Vol 137

Shit. My notes so far and I still have 30 minutes of class to go.

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Psych 390

Sept 6^th

Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology

Division of the nervous system

Central Nervous system (CNS) – brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system (PNS) – nerves outside the brain and spinal cord

            Somatic –sensory nerves to CNS

                              -motors nerves to muscles and glands

Autonomic – neurons that control heart, intestines, and other organs

Organization of the Spinal cord

Organization:

White = Fibers (malinated axis)

Gray = Cells (cell bodies)

Dorsal = Sensory (import)

Ventral = Motor (sensory output)

Ganglion – site of cell bodies

Functions:

Transmit information to and from the brain

Reflex control of motor activity

Some integrative functions

Sympathetic System: (Thoracic/Lumbar system)

Controls fight or flight response

Release ACH at ganglia (ganglia are interconnected)

Release norepinephrine at target

Increase heart rate, increase blood pressure

Parasympathetic system: (Cranial/Sacral Origin)

Counteracts the effect of the sympathetic system.

Helps build resources.

Ganglia are not interconnected

Release ACH at both ganglia and target. No release of adrenaline.

Division of CNS:

Spinal cord

Medulla

Ascending/descending fiber tracts

Postural reflexes – maintain upright position

Reflex control of swallowing and vomiting

Pons

Continuation of fiber tracts

Postural reflexes

Bulge – fibers connect to cerebellum

Locus Coeruleus and Reticular Formation: maintenance of sleeping and walking (collection of nerve cells)

Midbrain
Tegmentum
Reticular formation: Cortical EEG

Sleeping/Waking

Dopaminergic nuclei – substantia nigra, VTA; Parkinson’s Disease

Tectum:

Superior colliculus; visual reflex center (located above inferior colliculus)

Inferior colliculus; auditory reflexes

 Forebrain

Cerebellum

Sensory-Motor

Coordination

            Jerky movement

            Input from all sensory systems

Hypothalamus

Controls pituitary

Sympathetic NS

Motivation

Regulation of food intake

Thalamus

Relay nuclei (every sensory system goes through)

Sleeping/Waking

Basal Ganglia

Striatum: caudate globus palldus putamen

Motor Functions: Extrpyramidal system

nAccumbens: reinforcement

Limbic System

Limbic Lode include temporal neocortex

Emotion/Motivation (amygdala, septum, cingulate)

Hippocampus: Spatial learning/memory

Cerebral Cortex

Organization

            Six distinct layers of cells

            Organized into columns in which cells have similar or related properties

Sensory, motor, association cortex – modality specific

Relative increase in association cortex: higher nervous processes

Bilateral representation (with some exceptions, e.g.,  language)

Corpus callosum: Fiver bundle responsible for interhem

Blood-Brain Battier

Refers to permeability barriers that present obstacles to the diffusion of chemicals from blood and CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) to neurons.

Produce by close-fitting, continuous epithelial cells of brain capillaries

What can pass the blood brain barrier?

Passive transport – require no energy to pass

            Small uncharged molecules such as O₂ and CO₂

            Molecules that can dissolve in fat

Active transport – requires energy

            Glucose, amino acids, vitamins and hormones

Circumventricular Organs:

Neural structures that are functionally on the blood side of the barrier

Monitor blood and CFS and communicate with neurons on the other side of the barrier

Glial Cells

Glia cells are concerned with the maintenance and integrity of neurons.

Oligodendrocytes produce myelin sheaths that insulate motor axons in CNS

Schwann cells have a similar function in the periphery

Astrocytes pass chemicals back and forth between neurons and blood and among various neurons in an area

Microglia proliferate in areas of brain damage and remove toxic materials

Neurons

Designed to admit and receive information