Structure of the Verterbrate

Nervous System
Module 4.1
 Central Nervous Peripheral Nervous
System System

Sensory Neuron –
Motor Neuron – CNS
Brain Spinal Cord sensory organs to
to muscle and glands
CNS

Somatic Nervous
System Autonomic Nervous
System – involuntary
- Voluntary responses
movements

Parasympathetic
Sympathetic Division
Division – Rest or
– Fight or Flight
Digest
Anatomical Terms
Referring to
Directions
Anatomical Terms
Referring to
Directions
Anatomical Terms Referring to Directions
Term Definition
Dorsal Toward the back, away from the ventral (stomach) side.
Ventral Toward the stomach, away from the dorsal (back) side.
2.Anterior Toward the front end
Posterior Toward the rear end
3.Superior Above another part
Inferior Below another part
1.Lateral Toward the side, away from the midline
Medial Toward the midline, away from the side
Anatomical Terms Referring to Directions
Term Definition
5. Proximal Located close to the point of origin
Distal Located more distant to the point of origin
6. Ipsilateral On the same side of the body
Contralateral On the opposite side of the body
4. Coronal Plane Seen from the front (frontal Plane)
Sagittal Plane Seen from the side
Horizontal Plane Seen from above (transverse plane)
Terms Referring to the Parts of the Nervous
System
Term Definition
Lamina A row or layer of cell bodies separated from other cell bodies by a layer of
axons and dendrites
Column A set of cells perpendicular to the surface of the cortex, with similar
properties
Tract A set of axons within the CNS, also known as projection.
Nerve A set of axons in the periphery, either from the CNS to a muscle or gland or
from a sensory organ to the CNS
Nucleus A cluster of neuron cell bodies within the CNS
Ganglion A cluster of neuron cell bodies, usually outside the CNS
Gyrus A protuberance on the surface of the brain
Sulcus A fold or groove that separates one gyrus from another
The Spinal Cord
• Part of the CNS within the spinal column
• Communicates with all the sense organs and muscles except those of
the head
7. Bell-Magendie Law – one of the first discoveries about the functions
of the nervous system. According to this law, the entering dorsal roots
carry sensory information and the exiting ventral roots carry motor
information
The Autonomic Nervous System
• Consists of neurons that receive information from and send
commands to the heart, intestines, and other organs
2 Parts:
8. Sympathetic Nervous System – network of nerves that prepare
the organs for vigorous activity, consist of chains of ganglia just to the
left and right of the spinal cord’s central regions
- Prepare the organs for “fight or flight” – increasing breathing and
heart rate and decreasing digestive activity (sweat glands, adrenal
glands, muscles that constrict blood vessels, muscles that erect the
hair of the skin)
The Autonomic Nervous System
Parasympathetic Nervous System
- Facilitates vegetative and non-emergency response.
- Decrease heart rate, increase digestive activity,
- Also known as the 9. craniosacral system because it is consisted of the
cranial nerves and nerves from the sacral spinal cord
The Hindbrain
• 3 Major Divisions of the Brain:
1. 10.Hindbrain (Rhombencephalon)
2. 11Midbrain (mesencephalon)
3. 12Forebrain (prosencephalon)
• HINDBRAIN – posterior part of the brain
- Consists of medulla, pons and cerebellum
13MEDULLA / MEDULLA OBLONGATA – above the spinal cord and
could be regarded as the enlarged extension of the spinal cord but
located in the skull
It controls some vital reflexes (breathing, heart rate, vomiting, coughing
and sneezing)
-damage to the medulla is frequently fatal and large doses of opiates
are life threatening bec. It suppresses activity of medulla
 Major Divisions of the vertebrate Brain
AREA AKA MAJOR STRUCTURES

FOREBRAIN Procencephalon (“forward-brain)

Diencephalon (between-brain) thalamus., hypothalamus
Telencephalon (end-brain) Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia

