The topography of

Nervous System
AREMU
 The Nervous System
• Millions of interconnected neurons form the nervous
system
• Human nervous system two major parts: central
nervous system and peripheral nervous system
Functions of the Nervous System
1. Sensory input – gathering information
 To monitor changes occurring inside and
outside the body (changes = stimuli)
2. Integration –
 to process and interpret sensory input
and decide if action is needed.
3. Motor output
 A response to integrated stimuli
 The response activates muscles or glands
 Structural Classification of the
Nervous System

 Central nervous system (CNS)

 Brain
 Spinal cord
 Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
 Nerve outside the brain and spinal cord

Slide 7.2
 Functional Classification of the
Peripheral Nervous System
 Sensory (afferent) division
 Nerve fibers that carry information to the
central nervous system

Figure 7.1
Slide 7.3a
Functional Classification of the
Peripheral Nervous System
 Motor (efferent) division
 Nerve fibers that carry impulses away from
the central nervous system

Figure 7.1
Slide 7.3b
Functional Classification of the
Peripheral Nervous System
 Motor (efferent) division
 Two subdivisions
 Somatic nervous system = voluntary
 Autonomic nervous system = involuntary

Figure 7.1
Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 7.3c
Neuron Anatomy
 Extensions
outside the cell
body
 Dendrites –
conduct
impulses toward
the cell body
 Axons – conduct
impulses away
from the cell
body (only 1!)
Figure 7.4a

Copyright © 2003 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings Slide 7.10
 Axons and Nerve Impulses

 Axons end in axonal terminals

 Axonal terminals contain vesicles with
neurotransmitters
 Axonal terminals are separated from the
next neuron by a gap
 Synaptic cleft – gap between adjacent
neurons
 Synapse – junction between nerves
Slide 7.11
 Neuron Cell Body Location

 Most are found in the central nervous

system
 Gray matter – cell bodies and unmylenated
fibers
 Nuclei – clusters of cell bodies within the
white matter of the central nervous system
 Ganglia – collections of cell bodies
outside the central nervous system
Slide 7.13
 Functional Classification of
Neurons
 Sensory (afferent) neurons
 Carry impulses from the sensory receptors
 Cutaneous sense organs
 Proprioceptors – detect stretch or tension
 Motor (efferent) neurons
 Carry impulses from the central nervous
system
Slide 7.14a
 Functional Classification of
Neurons

 Interneurons (association neurons)

 Found in neural pathways in the central
nervous system
 Connect sensory and motor neurons

Slide 7.14b
 Regions of the Brain

 Cerebral
hemispheres
 Diencephalon
 Brain stem
 Cerebellum
Figure 7.12

Slide 7.27
Cerebral Hemispheres (Cerebrum)

 Paired (left
and right)
superior parts
of the brain
 Include more
than half of
the brain
mass
Figure 7.13a

Slide 7.28a
Cerebral Hemispheres (Cerebrum)

 The surface
is made of
ridges (gyri)
and grooves
(sulci)

Figure 7.13a

Slide 7.28b
 Lobes of the Cerebrum

 Fissures (deep grooves) divide the

cerebrum into lobes
 Surface lobes of the cerebrum
 Frontal lobe
 Parietal lobe
 Occipital lobe
 Temporal lobe
Slide 7.29a
Lobes of the Cerebrum

Figure 7.15a

Slide 7.29b
Specialized Areas of the Cerebrum

 Somatic sensory area – receives

impulses from the body’s sensory
receptors
 Primary motor area – sends impulses to
skeletal muscles
 Broca’s area – involved in our ability to
speak

Slide 7.30
Specialized Area of the Cerebrum

 Cerebral areas involved in special

senses
 Gustatory area (taste)
 Visual area
 Auditory area
 Olfactory area

Slide 7.32a
 Specialized Area of the Cerebrum

 Interpretation areas of the cerebrum

 Speech/language region
 Language comprehension region
 General interpretation area

Slide 7.32b
Specialized Area of the Cerebrum

Figure 7.13c

Slide 7.32c
 Layers of the Cerebrum

 Gray matter
 Outer layer
 Composed
mostly of neuron
cell bodies

Figure 7.13a

Slide 7.33a
Layers of the Cerebrum

 White matter
 Fiber tracts
inside the gray
matter
 Example:
corpus callosum
connects
hemispheres
Figure 7.13a

Slide 7.33b
Layers of the Cerebrum
 Basal nuclei – internal
islands of gray matter
 Regulates voluntary
motor activities by
modifying info sent to
the motor cortex
 Problems = ie unable to
control muscles,
spastic, jerky
 Involved in
Huntington’s and
Parkinson’s Disease
Figure 7.13a

Slide 7.33c
 Diencephalon

 Sits on top of the brain stem

 Enclosed by the cerebral heispheres
 Made of three parts
 Thalamus
 Hypothalamus
 Epithalamus

