Nervous System:

Brain and Cranial Nerves

(Chapter 14)
Lecture Materials
for
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.
Suffolk County Community College
Eastern Campus
Primary Sources for figures and content:
Marieb, E. N. Human Anatomy & Physiology 6th ed. San Francisco: Pearson Benjamin
Cummings, 2004.
Martini, F. H. Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology 6th ed. San Francisco: Pearson
Benjamin Cummings, 2004.

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

The Brain and Cranial Nerves

Spinal cord reflex = immediate response
Brain thinking = adaptable but slower

Brain Structure
1. Cerebrum
-largest part of human brain
-2 cerebral hemispheres covered in cerebral
(neural) cortex
-surface convoluted to increase surface area
for neurons (~3ft2)
-gyri = elevated ridges
-sulci = depressions
-fissures = big sulci
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

-longitudinal fissure separates left and right

hemispheres
-base of fissure has corpus callosum: axons to
connect neurons of hemispheres
-hemispheres divided into five lobes each

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

-central sulcus divides frontal lobes from

parietal lobes
-lateral sulcus divides frontal lobes from
temporal lobes
-parieto-occipital sulcus divides parietal lobes
from occipital lobes
-insula located at base of lateral sulcus beneath
frontal and temporal lobes

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

2. Cerebellum
-second largest part
-consists of right and left hemispheres
connected by the vermis
-covered in cerebellar cortex
-folia instead of gyri
-each hemisphere divided into anterior and
posterior lobes by the primary fissure

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

3. Diencephalon
-links cerebral hemispheres to brain stem
-3 parts: epithalamus, thalamus,
hypothalamus
4. Brain stem
-connects to spinal cord
-consists of mesencephalon, pons, and
medulla oblongata
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

5. Ventricles
-holes in brain that circulate CSF
A. Lateral ventricles
-in each cerebral hemisphere
B. Third ventricle
-in diencephalon
C. Fourth ventricle
-in between pons and cerebellum
-connects to central canal of spinal cord
Protection of the brain
1. Cranial bones: form the skull
-occipital, frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid,
parietals, temporals
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

2. Cranial meninges
-hold brain in place
-prevent contact with skull
A. Dura mater
-two layers
-no epidural space: fused to periosteum
-forms dural folds deep into fissures:
1. falx cerebri: between cerebral
hemispheres in longitundinal fissure
2. tentorium cerebelli: between cerebrum
and cerebellum
3. falx cerebelli: between cerebellar
hemispheres
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

B. Arachnoid
1. arachnoid membrane
2. arachnoid trabeculae: span subarachnoid
space which contains CSF
C. Pia mater
-adheres to brain via astrocytes
-follows topology of gyri and sulci
3. Cerebrospinal fluid
-functions: a. cushion brain
b. support brain
c. diffusion medium
-produced by choroid plexus (= ependymal
cells plus capillaries in brain ventricles)
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

-volume of CSF in brain and cord turned over

every 8hrs
-choroid plexus secretes ~500ml/day

-CSF reabsorbed at arachnoid granulations

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

10

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Hydrocephalus = (infants) failure to reabsorb

CSF, fluid expands cranium and crushes
brain

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/2005/04/28/wviet28a.jpg

http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/gallery/ghana05/IMGP1551_001

http://uuhsc.utah.edu/healthinfo/images/ei_0433.gif

http://www.diagnostico.com/Trejos/HydrocephalusIII.JPG

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

11

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

4. Blood-brain barrier
-capillaries of CNS less permeable:
-endothelial cells linked by tight junctions
-astrocytes cover capillary surface

-only lipid soluble compounds diffuse into

CNS, all others actively transported by
astrocytes
-inflammation (infection, cancer) can break
down blood brain barrier
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

12

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Brain Anatomy:
(on handout)
Brainstem
1. Medulla Oblongata (details on handout)

2. Pons (details on handout)

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

13

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

3. Midbrain / Mesencephalon
(details on handout)

Diencephalon
(details on handout)

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

14

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Cerebellum
(details on handout)

Ataxia = loss of balance due to disruption in

cerebellum (e.g. alcohol)
Limbic System
-functional not anatomical separation
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

15

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

-located between cerebrum and diencephalon:

parts of both
-functions:
-establishes emotional states and drives
-links conscious functions of cerebrum
to autonomic functions of brainstem
-facilitates memory storage and retrieval

Special regions
1. amygdala: fight or flight, initiates fear
response, links emotion with memory
2. hippocampus: memory and learning
3. cingulate gyrus: expressing emotions via
gestures, & resolves metal conflicts
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

16

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Cerebrum
(details on handout)

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

17

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Examples of integrative centers:

1. Wernickes area = general interpretive area
-center of left hemisphere
-gives meaning to auditory or visual cues
2. Brocas area = speech center
-left hemisphere superior to lateral sulcus
-coordinates motor controls for speech
3. Prefrontal cortex
-anterior frontal lobes
-prediction, estimation, and related emotions

Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

18

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides

Association and integration areas all over

cortex carry out all levels of thought but
in general:
-Left hemisphere: language, math, logic
-Right hemisphere: interpret sensory info,
generate emotions, spatial visualization
-each hemispheres sends info to opposite side
of body but each also has unique functions
-hemispheres communicate for whole thought
-if corpus callosum cut, hemispheres work
independently e.g.
(used as treatment for seizures)
Epileptic seizures = abnormal electrical activity
in brain; causes loss of normal function
Anencephaly = brain fails to develop above
mesencephalon, fatal
Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA) = stroke,
loss of blood supply to brain, neuron death
occurs in minutes
*Individual cranial nerves and their
innervations will be examined in detail in lab!
Amy Warenda Czura, Ph.D.

19

SCCC BIO130 Chapter 14 Lecture Slides