hemisphere controls the muscles of the right side of the body and the right hemisphere controls the left side Cerebellum control of movement rate range force direction well learned move ments sensory timing and balance and postural control Midbrain Reflexive orienting to visual and auditory stimuli inferior and superior colliculus Intrinsic descending pain control Substantia Nigra gives rise to a dopamine containing pathway that facilitates readiness for movement Thalamus is the relay station filter for sensory information on its way to the cortex It is involved in many other systems motor emotional memory etc Hypothalamus conveys messages to the pituitary gland to alter the release of hor mones The hypothalamus is involved in drive related behaviors and maintenance of homeostasis such as feeding drinking temperature regulation sexual behavior fight ing arousal activity level and sleep wake rhythms Pituitary Gland endocrine gland hormone producing that is attached to the hypo thalamus by the pituitary stalk The pituitary gland receives messages from the hypo thalamus and in turn synthesizes hormones that the blood carries to organs throughout the body Corpus Callosum two bundles of axons that connect the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex Hippocampus critical for certain kinds of memories especially memories for individ ual events People with hippocampal damage have trouble storing new memories but do not lose all memories they had before damage occurred Amygdala integrative center for emotions emotional behavior and motivation Cranial nerves what is their general function I ll give you this one sensory and motor for face and head know what that means How many are there There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves Most enter and exit the ventral surface of the brainstem Some cranial nerves have both sensory and motor components such as the cranial nerves for the face and head The cranial nerves are used by the medulla to control vital reflexes which control sensations from the head muscle movements in the head and much of the parasympathetic output to the organs Each cranial nerve originates in a nucleus that integrates the sensory information regulates the motor out put or does both We discussed 2 systems the limbic system and the basal ganglia Know the gen eral function s of each Limbic System several
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