BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM

(I) Major Structures of the Brain

(A) Brainstem:

• Oldest part of the brain
• Reticular activating system (arousal)
• Thalamus: sensory relay
• Cerebellum: balance and coordination

(B) Limbic System:

• Homeostatic functions  
• Amygdala, emotion (flee and fight)
• Hypothalamus, multifunctional: feeding, homeostatic functions, mating
• Endocrine system, directs the pituitary to release hormones for growth, arousal, sex (gonads: testies and ovaries)

(C) Cerebral Cortex:

• Information processing (learning and thinking) (50 million years ago among ertibrates) Allows for adaptability and learning.
• Hemispheres: 
  • Left (language and right side of body) and Right (spatial and left side of body).
  • Interact via corpus callosum.
• Lobes:
  • Frontal: Oversees complex functioning, thinks, decide., memory, etc.
  • Parietal: Analyzes sensory information.
  • Occipital: Visual cortex
  • Temporal: Language and hearing
    

(2) Neurons "There is nothing without brain changes"

• Neuron anatomy (10-100 billion + glial cells)
  • Dendrites/Cell Body/Axon + Myelin Sheath/Terminals/Synaptic gap
• Neuro-communication (Electro-chemical)
  • Neurotransmitter (excitatory and inhibitory)
• Resting and Acting Potential
  

(3) Nervous System (Link between body and brain)

• Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain and Spinal Cord
• Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): From spinal cord to body's muscles and organs
  • Somatic Nervous System (SNS): Voluntary muscles
  • Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): Involuntary body processes.
    • Sympathetic system: Excitatory and centralized
    • Parasympathetic: Inhibitory and decentralized