Nervous

System
• brain,
• spinal cord,
• nerves

QuickTime™ and a
Planar RGB decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Neural Communication
• Nerve cells are called
NEURONS
• >100 billion neurons in
the brain, and many
more in the spinal cord
& PNS
Basic Neuron Structure
Soma (cell body)

Myelin Node of
Ranvier

Axon
Axon terminals Dendrites
 Types of Neurons
Sensory
Neurons
QuickTime™ and a •(few
Sendmillion)
signals from
the senses, skin,
Planar RGB decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

muscles, and internal

organs TO the CNS
 Motor Neurons
(few million)
• Motion-producing
QuickTime™ and a
Planar RGB decompressor neurons that send
signals FROM the
are needed to see this picture.

CNS to the muscles,

glands, and organs
 Types of Neurons
Interneurons
Interneurons (100
(100
• CNS neurons that connect
billion)
billion)
QuickTime™ and a
sensory-motor neurons.
Planar RGB decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
 Neuronal Action Potential
“All or none” response

+30mV Action Potential

Voltage

0mV
Refractory Period

-70mV

Resting Potential

QuickTime™ and a
Planar RGB decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
The Neural Impulse
Speed of the impulse
depends on:
(a) Thickness of the axon
(b) Whether the axon
is myelinated
 How Does a
Nerve Impulse Travel?
 Neuron are
stimulated by sensory
receptor(s) or
adjacent neuron(s).
The soma can potentially
receive messages from thousands
of dendrites.
 Neural Transmission
1. Action Potential reaches
Synaptic Vesicles in Terminal
Button
2. Synaptic Vesicles release
Neurotransmitters
3. Neurotransmitters are
Excitatory or Inhibitory
 Dopamine
motivation;
attention; reward;
movement; thinking.
- ADHD, Parkinson’s
+ Cigarettes
++ Psychotic
 Serotonin
Regulates sleep
& wakefulness
- depression
(SSRI)
+ Thanksgiving
 Norepinepherine

arousal & dreaming

- depression/fatigue
+ over aroused or anxiet

QuickTime™ and a
Planar RGB decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Acetycholine (ACh)
Attention & Memory
Processes
- Alzheimer’s Disease
(Aricept)
Nervous Brain
Spinal
System Cord

Divisions Central

Nervous System

Peripheral
Somatic/
Autonomic
Skeletal
Sympathetic Parasympathetic
 Peripheral Nervous
System Divisions

Nervous System

Peripheral (PNS)

Somatic/Skeletal Autonomic

Sympathetic Parasympathetic
Fig 3.7 - The central and
peripheral nervous
systems. The human
nervous system is divided
into the central nervous
system consists of the brain
and the spinal cord. The
peripheral nervous system
consists of the remaining
nerves that fan out
throughout the body. The
peripheral nervous system
is divided into the somatic
nervous system, which is
shown in red, and the
autonomic nervous system,
which is shown in blue.
 Peripheral Nervous
System
Skeletal -
controls
voluntary
movements of
Autonomic - self-
skeletal muscles
regulating,controls glands
& muscles of internal
organs (e.g., heart)

Sympathetic Parasympathetic
 The Body’s
Communication
Networks
The Nervous System
Electro-chemical communication

The Endocrine System

Hormonal (chemical) communication
Studying the Brain

Paris
In The
The Spring
 Studying the Brain
Study Brain Injured Population
- WW I & II; Phineas Gage
- Electrical stimulation during
neurosurgery
Study animals -
Measure Brain Activity
Neuroimaging or Brain Scans
 Story of Phineas Gage

• Brain injury in
1848
• Foreman in
Vermont
• Radical change
in behavior
• Lived 12 years
afterwards
• Died in 1861
• Seizures and
bloodletting
Neuroimaging Techniques
Structural techniques – CT
or CAT
Computerized axial tomograph
CT Scanner
Neuroimaging Techniques
Older CT Scan
Neuroimaging Techniques
Comparisons
Neuroimaging Techniques
Newer CT Scan (64-slice)

Aneuroism
Neuroimaging Techniques
Structural techniques -
 Magnetic
MRI resonance
imaging
Fatal Stroke Normal Brain
Schizophrenia – MRI
 Neuroimaging Techniques
Functional techniques -
 PET emission tomograph
Positron

Normal Brain
Stroke
Depresson – PET Example

No Treatment 3+ Months Meds

Neuroimaging Techniques
Functional techniques -
fMRI
 Functional Magnetic reso

imaging (fMRI)
 Left vs. Right
Hemisphere of the Brain
Cerebral
Lateralizat
ion
“Split
Brain”
Research
”Left Brain”
”Right Brain”
 Cerebral Cortex
• Corpus callosum-
callosum
Major Cerebral Lobes
 “I can’t find”
my Frontal Lobe
Functions: Reasoning,
planning, speech, movement,
emotions, & problem solving
• Contains motor cortex—
• Contains Broca’s area—
I can’t feel my
Parietal Lobe
Functions: Touch,
pressure, pain,
visual-spatial

Contains the
somatosensory cortex—
 “I can’t recall
what you said”
(Temporal Lobe)
Functions:
Speech comprehension
memory
• Contains hippocampus
• Contains Wernicke’s area
 “I can’t see” my
Occipital Lobe
Functions:
Vision
 Brain Stem
Pons:

Medulla:

Reticular Formation:
Has your Cerebellum
been drinking?
Cerebellum

Functions:
Coordination of voluntary
movements & balance
“Emotional” Limbic System
 The Body’s
Communication
Networks
The Nervous System
Electro-chemical communication

The Endocrine System

Hormonal (chemical) communication
 The
Endocrine
System
 Endocrine System
Regulate
aspects of:
- growth,
- reproduction,
- metabolism,
- behavior
Hypothalamus
- controls the
endocrine system
Pituitary gland
“Master gland”
that controls
other glands
 The Endocrine System:
Another Way to
Communicate
• Hormones – chemical messengers
in the bloodstream
• Endocrine glands
– Pituitary – “master gland,” growth
hormone
– Thyroid – metabolic rate
– Adrenal – salt and carbohydrate
metabolism
– Pancreas – sugar metabolism
– Gonads – sex hormones