brain + spinal cord

• what are the risks of treating the CNS?

  its hard to prepare damage (can’t repair nervous tissue), it’s not easy to access, and treatment for problems may cause permanent damage
• what does a PET scanner do?

  uses radioactive chemicals to investigate brain activity, investigates structure and function of the brain
• what does a CT scanner do?

  uses x-rays to produce an image of the brain, shows main structures not functions and shows diseased/damaged structure
• what is the spinal cord?

  a long column of neurones (nerve cells) that run from the base of the brain down the spine
• what is the purpose of the CNS?

  relays information between the brain and the rest of the body
• what does the cerebrum do?

  largest part, divided into 2 halves (cerebral hemispheres) right hemisphere controls left muscles. It controls movement, vision, language, memory, and intelligence
• what does the cerebellum do?

  responsible for muscle coordination
• what does the medulla oblongata?

  controls your unconscious activities like breathing and heart rate
• how do impulses travel through the CNS?

  along relay neurones
• where does the CNS send information to?

  the CNS sends information to an effector (muscle or gland) along a motor neurone. The effector then responds accordingly, e.g a muscle may contract
• what are benign tumours?

  they stay in a specific part of the body, often within a membrane.
• what is a malignant tumour?

  they can invade neighbouring tissues and spread throughout the body in the blood, leading to the creation of more secondary tumours.