Divisions of the Human Nervous System

Central Nervous System-the brain and the spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System-the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
Two Division of the PNS
Somatic Nervous System-the nerves that convey messages from the
sense organs to the CNS and from the CNS to the muscles and
glands
Autonomic Nervous System-a set of neurons that control the heart,
the intestines, and other organs
Figure 4.1 The human nervous system
Both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system have
major subdivisions. The closeup of the brain shows the right hemisphere
as seen from the midline.
The Brain: the big picture
The basic components of
the CNS include the:
Cerebrum
Diencephalon
Cerebellum
Brain stem
Spinal cord
The Brain: development
Our central nervous
system has humble
origins early in our
development (by 3rd wk.)
A plate (neural plate) of
cells develop crests
(neural crests) that rise
and eventually meet and
fuse leaving the hollow
dorsal nerve cord & and
ventricles of our CNS
BI 201 Human Anatomy & Physiology
What happens if those
crests DONT meet and
fuse?
The Brain: development
Failure of neural arch
formation can result in Spina
bifida. In mild cases results in
a dimple or discolored spot
(S.b. occulta), severe cases
(S.b. cystica), meninges, CSF
and nervous tissue may
protrude.
The Brain: from the outside in
The brain and spinal cord are
protected by meninges
3 layers:
Dura mater ~ outermost,
tough, continuous with
periosteum
Arachnoid mater ~ middle
layer, spiderweb appearance
Pia mater ~ innermost layer,
not visible to naked eye
The Brain: from the outside in
The dura mater helps keep the
brain in position and the
cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)
helps cushion/protect the brain
Where does the fluid come
from?
Choroid plexuses on ventricle
walls
Ependymal cells allow fluids
in from capillaries
The Brain: from the outside in
The CSF circulates throughout
the ventricles, down the central
canal of the spinal cord and
throughout the subarachnoid
space.
CSF is reabsorbed back into
blood primarily at the venous
sinuses found within the dura
mater.
Cerebral Hemispheres (Cerebrum)
Slide
7.28a
Paired (left
and right)
superior parts
of the brain
Include more
than half of
the brain
mass
Figure 7.13a
Layers of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.33a
Gray matter
Outer layer
Composed
mostly of neuron
cell bodies
Figure 7.13a
Layers of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.33b
White matter
Fiber tracts
inside the gray
matter
Example:
corpus callosum
connects
hemispheres
Figure 7.13a
Cerebral Hemispheres (Cerebrum)
Slide
7.28b
The surface
is made of
ridges (gyri)
and grooves
(sulci)
Figure 7.13a
The Lobes
The Occipital Lobe-posterior end of cortex
Contains primary visual cortex
The Parietal Lobe-between occipital love the central sulcus
Contains the primary somatosensory cortex-receiving touch sensation,
muscle-stretch information and joint position information
The Temporal Lobe-lateral portion of each hemisphere, near the temples
Contains targets for audition, essential for understanding spoken language,
complex visual processes, emotional and motivational behaviors
The Frontal Lobe-extends from the central sulcus to the anterior limit of the
brain
Contains Primary Motor Cortex-fine movements
Contributes to shifting attention, planning of action, delayed response
tasks as examples
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.29a
Fissures (deep grooves) divide the
cerebrum into lobes
Surface lobes of the cerebrum
Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Occipital lobe
Temporal lobe
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.29b
Figure 7.15a
Specialized Areas of the Cerebrum
Slide 7.30
Somatic sensory area receives
impulses from the bodys sensory
receptors
Primary motor area sends impulses to
skeletal muscles
Brocas area involved in our ability to
speak
Sensory and Motor Areas of the
Cerebral Cortex
Slide 7.31
Figure 7.14
Specialized Area of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.32a
Cerebral areas involved in special
senses
Gustatory area (taste)
Visual area
Auditory area
Olfactory area
Specialized Area of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.32b
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings
Interpretation areas of the cerebrum
Speech/language region
Language comprehension region
General interpretation area
Specialized Area of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.32c
Figure 7.13c
The Brain: Cerebrum (lobes)
Cerebrum divided into 4
lobes:
Frontal: motor function,
motivation, aggression, smell
and mood
Parietal: reception and
evaluation of sensory info.
Temporal: smell, hearing,
memory and abstract thought
Occipital: visual processing
The Brain: Cerebrum (bumps and grooves)
The sulcus dividing
frontal and parietal lobes
is Central Sulcus.
Ridges on either side are
Pre & Post gyri
Pre CS ~ motor cortex
Post CS ~ somatic
sensory cortex
Motor
Sensory
Layers of the Cerebrum
Slide
7.33c
Basal nuclei internal
islands of gray matter
Regulates voluntary
motor activities by
modifying info sent to
the motor cortex
Problems = ie unable
to control muscles,
spastic, jerky
Involved in
Huntingtons and
Parkinsons Disease
Figure 7.13a
Figure 4.20 Some major subdivisions of the human cerebral cortex
The four lobes: occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal.
The Brain: Cerebrum (makin waves)
Sum electrical
activity can be
read as waves
with EEG
bio-feedback to
control brain
activity

The Brain: Cerebrum (memories)
3 types:
Sensory ~ less than a second
Short-term ~ seconds to minutes
(about 7 - 12 bits)
1
9
2
1
3
6
0
3
7
8
2
4
3
1
1
3
5
7
9
2
4
6
8
0
1
3
5
7
Long-term ~ minutes to life time
associated with re-shaping neurons and
formation of memory engrams
(pattern of neurons and their
connections)
Long term memories are
divided into 2 types:
Example: Pavlov and
conditioning
Declarative memory ~
ability to recall details,
names etc.
Procedural memory ~
ability to repeat behaviors
or actions.
The Brain: Cerebrum
(memories)
Deepest portion of
cerebrum and brainstem
associations called the
Limbic system
This is involved with mood,
base emotions and interacts
with hypothalamus to
influence food/H
2
O
acquisition.
Major input is olfaction
The Brain: Cerebrum (memories in limbo)
The Brain: Cerebrum (hemispheres)
Not really a dominant
side
Hemispheres communicate
via the corpus callosum
Structurally and
functionally different
Right brain -- usually
Representational
Left brain -- usually
Categorical
Smell R.
Shape mem.
Verb. Mem.
Musical
Symbolic
Language
Spatial
Intuitive
Smell L.
Anterior
Posterior