The Nervous System 9/24/2009
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COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 The Nervous System Mary ET Boyle, Ph.D. Department of Cognitive Science UCSD What’s the big deal? 1 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Detect Evaluate Decide Respond Analysis of the nervous system to understand the biological basis for behavior. Modern studies ◦ Neuroanatomists ◦ Neurochemists ◦ Neurophysiologists ◦ Neuropsychologists Neuroscience – term introduced in mid-1960s 2 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 The brain must know what is happening outside in the environment. •perceive •remember •decide •act sensory neurons motor neurons interneurons Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) Central Nervous System ( CNS) Organization 3 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Detects/processes environmental stimuli: Somatic Nervous System Regulates internal organs: Autonomic Nervous System Organization of PNS Detects environmental stimuli: Somatic Nervous System Regulates internal organs: Autonomic Nervous System Decision! Central nervous system 4 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Brain Spinal Cord Components of the CNS 5 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Anterior Posterior Dl Left Dorsal Right Ventral Anatomical directions 6 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Horizontal section— Shows structures viewed from above/below 7 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Sagittal section— Divides structures into right and left parts Coronal section (frontal section)— Shows views from the front/back 8 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Review of Anatomical Directions Anterior—toward the front (e.g., dog’ s nose) Posterior—toward the rear (e.g., dog’s tail) Ventral—toward the belly Dorsal—toward the back Rostral—toward the head Caudal—toward the tail Medial—toward the midline Lateral—away from the midline Superior—above a structure Inferior—below a structure Fundamental cellular unit Purpose of neurons: ◦ receive ◦ process ◦ transfer Information is made up of chemical or electrical signals Unidirectional Neurons 9 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 10 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Four major types of synapses 11 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Three types of neurons Some multipolar neurons 12 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Support Staff: Glia More than just glue? Glia, short for neuroglial cells. Their purpose is to provide metabolic support, insulate, protect, reinforce, repair, and cleanup damaged areas. Mounting evidence suggests that glial cells may be nearly as critical to thinking and learning as neurons are. Glia 13 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 are much more numerous than neurons. outnumber neurons 2:1. are found in both the CNS and PNS. Neuroglia means “nerve glue. ” Researchers have found that the average human cerebral cortex has approximately two glial cells for every neuron (other brain regions have up to 10 times as many). That’s a glia index of 2.0. The index in comparable regions in rodents is 0.4, in worms 0.17. There is work that supports the theory that a high concentration of glia may actually boost the ability to think. So here’s something to think about: the glia index in the cerebral cortex of dolphins is 3.0. Glia … 14 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 protoplasmic astrocytes fibrous astrocytes Basic classification of glial cells microglial cells oligodendrocytes Spanish anatomist Pío del Río Hortega classified these cells. Hortega made these drawings in 1920 with the help of a microscope’s camera lucida. 15 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive central nervous system disorder. Localized oligodendrocyte demyelination prevents affected nerve cells from functioning properly. In some cases, the demyelinated axons completely fail to work. 16 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 17 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 Glia and neurons work together Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 18 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurobiology of Cognition COGS 17 Neurobiology of Cognition Zlokovic & Apuzzo: Neurosurgery 43(4):877-878, 1998. COGS 17 19 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 (PNS) Peripheral Nervous System The Autonomic The Somatic Nervous System Nervous System Enables one to The Somatic interact with the Nervous System physical environment. Two types of nerves: Efferent Afferent Cranial Spinal neurons take neurons bring messages from messages from the CNS to the sensory skeletal muscles receptors to the CNS 20 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Table 2.1: Klein/Thorne: Biological Psychology © 2007 by Worth Publishers 21 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Efferent neurons The Autonomic control glandular Nervous System activityy and internal organ functioning. Two divisions: Sympathetic Parasympathetic ShiSympathetic Prepares the organism to respond to challenging or dangerous conditions. 22 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 CNS protection 23 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Ventricular System 24 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 CNS: spinal cord 25 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Three main functions: ◦ Recognizing detected stimuli ◦ Analyzing the information ◦ Executing the appropriate response The Central Nervous System: The Brain 26 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Myelencephalon—contains the medulla oblongata, which controls basic life functions (e.g., respiration, heart rate, vomiting, salivation Reticular formation (reticular activating system)—begins in the medulla, extends to other areas of the brain and is involved in arousal Metencephalon consists of two major structures: ◦ Pons—a “bridge” for many fibers passing from one side of the brain to the other. Sensory fibers, fibers from the cortex to cerebellum, and fibers that relay information on sleep, arousal and dreaming pass through it. ◦ Cerebellum—involved in the development and coordination of movement Raphé system—plays a role in sleep and arousal Hindbrain Midbrain - mesencephalon 27 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Tectum (“roof”) relays visual and auditory information and controls simple reflexes, eye and ear orientation movements superior colliculi (“little hills”)—relays visual information inferior colliculi—relays auditory information Tegmentum (“floor covering”) substantia nigra—integration of voluntary movements red nucleus —controls basic body movements reticular formation —controls arousal and consciousness brain stem—midbrain + hindbrain (minus the cerebellum) 28 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Thalamus—major relay station for sensory information Medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)—relays auditory information Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)—relays visual information Other nuclei connect to areas not involved in sensation, e.g., the ventrolateral nucleus receives information from the cerebellum and relays it to the motor cortex. 29 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Hypothalamus—detects need states (e.g., hunger and thirst), controls the autonomic nervous system, and controls pituitary hormone production and release The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus also is involved in the control of biological rhythms. Pituitary gland (hypophysis)—regulates other glandular activity of the body (often called the “master gland”) Anterior pituitary gland (adenohypophysis)—produces several hormones including somatotropin, thyrotropin, adrenocorticotropin, and the gonadotropins Posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis)—releases oxytocin and antidiuretichormone (ADH) which are produced in the hypothalamus 30 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Limbic System The limbic system governs emotions such as anger, happiness, and fear and is involved in the storage and retrieval of memories. The limbic system is a group of structures surrounding the brain stem. The limbic system structures include the amygdala, cingulate gyrus, and hippocampus. Basal Ganglia— have widespread connections to the cortex and forebrain and are involved in the initiation of voluntary movements, maintaining muscle tone and posture Parts of the basal ganglia include: The caudate nucleus, the putamen, and the globus pallidus The caudate nucleus and the putamen are referred to as the corpus striatum due to their appearance. 31 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 32 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Somatosensory cortex —anterior portion of the parietal lobe. Motor cortex —area of the frontal lobe anterior to the central sulcus. The face and hands have a large amount of representation in these areas. This representation allows for great sensitivity and motor control for these areas of the body. 33 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 34 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 35 COGS17 ‐ 01‐The Nervous System 9/24/2009 Neurons—Perform information processing and communications functions of the nervous system ◦ Consist of three major parts: 1. Soma (cell body)—contains nucleus, mitochondria, and ribosomes 2. Dendrites—portions of the neuron that transmit information toward the cell body (typically) 3. Axon—a structure on the neuron which transmits information away from the cell body Terms review sensory neuron ◦ A neuron that detects changes in the external or internal environment and sends information about these changes to the central nervous system. ◦ Sensory neurons carry information to the CNS motor neuron ◦ A neuron locat