MIDBRAIN Mesencephalon (middle brain) Tectum, tegmentum, superior colliculus, inferior

colliculus, substantia nigra

HINDBRAIN Rhombencephalon Medulla, pons, cerebellum

(parallelogram-brain)
Metencephalon (afterbrain) Pons cerebellum
Myelencephalon (marrow-brain) medulla
Hindbrain
 Cranial Nerves
I. Olfactory – smell
II. Optic – Vision
III. Oculomotor – control eye movements, pupil constriction
IV. Trochlear – control eye movements
V. 15Trigeminal – skin sensation from most of the face, control jaw muscles
for chewing and swallowing
VI. Abducens – control eye movements
VII. Facial – taste from anterior 2/3 of tongue, control facial expressions,
crying, salivation, dilation of head’s blood vessels
VIII.14.Statoacoustic – hearing; equilibrium
IX. Glossopharyngeal – taste and sensation from throath and posterior third
of the tongue, control swallowing, salivation, & throath movements during
speech
 Cranial Nerves
X. Vagus – sensations from neck and thorax, control of throat, esophagus&
larynx, parasympathetic nerves to stomach, intestines and other organs
XI. 17Accessory – control of neck and shoulder movements
XII. 16Hypoglossal – control of muscles of the tongue

PONS – is Latin for “bridge”

- lies anterior and ventral to the medulla
-it contains nuclei for several cranial nerves
- Many axons in the pons cross from one side of the brain to the other
- The left hemisphere controls the muscle of the right side of the body and
vice versa
18RETICULAR FORMATION – medulla and pons contain this
- It has descending and ascending portions
- Descending portion – controls motor areas of spinal cord
- Ascending portion – sends output to cerebral cortex to increase arousal and
attention in one area or another
RAPHE SYSTEM – sends axon to the forebrain
- To modify the brain’s readiness to respond to stimuli
19CEREBELLUM – large hindbrain structure with many deep folds
- Contribution for control of movement
- for balance and coordination
- People with dame in the cerebellum have trouble shifting their attention
back and forth between auditory and visual stimuli
- Difficulty with sensory timing (poor at judging whether one rhythm is faster
than the other
THE MIDBRAIN
• It is the middle of the brain, although in adult mammals, it is dwarfed and
surrounded by the forebrain
21TECTUM – the roof of the midbrain
-swellings in each side of the tectum are superior colliculus (hearing) &
inferior colliculus (vision)
TEGMENTUM – intermediate level of the midbrain
-In Latin, it means “covering”
It includes the nuclei for the third and 4th cranial nerves, parts of the
reticular formation & extensions of the pathways between the forebrain&
spinal cord.
20SUBSTANTIA NIGRA – gives rise to the dopamine-containing pathway
that facilitates readiness for movement
22THE FOREBRAIN
• The most anterior & most prominent part of the mammalian brain
• It consists of 2 cerebral hemisphere, one on the left and one on the right
Parts:
1. Cerebral Cortex – outer portion
2. Thalamus – main source of input to the cerebral cortex
3. Lymbic System – has role for motivation and emotions (eating, drinking,
sexual activity, anxiety and aggression)
23THALAMUS – derived from the Greek word meaning anteroom & inner
chamber or bridal bed
-most sensory info (except olfactory info) goes first to the thalamus, which
processes it and sends output to the cerebral cortex
HYPOTHALAMUS
- Small area near the base of the brain just ventral to the thalamus
- It conveys message to the pituitary gland, altering its release of hormones
- Damage to hypothalamus may result to abnormalities in motivated behaviors
24PITUITARY GLAND
-endocrine (hormone-producing gland) attached to the base of the
hypothalamus by a stalk that contains neurons, blood vessels, & connective
tissue
-synthesizes and release hormones into the bloodstream, which carries them to
other organs
BASAL GANGLIA
- Group of subcortical structures lateral to the thalamus
- It has subdivisions that exchange info with different parts of the cerebral cortex
- Include 3 major structures:
Caudate nucleus
Putamen
Globus Pallidus
- In cases of Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, the basal ganglia
deteriorate causes impaired movement, also shows depression, deficits of
memory, reasoning and attention
BASAL FOREBRAIN
- Includes the nucleus basalis (keypart for brain system for arousal, wakefulness
and attention – receives input from the hypothalamus and basal ganglia & sends
axons that release acetyhlcholine
HIPPOCAMPUS
-from Latin word meaning seahorse
- A large structure between the thalamus and the cerebral cortex
- Stores certain kinds of memories
- People with hippocampal damage have trouble storing new memories, but they
do not lose the memories they had before the damage occurred
THE VENTRICLES
- The 4 fluid-filled cavities within the brain
- Cells called the choroid plexus inside the 4 ventricles produce CSF
(cerebrospinal fluid) – clear fluid similar to blood plasma
- 25CSF – cushions the brain against mechanical shock when the head moves
- Also provides buoyancy, helps support the weight of the brain
- Also provides reservoir of hormones and nutrition for the brain and spinal cord