Brain Anatomy and Research Methods

Vertebrae Nervous System

- Consists of CNS and PNS
o CNS = brain and spinal cord
o PNS = connects the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body
 Somatic nervous system: controls voluntary muscles and passes
sensory information to CNS
 Autonomic nervous system: controls heart, intestines and other organs

Anatomical Terms for directions

- Planes
o Coronal (front)  frontal plane that shows brain structures as seen from the
front
o Sagittal (side)  shows brain structures as seen from the side
o Horizontal (transverse)  transverse plane that shows brain structures as seen
from above
- Directions
o Dorsal  towards the back, away from the ventral (stomach side)
o Ventral  towards the stomach., away from the dorsal
o Anterior  front
o Posterior  back
o Superior  above something
o Inferior  below something
o Medial  towards the middle
o Lateral  towards the sides
o Proximal  close to something
o Distal  far from something
o Ipsilateral  same side of the body (left or right)
o Contralateral  different side of the body (left or right)

Parts of nervous system (terms)

- Lamina  a row or layer of cell bodies separated from other cell bodies by a layer of
axon and dendrites
- Column  a set of cells with similar properties that are perpendicular to the surface
of the cortex
- Tract (projection)  a set of axons within the CNS. If axons extend from cell bodies
in structure A to synapses onto B, the fibers “project” from A onto B
- Nerve  a set of axons in the periphery, either from the CNS to a muscle or gland or
sensory organ to CNS
- Nucleus  a cluster of neuron cell bodies within the CNS
- Ganglion  a cluster of neuron cell bodies, usually outside of CNS (sympathetic
nervous system)
- Gyrus  a protuberance on the surface of the brain
- Sulcus  a fold or groove that separates one gyrus from another
- Fissure  a long and deep sulcus
Spinal cord
- It is found in the CNS inside the spinal column
- Communicates with all the sense organs and muscles outside of the head
- Segmented structure  each segment has a sensory and motor nerve
o Dorsal roots (axon bundles) carry sensory information in
o Ventral roots carry motor information out
o Dorsal root ganglia: cell bodies of sensory neurons located outside of the
spinal cord
- Grey and white matter
o Grey matter: located in the center of spinal cord
 Densely packed with cell bodies and dendrites
o White matter: outer part of the spinal cord
 Consists of myelinated axons that carries information form the grey
matter to the brain or to other areas of the spinal cord

Autonomic Nervous System

- Sends and receives messages to regulate automatic behaviors of the body
o Heart rate, blood pressure, respiration etc.
- Sympathetic & Parasympathetic nervous system
o Sympathetic: a network of nerves that prepare organs for rigorous activity
 Consist chains of ganglia to the left and tight of spinal cord
 Ganglia connected by axons to the spinal cord
 Prepare for fight-or-flight mode  increase heart rate, blood pressure,
respiration etc.
 Mainly uses norepinephrine

Parasympathetic Nervous System

- Facilitates vegetative/resting and non-emergency responses
- Does the opposite of sympathetic activities
o E.g. when the sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate/bp/respiration,
the parasympathetic nervous system decreases it
- Aka craniosacral system
o Consists of cranial nerves and nerves from the sacral spinal cord
- Long preganglionic axons extend from spinal cord to parasympathetic ganglia close to
each internal organ
- Shorter postganglionic fibers then extend from the parasympathetic ganglia into the
organs themselves (uses acetylcholine)

Major components of the brain

- Hindbrain
o Medulla and cranial nerves
 Medulla located just above the spinal cord
 Responsible for vital reflexes (breathing, heart rate, vomiting etc.)
 Cranial nerves allow medulla oblongata to control:
 Sensations from the head
 Muscle movements in the head
 Parasympathetic outputs
o Pons
  Axons from each half of the brain cross to the opposite side of the
spinal cord here
 Left hemisphere controls right side, vice versa
o Cerebellum
 Many deep folds
 Regulates motor movements, balance, and coordination
 Important for shifting attention between auditory and visual stimuli
- Midbrain
o Tectum
o Superior colliculus
o Inferior colliculus
o Tegmentum
o Substantia nigra
- Forebrain
o Occipital lobe
o Parietal lobe
o Temporal lobe
o Frontal lobe
o Limbic system
o Pituitary gland
o Basal ganglia
o Hippocampus