Slide 7.34a
Diencephalon

Figure 7.15

Slide 7.34b
Thalamus

 Surrounds the third ventricle

 The relay station for sensory impulses
 Transfers impulses to the correct part of
the cortex for localization and
interpretation

Slide 7.35
Hypothalamus

 Under the thalamus

 Important autonomic nervous system
center
 Helps regulate body temperature
 Controls water balance
 Regulates metabolism

Slide 7.36a
Hypothalamus

 An important part of the limbic system

(emotions)
 The pituitary gland is attached to the
hypothalamus

Slide 7.36b
Epithalamus

 Forms the roof of the third ventricle

 Houses the pineal body (an endocrine
gland)
 Includes the choroid plexus – forms
cerebrospinal fluid

Slide 7.37
 Brain Stem

 Attaches to the spinal cord

 Parts of the brain stem
 Midbrain
 Pons
 Medulla oblongata

Slide 7.38a
Brain Stem

Figure 7.15a

Slide 7.38b
Midbrain

 Mostly composed of tracts of nerve

fibers
 Reflex centers for vision and hearing
 Cerebral aquaduct – 3rd-4th ventricles

Slide 7.39
Pons

 The bulging center part of the brain

stem
 Mostly composed of fiber tracts
 Includes nuclei involved in the control of
breathing

Slide 7.40
 Medulla Oblongata
 The lowest part of the brain stem
 Merges into the spinal cord
 Includes important fiber tracts
 Contains important control centers
 Heart rate control
 Blood pressure regulation
 Breathing
 Swallowing
 Vomiting
Slide 7.41
Cerebellum

 Two hemispheres with convoluted

surfaces
 Provides involuntary coordination of
body movements

Slide 7.43a
Cerebellum

Figure 7.15a

Slide 7.43b
Protection of the Central Nervous
System
 Scalp and skin
 Skull and vertebral column
 Meninges

Figure 7.16a

Slide 7.44a
 Protection of the Central Nervous
System
 Cerebrospinal fluid
 Blood brain barrier

Figure 7.16a

Slide 7.44b
Meninges

 Dura mater
 Double-layered external covering
 Periosteum – attached to surface of the
skull
 Meningeal layer – outer covering of the
brain
 Folds inward in several areas

Slide 7.45a
Meninges

 Arachnoid layer
 Middle layer
 Web-like
 Pia mater
 Internal layer
 Clings to the surface of the brain

Slide 7.45b
Cerebrospinal Fluid

 Similar to blood plasma composition

 Formed by the choroid plexus
 Forms a watery cushion to protect the
brain
 Circulated in arachnoid space,
ventricles, and central canal of the
spinal cord
Slide 7.46
Ventricles and Location of the
Cerebrospinal Fluid

Figure 7.17a

Slide 7.47a
Ventricles and Location of the
Cerebrospinal Fluid

Figure 7.17b

Slide 7.47b
Blood Brain Barrier
 Includes the least permeable capillaries
of the body
 Excludes many potentially harmful
substances
 Unless against some substances
 Fats and fat soluble molecules
 Respiratory gases
 Alcohol
 Nicotine
 Anesthesia
Slide 7.48
Spinal Cord
 Extends from the
medulla oblongata to
the region of T12
 Below T12 is the cauda
equina (a collection of
spinal nerves)
 Enlargements occur in
the cervical and lumbar
regions
Figure 7.18

Slide 7.52
Spinal Cord Anatomy
 Exterior white mater – conduction tracts

Figure 7.19

Slide 7.53a
Spinal Cord Anatomy
 Internal gray matter - mostly cell bodies
 Dorsal (posterior) horns
 Anterior (ventral) horns

Figure 7.19

Slide 7.53b
Spinal Cord Anatomy
 Central canal filled with cerebrospinal
fluid

Figure 7.19

Slide 7.53c
Spinal Cord Anatomy

 Meninges cover the spinal cord

 Nerves leave at the level of each
vertebrae
 Dorsal root
 Associated with the dorsal root ganglia –
collections of cell bodies outside the central
nervous system
 Ventral root

Slide 7.54
Peripheral Nervous System

 Nerves and ganglia outside the central

nervous system
 Nerve = bundle of neuron fibers
 Neuron fibers are bundled by
connective tissue

Slide 7.55
Spinal Nerves

Figure 7.22a
Slide 7.64
 Autonomic Nervous System

 The involuntary branch of the nervous

system
 Consists of only motor nerves
 Divided into two divisions
 Sympathetic division
 Parasympathetic division

Slide 7.67
Comparison of Somatic and
Autonomic Nervous Systems

Figure 7.24 Slide 7.69

Autonomic Functioning

 Sympathetic – “fight-or-flight”
 Response to unusual stimulus
 Takes over to increase activities
 Remember as the “E” division = exercise,
excitement, emergency, and
embarrassment

Slide 7.74a
Autonomic Functioning

 Parasympathetic – housekeeping
activites
 Conserves energy
 Maintains daily necessary body functions
 Remember as the “D” division - digestion,
defecation, and diuresis

Slide 7.74b