CNS (Intro)

Question 1

What structures does the CNS consist of? (2)

Answer 1

brain

spinal cord

Question 2

What is the function of the CNS?

Answer 2

• processes incoming sensory and outgoing motor messages

- involved in higher mental activities (ie. learning, memory, and reasoning)

Question 3

What is the brain enclosed and protected by?

Answer 3

cranial cavity

Question 4

What is the spinal cord enclosed and protected by?

Answer 4

vertebral canal

Question 5

How are the nervous tissue in the CNS organized?

Answer 5

as gray and white matter

Question 6

What is gray matter composed of? (3)

Answer 6

• nerve cell bodies
• bundles of unmyelinated nerve fibers
• neuroglia (non-neuronal supportive cells)

Question 7

What are neuroglia?

Answer 7

non-neuronal supportive cells

Question 8

What is white matter composed of?

Answer 8

tracts (bundles of myelinated nerve fibers)

Question 9

What are tracts?

Answer 9

bundles of myelinated nerve fibers

Question 10

What is the neural canal region associated with the spinal cord (an adult brain structure)?

Answer 10

central canal

Question 11

What does gray matter form in the spinal cord?

Answer 11

H-shaped inner core surrounded by white matter

Question 12

Where is gray matter in the brain?

Answer 12

thin outer shell of gray matter (cortex) covers the core of white matter

Question 13

What is a nucleus?

Answer 13

cluster of nerve cell bodies embedded within CNS

Question 14

What is a ganglion?

Answer 14

aggregation of nerve cell bodies outside CNS

Question 15

What type of nerves (2) and how many does the PNS have?

Answer 15

cranial nerves; 12 pairs

spinal nerves; 31 pairs