Diencephalon
The diencephalon is the region of the brain that includes structures such as the thalamus, the hypothalamus, and a portion of the pituitary gland. The thalamus is believed to “translate” sensory signals for the cerebral cortex. The thalamus also plays an important role in regulating states of sleep and wakefulness. The hypothalamus gland controls certain metabolic processes and other autonomic activities such as body temperature, hunger, thirst, and circadian cycles. The hypothalamus also makes and releases neurotransmitters that control the action of the pituitary gland. The thalamus, hypothalamus, and hippocampus together are considered part of a set of structures called the limbic system. The limbic system is considered the “emotional center” of the brain.
Brain Stem
Sometimes called the “lower brain,” the brain stem is the lower part of the brain that is joined to the spinal cord. There are three parts to the brainstem: the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata, shown in Figure 15. The midbrain is more involved with unconscious, autonomic functions. The midbrain deals with several types of sensory information including sound and sight. It also “translates” sensory information to be sent to the forebrain. The brainstem also helps coordinate large body movements such as walking and running. The pons relays messages to different parts of the brain (the cerebrum and cerebellum), and helps regulate breathing. Some researchers propose that it has a role in dreaming. The medulla oblongata, also called the medulla, shares some of the function of the pons. It controls several homeostatic functions that you are usually unaware of, such as breathing, heart and blood vessel activity, swallowing, and digestion.
One of the brain stem’s most important roles is that of an “information highway.” That is, all of the information coming from the body to the brain (sensory) and the information from the cerebrum to the body (motor) go through the brain stem. Sensory pathways for such things as pain, temperature, touch, and pressure sensation go upward to the cerebrum, and motor pathways for movement and other body processes go downward to the spinal cord. Most of the axons in the motor pathway cross from one side of the CNS to the other as they pass through the medulla oblongata. As a result, the right side of the brain controls much of the movement in the left side of the body, and the left side of the brain controls much of the movement in the right side of the body.
Figure 20.15
The locations of the brainstem and cerebellum. The brainstem is in the center of this image. It is made up of the pons, medulla oblongata, and the midbrain. The cerebellum is the red structure to the right of the brainstem.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is found just below the occipital lobe of the cerebrum. It plays an important role in coordination and the control of body movements. Many nerve pathways link the cerebellum with motor neurons, which are neurons that send information to the muscles causing them to move, and a group of nerves that provides information on the position of the body in space. The cerebellum processes information from both these pathways, and uses the feedback on body position to fine-tune body movements. Hand-eye coordination is an example of such a function. If the cerebellum is damaged, there will not be paralysis, but the fine movement of the body (such as hand-eye coordination), balance, posture, and the ability to learn new motor skills will be negatively affected. The cerebellum is the purple structure in Figure above. A section of the cerebellum is shown in Figure above.
Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is a thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata and continues to the lower back, where it ends in a group of fibrous extensions. It is protected by the spinal vertebrae. The main function of the spinal cord is as an information superhighway that links the sensory messages from the body to the brain. The outer cortex of the cord contains white matter (myelinated sensory and motor neurons). The central region, the grey matter, is made up of unmyelinated neurons. A cross section of the spinal cord is shown in Figure below.
Figure 20.16
A cross section of the spinal cord. The central butterfly-shaped area is the gray matter and the area that surrounds it is the outer cortex (made up of white matter). Instructions go to the bodys muscles and other areas through the motor neurons that leave the spinal cord in the spinal nerves. Sensory information from the body enters the spinal cord through sensory neurons.
Peripheral Nervous System
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of the nervous tissue that lies outside the central nervous system, shown in Figure below. The nervous tissue of the peripheral nervous system serves the limbs and organs. The central nervous system interacts with the peripheral nervous system through twelve pairs of cranial nerves that connect the brain to areas of the head and neck and 31 pairs of spinal nerves that connect the spinal cord (and CNS) to the rest of the body, such as the internal organs, arms, and legs. A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of axons. Unlike the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system is not protected by bone, making it more vulnerable to toxins and injuries.
Spinal nerves originate from the spinal cord. They control functions of the rest of the body. Each spinal nerve has a dorsal root and a ventral root, which are shown in Figure below. The dorsal root is the “nerve highway” that carries sensory information from sensory receptors in the body to the CNS. The ventral root contains axons of motor neurons which carry information away from the CNS to the muscles and glands of the body.
