NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology

Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
LECTURE ACTIVITIES NO. 8
NERVOUS SYSTEM

Name: Yda Maxine Palma Section: 17 Date Submitted: 11/6/2020

I. INTRODUCTION

The nervous system is the coordinating complex of the human body that transmit the
essential sensory information (affector division) to the effectors such as muscles and
glands (effector division). These two main subdivisions make up the Peripheral nervous
system (PNS). Integration of the signals takes place in the Central Nervous system (CNS).
The PNS and the CNS are major divisions of the nervous system.

II. ACCOMPLISH THE ACTIVITY TABLE 1.

GUIDE QUESTIONS ANSWERS

8.01A. List the functions of the
nervous system.
8.02A. List the divisions of the
nervous system and describe the
characteristics of each.
The func tions of the nervous system inc lude
rec eiving sensory input, integrating information,
controlling musc les and glands, maintaining
homeostasis, and serving as the c enter of mental
activity.
The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the
brain and spinal cord, whereas the peripheral
nervous system (PNS) consists of all the nervous
tissue outside the CNS.
2. The sensory division of the PNS transmits
action potentials to the
CNS; the motor division c arries action potentials
away from the CNS.
3. The motor division is divided into somatic
and autonomic systems.
The somatic nervous system innervates skeletal
musc le and is mostly under voluntary c ontro l.
The autonomic nervous system innervates
c ardiac musc le, smooth musc le, and glands and
is mostly under involuntary c ontrol.
The autonomic nervous system is divided into
sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
5. The enteric nervous system contains both sensory and
motor neurons, which can function independently of the
CNS.

