LOF/nervous system & endocrine system

• the old brain is composed of 6 parts:

  • the brain stem
  • medulla
  • cerebellum
  • thalamus
  • reticular function
  • PONS
• the medulla controls automatic functions, such as heart rate and breathing
• the cerebellum coordinates movement and balance
• the reticular formation regulates sleep/wakefulness
• the thalamus relays sensory information to the cortex
• the PONS controls other automatic functions and connects the cerebellum with other areas of the brain stem
• the brain stem connects the brain to the body
• the limbic system is made of the amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus
• the amygdala consolodates memory and helps regulate and process emotions
• the hypothalamus regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, sex drive, and emotional responses such as anger and fear
• the hippocampus is key in memory and learning - if theis area is damaged, a person may lose the ability to form new memories
• the left and right hemispheres are connected by the corpus collosum
• covering the left and right hemispheres is the cerebral cortex
• the cerebral cortex is split into 4 lobes - frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal
• the frontal lobe is responsible for speaking, voluntary movement, planning, decision making and personality aspects
• the parietal lobe processes sensory information from touch, pressure, pain and temperature
• the occipital lobe receives visual input
• the temporal lobe processes auditory information and has an important role in language processing
• each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body - e.g. the left temporal lobe processes sounds heard in the right ear
• at the rear of the frontal lobe is the motor area which controls voluntary movement
• pehind the motor area, in the frontal lobe, is the somatosensory area which processes incoming information from the skin
• in the left hemisphere is wernickes area which is responsible for language comprehension and brocas area which is responsible for language production
• damage to either Wernickes or Brocas areas can result in aphasia (loss of speech)
• brocas area is found in the inferior frontal gyrus of the left hemisphere
• wernickes area is located at the posterior end of the superior temporal gyrus on the left side of the brain
• aphasia may also be receptive if it affects Wernickes area resulting in difficulty understanding spoken words
• aphasia may be expressive if it affects Broca's area resulting in difficulty speaking fluently but not understanding others
• the nervous sytem has 2 main parts - the CNS and the peripheral nerves
• the CNS is split into the brain and the spinal cord
• the spinal cord acts as a bridge between the CNS and the peripheral nerves
• the peripheral nerves are split into somatic and autonomic nerves
• somatic nerves control the skeletal muscles - essential voluntary movements
• the autonomic nerves are the nerves that control involuntary functions such as heart rate and breathing, also regulation of glands and internal organs
• the autonomic nerves are further split into 2 groups: sympathetic and parasympathetic
• sympathetic nervous system prepares body to deal with stressful situations (fight or flight)
• parasympathetic nervous system restores normal bodily functioning when there's no longer any threat
• the work of the nervous system is supplemented by a second system in the body called the endocrine system - a network of capillaries and glands throughout the body that manufacture and secrete chemical messengers known as hormones
• hormones travel through bloodstream to target cells where they bind to receptors on cell surface or inside the cell
• the endocrine system tells glands when to secrete hormones and when to stop
• the major glands of the endocrine system are - pituitary gland, thyroid gland, adrenal gland, pancreas and reproductive glands