1. Major Divisions of the Central Nervous System, CNS

Central Nervous System, CNS

• Responsible for analysis and integration of sensory and motor information

• Consist of Brain and Spinal Cord

  Brain

  • Cerebral Hemispheres
  • Diencephalon
  • Cerebellum
  • Brain stem

Peripheral Nervous System

• Sensory Components
  • Sensory Ganglia
  • Nerves
  • Sensory Receptors
• Motor Components
  • Visceral Motor System - sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric divisions
    • Autonomic Ganglia
    • Nerves
  • Somatic Motor System
    • Motor Nerves

Anatomical Definitions

Rostral - towards nose

Caudal - towards tail

Dorsal - towards back

Ventral - towards belly

Superior - upper

Inferior - lower

Medial - middle

Lateral - side

Brain is protected by Skull

Spinal Cord is protected by Backbone

CNS are bathed in Cerebrospinal Fluid, CSF

• Provides further mechanical protection
• Separated from general vascular system by Blood-CSF Barrier

Major Divisions:

• Cerebral Cortex

  Highly convoluted, where processing of information takes place

• Diencephalon

  Contains thalamus

• Brain Stem

  • Midbrain
  • Pons
  • Medulla

• Cerebellum

  Control of movements

• Spinal Cord

Sulci (singular: Sulcus) - grooves

Gyri (singular: gyrus) - elevated areas

Major lobes of the cortex:

• Frontal Lobe
  • Short-term memory
  • Planned future actions
  • Control of movements
• Parietal Lobe
  • Mediates somatic sensation
  • Forming a body image and relating it to extrapersonal space
• Occipital Lobe
  • Vision
• Temporal Lobe
  • Hearing
  • Recognition of objects
  • Learning, memory and emotion (through hipocampus and amygdaloid nuclei)

Cellular Organisation of the Cortex

2. Microanatomy of Neuronal Cells

The Different Types of Cells in Nervous System

<aside> 💡 Functional compartmental size of neurons can vary according to the neuron type

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3. The Different Non-neuronal Cell Types

Glial Cells