©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
8.03A. Describe the struc ture
of neurons and the function
of their components. Describe dendrites, and an axon. Neurons are multipolar,
the location, structure, and
general function of glial c ells.
8.03B. Define and describe the
structure of a nucleus, a ganglion,
a nerve tract, and a nerve.
8.04A. Describe a resting
membrane potential and
explain how an action
potential is generated and
propagated. Compare the
roles of leak and gated ion
channels.
8.04B. Describe the structure and
function of a synapse.
8.04C. List the parts of a reflex arc Reflex arcs are the func tion al units of the
and describe its function.
8.04D. Describe a converging
and a diverging c irc uit and
the role of summation in
neural pathways.
8.05A. Compare and contrast the
central and peripheral nervous
systems.
Neurons rec eive stim uli and c onduct action
potentials. A neuron c onsists of a c ell body,
bipolar, or pseudo-unipolar.
Glial c ells are the support cells of t he nervous
system. They inc lude astroc ytes, ependymal
c ells, microglia, oligodendroc ytes, and Schwann
c ells.
A loc alized c ollec tion of neuron c ell bodies in
the CNS is referred to as a nuc leus. In the PNS, a
c luster of neuron c ell bodies is referred to as
a ganglion. Terminology applied to bundles of
axons also differs depending on loc ation. A
bundle of axons, or fibers, found in the CNS is
c alled a tract whereas the same thing in the PNS
would be c alled a nerve.
A resting membrane potential res ults from the
charge differenc e across the membrane of c ells.
The resting membrane potential is set by leak ion
channels and the sodium -potassium pump. An
action potential occ urs when the charge across
the cell membrane is briefly reversed.
Chemic ally gated and voltage -gated ion channels
generate the ac tion potential.
A synapse is a point of c ontact between two
neurons or between a neuron and another c ell,
such as a musc le or gland cell.
nervous system. A complex reflex arc consists o f
a sensory rec eptor, a sensory neuron,
interneurons, a motor neuron, and an effec tor
organ; the simplest reflex arcs do not involve
interneurons.
Converging neural pathways increase the
sensitivity to excitatory or inhibitory signals.
Diverging neural pathways influenc e several
neurons at the same time. A series of weak
stimuli can c ombine to trigger enough
neurotransmitter to fire an impulse in the post-
synaptic neuron, a proc ess known as summation.
The CNS consists of the brain and s pinal cord.
The PNS c onsists of nerves and ganglia outside
the CNS.
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
8.06A. Describe the relationship
between the spinal cord and the
spinal nerves.
8.06B. Describe a cross section of A cross section of the spinal cord reveals white
the spinal cord.
8.07A. Define plexus, and describe The nerves are grouped into plexuses. The
the three primary plexuses,
including their branches.
8.08A. List the parts of the brain. The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum,
8.08B. List the parts of the
brainstem, and state their
functions.
8.08C. State where the cerebellum
is located.
8.08D. List the parts of the
diencephalon, and state their
functions.
8.08E. List the lobes of the
cerebrum, and state a function for
each.
Thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves (sensory and
motor) branch from the human spinal c ord.
Eac h spinal nerve is formed from the
combination of nerve fibers from its posterior
and anterior roots.
matter arranged around a butterfly-shaped area
of gray matter. The white matter c onsists of
myelinated fibres, or axons, that
form nerve trac ts asc ending to and desc ending
from the brain. The white matter is grouped into
disc rete sectors c alled funic uli.
phrenic nerve, which supp lies the diaphragm, is
the most important branch of the c ervic al plexus.
The brachial plexus supplies nerves to t he upper
limb. The lumbosac ral plexus supplies nerves to
the lower limb.
c erebellum and brainstem.
The brainstem contains several nuc lei. The
medulla oblongata contains nuc lei that control
activities such as heart rate, breathing,
swallowing, and balanc e. The pons c ontains
relay nuc lei between the cerebrum and
c erebellum. The midbrain is involved in hearing
and in visual reflexes. The retic ular formation is
sc attered throughout the brainstem and is
important in regulating c yc lic al motor func tions.
It is also involved in maintaining consciousness
and in the sleep -wake c yc le.
The cerebellum is attached to the brainstem.
The dienc ephalon c onsists of the thalam us (main
sensory relay c enter), the epithalamus (the pineal
gland may play a role in sexual maturation), and
the hypothalamus (important in maintaining
homeostasis).
Frontal lobe
 Personality, behavior, emotions
 Judgment, planning, problem solving
 Speech: speaking and writing (Broc a’s
area)
 Body movement (motor strip)
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
8.09A. List the major ascending
tracts, and state a function for
each.
8.09B. Describe the sensory and
association areas of the cerebral
cortex and discuss their
interactions.
8.10A. Describe the motor area of
the cerebral cortex and discuss
how it interacts with other parts of
the frontal lobe.
8.10B. Distinguish between upper
and lower motor neurons
and between direct and
indirect tracts.
8.10C. Discuss how the basal
nuclei and cerebellum regulate
motor functions.
 Intelligenc e, conc entration, self awareness
Parietal lobe
 Interprets language, words
 Sense of touch, pain, temperature
(sensory strip)
 Interprets signals from vision, hearing,
motor, sensory and memory
 Spatial and visual perception
Occ ipital lobe
 Interprets vision (c olor, light, movement)
Temporal lobe
 Understanding language (Wernic ke’s
area)
 Memory
 Hearing
 Sequenc ing and organization
Spinothalamic - Pain, temperature, light touch,
pressure, tic kle, and itch sensations
Dorsal c olumn - Cerebrum
Proprioc eption, touc h, deep pressure, and
vibration
Spinocerebellar - Proprioc eption to cerebellum
