Nervous System

• Central Nervous System


  Consists of the brain and spinal cord
• Major regions of the adult brain

  • Cerebrum
  • Diencephalon
  • Brain stem
  • Cerebellum
• Cerebrum


  The gray covering of the human brain that appears to make up the majority of the brain's mass
• Cerebral cortex


  • The wrinkled part of the brain
• Longitudinal fissure


  • A wide divide between the two sides of the cerebrum
• Functions of the cerebrum

  • Memory, emotion, and consciousness
• Cerebral cortex


  A continuous layer of gray matter that wraps around either side of the forebrain
• Gyrus


  The ridge of one of the wrinkles in the brain
• Sulcus


  The groove between two gyri
• Subcortical nuclei


  A group of nuclei beneath the cerebral cortex that help cortical functions
• Acetylcholine


  Produced mostly in the nuclei of the basal forebrain, which regulates the general activity of the cortex and may lead to increased attention to sensory stimuli
• Hippocampus and amygdala


  Medial-lobe structures involved in long-term memory formation and emotional reactions, together with the neighboring cortex
• Midbrain


  A small region between the thalamus and the pons that was one of the first sections of the embryonic brain
• Pons


  A thick bundle of white matter linked to the cerebellum that can be seen on the anterior surface of the brain stem, the principal connection between the cerebellum and the brain stem
• Medulla


  The region known as the myelencephalon in the embryonic brain, with a large amount of white matter seen on the exterior, which is connected to the white matter of the spinal cord, and is responsible for processing cranial nerve signals
• Reticular formation


  A diffuse patch of gray matter throughout the brain stem, linked to sleep and wakefulness, as well as general brain activity and attention
• A particular area of the brain is in charge of maintaining homeostasis