Gray Matter
Collections of nerve cell bodies and their associated neuroglia
White Matter
Bundles of parallel axons and their sheaths
Decussation
A crossing over
Vital Functions
Those functions of the body necessary for life on a short-term basis
Commissures
Connections of nerve fibers which allow the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate with one another
What is hypoxia?
a conidtion where the brain is not getting enough enough due to a poor blood supply
Why is hypoxia dangerous?
it can kill neurons that can never be replaced
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Arrange the structures listed above from inferior to superior.
medulla, pons, midbrain, hypothalamus, thalamus
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures are a part of the brainstem?
medulla, pons, and midbrain
midbrain hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures are a part of the diencephalon?
hypothalamus and thalamus
midrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
In which of the structures does most of the decussation take place?
medulla
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures has nuclei which control many of the body's vital functions?
medulla
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures have nuclei specifically dedicated to the senses of hearing and sight?
midbrain
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures relays messages from the cerebrum to the cerebellum?
pons
midbrian, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures controls the pituitary gland?
hypothalamus
midbrain, hypothalamus, pons, medulla, thalamus
Which of the structures performs a crude interpretation of sensory information and then relays that information to the cerebrum?
thalamus
If you were to think of the cerebrum as a series of hills and valleys, would the gyri be the hills or the valleys? What about the sulci?
The gyri are the hills and the sulci are the valleys.
Which structure in the brain deals with the motor functions that we perform without consciously thinking of them?
cerebellum
What is the purpose of the corpus callosum? There are other sturctures in the brain and spinal cord that perform the same task. What is the general term that describes all of these structures?
The corpus callosum allows the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate with one another; commissures
Where is the majority of cerebrospinal fluid produced?
the lateral ventricles
Where is the rest of the cerebrospinal fluid produced?
third and fourth ventricles
What is the purpose of cerebrospinal fluid?
cushion and protect the brain, it also provides little nutrients
What three structures underneath the bone covering the CNS protect the brain?
dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater
What is the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and the pia mater all called collectively?
meninges
What are arachnoid granulations and what do they do?
They are extensions of arachnoid mater which return CSF into the dural sinus so that it returns to the blood withing the dural sinus.
What are the three neurons in the reflex arc?
afferent neuron, association neuron, and the efferent neuron
In the reflex arc, what order are the neurons activated?
afferent neuron, association neuron, and the efferenet neuron
Where can you find the association neuron in the reflex arc?
the spinal cord
Of thehree neuron circuits we discussed in the previous module, which is formed by the afferent neuron in the reflex arc?
diverging circuit
In the reflex arc, what kind of circuit is the efferent neuron?
converging circuit