Asc ending tracts project to primar y sensory
areas of the c erebral cortex. Assoc iation areas are
involved in rec ognizing the sensory input.
Upper motor neurons in the c erebra l c ortex
connec t to lower motor neurons in the spinal
cord or cranial nerve nuc lei. Upper motor
neurons are loc ated in the primary motor c ortex.
The premotor and prefrontal areas regulate
movements.
Desc ending tracts project directly from upper
motor neurons in the c erebral c ortex to lower
motor neurons in the spinal c ord an d brainstem;
indirectly, they project from basal nuc lei, the
c erebellum, or the c erebral cortex through the
brainstem to lower motor neurons in the spinal
cord.
Basal nuc lei help plan, organize, and c oordinate
motor movements and posture. People with basal
nuc lei disorders exhibit increased musc le tone
and exaggerated, unc ontrolled movements when
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
8.11A. Discuss the right and left
cerebral hemispheres and speech.
8.11B. Compare and contrast the
features of working, short-term,
and the two types of long-term
memory.
8.12A. Describe the three
meningeal layers surrounding the
central nervous system, the four
ventricles of the brain, and the
origin and circulation of the
cerebrospinal fluid.
8.13A. List the various types of
cranial nerves, and briefly describe sensory function (S), 4 with only som atic motor
their functions.
at rest. The c erebellum is involved in balance,
musc le tone, and musc le c oordination.
Eac h hemisphere c ontrols the opposite half of the
body. Commissures c onnec t the two
hemispheres. The left hemisphere is though t to
be the dominant analytic al hemisphere, and the
right hemisphere is thought to be dominant for
spatial perc eption and music al ability. Speech
involves the sensory speec h area, the motor
speech area, and the interac tions between them
and other cortic al areas.
The types of memory are working (las ting a few
sec onds to minutes), short-term (lasting a few
minutes), and long-term (permanent) mem ory.
Long-term memory inc ludes dec larative and
procedural memories.
Meninges:
Three c onnective tissue meninges cover the CNS:
the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater.
Ventric les:
The brain and spinal c ord c ontain flu id-filled
c avities: the lateral ventric les in the c erebral
hemispheres, a third ventric le in the
dienc ephalon, a cerebral aqueduct in the
midbrain, a fourth ventric le at the base of the
c erebellum, and a c entral c anal in the spinal
cord.
The fourth ventric le has openin gs into the
subarachnoid spac e.
Cerebrospinal fluid is formed in t he choroid
plexuses in the ventric les.
It exits through the fourth ventric le and reenters
the blood through arachnoid granulations in the
superior sagittal sinus.
There are 12 pairs of cran ial nerves: 3 with only
func tion (M), 1 with somatic motor (M) and
sensory function (S), 1 with somatic motor and
parasympathetic (P) func tion, and 3 with all
three functions. Four of the cranial nerves have
parasympathetic function. The cranial nerves are
olfactory (I; S), optic (II; S), oc ulomotor (III; M,
P), trochlear (IV; M), trigeminal (V; S, M),
abduc ens (VI; M), fac ial (VII; S, M, P),
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
8.14A. Contrast the structure of the The autonomic nervous system regulates
autonomic nervous system and the organ systems through c irc uits that resemble the
somatic nervous system.
8.14B. Name the two divisions of
the autonomic nervous system and and parasympathetic divisions. All autonomic
describe the anatomical and
neurotransmitter differences
between them.
8.14C. Compare and contrast the
general functions of the
parasympathetic and sympathetic
nervous systems.
8.15A. Discuss how the enteric
nervous system can act
independently of the CNS.
8.16A. Describe the changes that
occur in the nervous system with
advancing age.
vestibulocochlear (VIII; S), glossopharyngeal (IX;
S, M, P), vagus (X; S, M, P), accessory (X I; M),
and hypoglossal (XII; M).
reflexes desc ribed in the somatic nervous system.
The main difference
between the somatic and autonomic systems is in
what target
tissues are effec tors. Somatic responses are solely
based on skeletal musc le c ontrac tion.
The autonomic ner vous system has sympathetic
preganglionic and parasympathetic
postganglionic neurons secrete ac etylc holine.
Most sympathetic postganglionic neurons secrete
norepinephrine.
Preganglionic c ell bodies of the sympathetic
division lie in the thorac ic and upper lumbar
regions of the spinal c ord. Postganglionic cell
bodies are loc ated in the sympathetic chain
ganglia or in c ollateral ganglia. Preganglionic
c ell bodies of the parasympathetic division are
assoc iated with some of the cranial and sacral
nerves. Postganglionic c ell bodies are loc a ted in
terminal ganglia, either near or within target
organs.
Enteric neurons are sensory, motor , or
interneurons; they rec eive CNS input but c an
also function independently. The enteric nervous
system inc ludes efferent neurons,
afferent neurons, and interneurons, all of which
make the enteric nervous system capable of
c arrying reflexes and acting as an integrating the
c entre in the absenc e of CNS input.
In general, sensory and motor functions dec line
with age. Mental func tions, inc luding memory,
may dec line with age, but this varies from
person to person.
©
Biofacultymember2020
NUR11O1 Integrated Human Anatomy and Physiology
Department of Biology
Institute of Arts and Sciences
Far Eastern
University
III. CONCLUSION: Make general statement (Maximum of three sentences on what you have
learned on this activity.

The brain is one of the most complex organs in my opinion and without it or with it
malfunctioning, parts of our body could literally be dead. It is very interesting to study on
it works and how fragile it is as well. There is so much we still have to discover about the
nervous system and that fascinates me even more.

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Biofacultymember2020