Central Nervous System Anatomy And Function

Front 1

CNS vs PNS

Back 1

CNS:
Brain and spinal cord

PNS:
all OTHER nerves and sensory structures

Front 2

PNS (somatic and autonomic):

Back 2

Somatic:
Voluntary control of skeletal muscle

Autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic):
Involuntary control of glands and smooth muscle

**Sympathetic:
Fight or flight
**Parasympathetic:
Rest and digest

Front 3

Spinal Cord:

Back 3

CNS

Simple reflexes
**Controls simple stretch and tendon reflexes
**Controls primitive processes such as walking, urination and sex organ function

Front 4

Medulla:

Back 4

CNS (hindbrain)

Involuntary functions
**Controls autonomic processes [such as blood pressure, blood flow, heart rate, respiratory rate, swallowing, vomiting]
**Controls reflex reactions [such as coughing or sneezing]
**Relays sensory information to the cerebellum and thalamus

Front 5

Pons:

Back 5

CNS (hindbrain)

Relay station and balance
**Controls antigravity posture and balance
**Connects the spinal cord and medulla with upper regions of the brain
**Relays information to the cerebellum and thalamus

Front 6

Cerebellum:

Back 6

CNS (hindbrain)

Movement coordination
**Integrating center
**Coordination of complex movement, balance and posture, muscle tone, spatial equilibrium

Front 7

Midbrain:

Back 7

CNS (composes brainstem, along with the medulla and pons)

Eye movement
**Integration of visual and auditory information
**Visual and auditory reflexes
**Wakefulness and consciousness
**Coordinates information on posture and muscle tone

Front 8

Thalamus

Back 8

CNS (diencephalon)

Integrating center and relay station
**Relay center for somatic (conscious) sensation
**Relays information between the spinal cord and the cerebral cortex

Front 9

Hypothalamus

Back 9

CNS (diencephalon)

Homeostasis and behavior
**Controls homeostatic functions [such as temperature regulation, fluid balance, appetite] through both neural and hormonal regulation
**Controls primitive emotions [such as anger, rage and sex drive]
**Controls the pituitary gland

Front 10

Basal Nuclei

Back 10

CNS (gray matter - deep within cerebral hemispheres)

Movement
**Regulate body movement and muscle tone
**Coordination of learned movement patterns
**General pattern of rhythm movements [such as controlling the cycle of arm and leg movements when walking]
**Subconscious adjustments of conscious movements

Front 11

Limbic System

Back 11

CNS (includes amygdala, cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, etc.)

Emotion, memory and learning
**Controls emotional states
**Links conscious and unconscious portions of the brain
**Helps with memory storage and retrieval

Front 12

Frontal Lobes

Back 12

CNS (cerebral cortex)

Initiate all voluntary movement and are involved in complex reasoning skills and problem solving

Front 13

Parietal Lobes

Back 13

CNS (cerebral cortex)

Involved in somatic sensations [such as touch, temperature, presssure, vibration, etc.] and in gustation (taste).

Front 14

Temporal Lobes

Back 14

CNS (cerebral cortex)

Processes auditory and olfactory sensation and also involved in memory

Front 15

Occipital Lobes

Back 15

CNS (cerebral cortex)

Processes visual sensation

Front 16

Corpus Callosum

Back 16

CNS (connects the cerebral hemispheres)

Connection
**Connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres