The Human Brain: Functional

ABDUL HAFIZ ALIAS

H8
Central Nervous System
• The part of the nervous system that integrates the
information that it receives from, and coordinates the
activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilateral animals,
• It contains the majority of the nervous system and
consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
• With the peripheral nervous system, it has a
fundamental role in the control of behavior.
• The CNS is contained within the dorsal cavity, with
the brain in the cranial cavity and the spinal cord in
the spinal cavity.
Cerebrum (Forebrain) Limbic Lobe

Frontal Lobe

Parietal Lobe

Occipital Lobe
Temporal Lobe
Frontal Lobe
Higher cognitive functions
Examples : Problem solving, Spontaneity, Memory, Language
(Broca), Motivation, Judgment, Impulse control, Social and
Sex

Temporal Lobe
Emotions, smelling, tasting, perception, memory, understanding music,
aggressiveness, sexual behavior, Language

Parietal Lobe
sensations of touch, smell, and taste
processes sensory and spatial awarenessa
eye-hand co-ordination and arm movement
Wernicke’s area that is responsible for matching written words with
the sound of spoken speech.
Occipital Lobe
Controls vision and recognition

Limbic Lobe
Makes up the limbic system

Limbic System
Regulates emotion and memory.
It directly connects the lower and higher
brain functions
Thalamus
Thalamus means “inner room” in Greek,
as it sits deep in the brain at the top of
the brainstem.
The thalamus is called the gateway to
the cerebral cortex, as nearly all
sensory inputs pass through it to the
higher levels of the brain.
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus sits under the thalamus at
the top of the brainstem. Although the
hypothalamus is small, it controls many critical
bodily functions:
• Controls autonomic nervous system
• Center for emotional response and
behavior
• Regulates body temperature
• Regulates food intake
• Regulates water balance and thirst The hypothalamus is
• Controls sleep-wake cycles shaded blue. The pituitary
gland extends from the
• Controls endocrine system hypothalamus.
The Ventricles
The ventricles are a complex
series of spaces and tunnels
through the center of the brain.
The ventricles secrete
cerebrospinal fluid, which
suspends the brain in the skull.
The ventricles also provide a
route for chemical messengers
that are widely distributed through
the central nervous system.
Click image to play or pause video
Cerebellum (Midbrain)
The cerebellum is connected to the
brainstem, and is the center for
body movement and balance.
The Pons
The pons is the rounded
brainstem region between the
midbrain and the medulla
oblongata. In fact, pons means
“bridge” in Latin.
The main function of the pons is
to connect the cerebellum to the
rest of the brain and to modify the
respiratory output of the medulla.
The pons is the origin of several
cranial nerves.
The Medulla Oblongata
(Hindbrain)
The medulla oblongata merges
seamlessly with the spinal cord and
creates the base of the brainstem.
The medulla is primarily a control
center for vital involuntary reflexes
such as swallowing, vomiting,
sneezing, coughing, and regulation of
cardiovascular and respiratory activity.
The medulla is also the origin of many
cranial nerves.
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF)
What is CSF ?

• A clear bodily fluid that occupies the subarachnoid

space and the ventricular system around and inside
the brain and spinal cord.
• Produced in the choroid plexus.
• The CSF occupies the space between the arachnoid
mater (the middle layer of the brain cover, meninges),
and the pia mater (the layer of the meninges closest to
the brain).
• It constitutes the content of all intra-cerebral (inside the
brain, cerebrum) ventricles, cisterns, and sulci (singular
sulcus), as well as the central canal of the spinal cord.
Functions

• Buoyancy: allows the brain to maintain

its density without being impaired by its
own weight, which would cut off blood supply and
kill neurons in the lower sections without CSF.
• Protection: CSF protects the brain tissue from
injury when jolted or hit. In certain situations such
as auto accidents or sports injuries, the CSF
cannot protect the brain from forced contact with
the skull case, causing hemorrhaging, brain
damage, and sometimes death.
• Chemical stability: CSF flows throughout the
inner ventricular system in the brain and is
absorbed back into the bloodstream, rinsing
the metabolic waste from the central nervous
system through the blood-brain barrier. This
allows for homeostatic regulation of the
distribution of neuroendocrine factors, to which
slight changes can cause problems or damage
to the nervous system.
• Prevention of brain ischemia: The prevention
of brain ischemia is made by decreasing the
amount of CSF in the limited space inside
the skull. This decreases total intracranial
pressure and facilitates blood perfusion.
The Brainstem
The brainstem is the most
primitive part of the brain and
controls the basic functions of
life: breathing, heart rate,
swallowing, reflexes to sight or
sound, sweating, blood
pressure, sleep, and balance.
Click image to play or pause video
SPINAL CORD
 Functions
• Transmission of nerve impulses
– Neurons in the white matter of the spinal cord
transmit sensory signals from peripheral
regions to the brain and motor signals from
the brain to peripheral regions.
• Spinal reflexes
– Neurons in the gray matter of the spinal cord
integrate incoming sensory information and
respond with motor impulses that control
muscles (skeletal, smooth, or cardiac) or
glands.
 Tract

• Ascending (sensory) tracts transmit

sensory information from various parts
of the body to the brain.
• Descending (motor) tracts transmit
nerve impulses from the brain to
muscles and glands.
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
 PNS

SNS ANS
SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
(SNS)
 SNS

• controls voluntary activities

• Includes both sensory and motor nerves
• Sensory nerves convey nerve impulses
from the sense organs to the central
nervous system (CNS), while motor
nerves convey nerve impulses from the
CNS to skeletal muscle effectors
• The sensory division, also called the afferent division,
contains neurons that receive signals from the
tendons, joints, skin, skeletal muscles, eyes, nose,
ears and tongue, and many other tissues and organs.
These signals are conveyed to the cranial and spinal
nerves. The motor division, also called the efferent
division, contains pathways that go from the brain
stem and spinal cord to the lower motor neurons of
the cranial and spinal nerves. When these nerves are
stimulated, they cause the skeletal muscles to
contract. This is called voluntary contraction of the
skeletal muscles.
 NERVES OF THE SENSORY-SOMATIC
SYSTEM (CRANIAL NERVES )
I. olfactory nerve, a sensory nerve for the sense of smell
II. optic nerve, a sensory nerve for vision
III. oculomotor nerve, a motor nerve for eyelid and eyeball muscle control
IV. trochlear nerve, a motor nerve for eyeball muscle control
V. trigeminal nerve, a mixed nerve, the sensory part for facial and mouth
sensation and the motor part for chewing
VI. abducens nerve, a motor nerve for eyeball movement control
VII. facial nerve, a mixed nerve, the sensory part for taste and the motor
part for the control of facial muscles and salivary glands
VIII.auditory nerve, a sensory nerve for hearing and balance control
IX. glossopharyngeal, a mixed nerve, the sensory part for taste and the
motor part for the control of swallowing
X. vagus, a mixed nerve, main PNS nerve that controls the gut, heart and
larynx
XI. accessory, a motor nerve for swallowing and moving the head and
shoulders
XII. hypoglossal, a motor nerve for the control of tongue muscles
Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS)
ANS

• The ANS is part of the peripheral

nervous system and it controls many
organs and muscles within the body. In
most situations, we are unaware of the
workings of the ANS because it
functions in an involuntary, reflexive
manner.
 ANS

Sympathetic Parasympathetic

involuntary system responsible for

often associated promoting internal
with the flight or harmony such as
fight response. regular heartbeat
during normal activity.
 Comparison
Features Sympathetic division Parasympathetic
division
Location of pre Lateral horns of spinal Brainstem and lateral
ganglionic cell body cord gray matter (T1- parts of spinal gray
L2) matter (S2- S4)
Outflow from the CNS Spinal nerves Cranial nerves
Sympathetic nerves Pelvic splanchnic nerves
Splanchnic nerves
Ganglia Sympathetic chain Terminal ganglia near or
ganglia along spinal on effectors organ
cord for spinal and
sympathetic nerves
Collateral ganglia for
splanchnic nerves
Num of postganglionic Many (much Few (less divergence)
neurons for each pre divergence)
ganglionic neuron
Relative length of Short pre ganglionic Long pre ganglionic
neurons Long postganglionic Short postganglionic
Effects of the sympathetic and parasympathetic
TQ