PHYP211 Week 4

• The nervous system is comprised of the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
• Central Nervous System (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord, functioning as the control center
• CNS receives data and feedback from sensory organs and nerves throughout the body, processes the information, and sends commands back out
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) includes nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
• PNS serves as communication lines between the CNS and the rest of the body
• PNS has two divisions:

  • Somatic Nervous System: conveys messages from sense organs to the CNS and from the CNS to muscles and glands (voluntary)
  • Autonomic Nervous System: controls the heart, intestines, and other organs (involuntary)
• Autonomic Nervous System has two divisions:

  • Sympathetic Nervous System: "Fight or Flight" system, prepares the body for action
  • Parasympathetic Nervous System: Vegetative nonemergency system, generally opposite of sympathetic activities
• Sympathetic Nervous System consists of two paired chains of ganglia near the spinal cord's central regions (thoracic and lumbar areas)
• Parasympathetic Nervous System consists of cranial nerves and nerves from the sacral spinal cord
• Prefrontal Cortex:

  • Found in the most anterior portion of the frontal lobe
  • Receives information from all senses
• Frontal Lobe:

  • Located at the most anterior area of the cerebral cortex
  • Contains the primary motor cortex and prefrontal cortex
  • Precentral Gyrus: specialized for the control of fine motor movements, primarily on the contralateral side of the body
• Research methods for studying brain function include:

  • Examining the effects of brain damage
  • Stimulating a brain area
  • Recording brain activity during behavior
  • Correlating brain anatomy with behavior
• CT scan of the brain is a noninvasive imaging procedure that generates horizontal images, providing detailed information about brain tissue and structures