These two nerve “highways” are actually parts of two subdivisions of the PNS. The sensory division, also known as the afferent division, carries sensory information from sensory receptors in the body to the CNS. The sensory division keeps the CNS constantly updated on events happening inside and outside the body. The motor division, or efferent division, carries nerve impulses from the CNS to the muscles, glands and organs of the body. The nerve impulses of the motor division cause muscles to contract and cause glands to secrete chemical signals.
Figure 20.17
The peripheral nervous system (PNS). The peripheral nervous system extends from the CNS and reaches out to all parts of the body, from the cranial nerves found in the head to the plantar nerves in the tips of the toes.
Figure 20.18
A cross section of the spinal cord. The central butterfly-shaped area (1, 2, 3) is the gray matter, the outer cortex is the white matter. Instructions going to the bodys muscles and other areas go through the motor neurons that leave the spinal cord in the ventral roots (11). Sensory information from the body enters the spinal cord through sensory neurons in the dorsal roots (12). Dorsal and ventral roots occur on both sides of the spinal cord, only one side is shown in this diagram.
Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems
The motor division of the peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system:
The somatic nervous system is the part of the PNS that is associated with the conscious (voluntary) control of the body through the movement of skeletal muscles and the perception of external stimuli through senses such as touch, hearing, and sight. The system includes all the neurons connected with muscles, skin and sense organs. The somatic nervous system is made up of sensory nerves that receive sensory information from the external environment, and motor nerves responsible for muscle contraction.
Together with interneurons, the sensory and motor neurons are found in a reflex arc. A reflex is an automatic (involuntary) action caused by a defined stimulus and carried out through a reflex arc. For example, a person stepping on a sharp object would start the reflex action through the creation of a stimulus, (pain) within specialized pain receptors located in the skin tissue of the foot. The resulting stimulus would be passed along sensory neurons to the spinal cord. This stimulus is usually processed by an interneuron to create an immediate response to pain by initiating a motor response in the muscles of the leg which pull the foot away from the object. This reflexive action would occur as the pain sensation is arriving
in the brain. A reflex arc is shown in Figure below.
Figure 20.19
The components of a reflex. A sensory receptor that detects a stimulus and sends nerve signals to the spinal cord. These signals activate motor neurons that lead back to the effector (muscle).
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the peripheral nervous system that maintains homeostasis in the body. Your body carries out most of these maintenance activities without your conscious control, which is why the autonomic nervous system is also called the involuntary nervous system. The ANS has far reaching effects, such as the control of heart rate, digestion, respiration rate, salivation, and perspiration. Some autonomic nervous system functions work in line with the conscious mind, such as breathing.
The ANS is also made up of the sensory and motor neurons that send messages to and from the internal organs. These neurons form reflex arcs that pass through the medulla oblongata. This explains why even a person's cerebrum may experience trauma, yet their cardiovascular, digestive and respiratory functions will continue even if higher level functions such as awareness and consciousness, are lost. Such a low level of brain functioning is referred to as a vegetative state.
The ANS has two subdivisions: the sympathetic division and parasympathetic division. The sympathetic division generally stimulates body systems during emergency situations. It gets the body ready for "fight or flight," which would probably be required by the situation shown in Figure below, while the parasympathetic division controls non-emergency functions such as digestion. The relationship between the divisions of the nervous system is illustrated in Figure below.
Figure 20.20
Watch out! A situation in which your sympathetic nervous system (and hopefully your somatic nervous system), would be firing at full speed.
Figure 20.21
Levels of Organization of the Nervous System.
Sense Organs and Sensory Perception
Your senses are your body’s means of making sense of the information your nervous system receives from inside your body and from the outside world. Your senses enable you to adapt to change in your environment and survive. The sensory division of the peripheral nervous system is organized into highly developed sense organs, which are groups of tissues that work together in responding to a specific kind of physical stimulus, such as the stimulus in Figure below. The sense organs correspond to a defined region (or group of regions) within the brain where the nerve signals are received and interpreted. Your sense organs include your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin. They all have sensory receptors that are specific for certain stimuli. For example, the nose has sensory receptors for odors (smells). Sensory neurons send nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the central nervous system. The brain then interprets the nerve impulses to form a response.
Figure 20.22
Can you smell these fresh, juicy oranges and kumquats? Your senses of smell, taste and sight are also important in developing an appetite. Just think of how appetizing these fruits would be if they were blue, crunchy, and smelled like burned toast.
A sensory receptor is a cell, or a group of cells that detect stimuli. Sensory receptors can be classified based on the type of stimuli to which they respond.
Chemoreceptors respond to chemical stimuli.
Mechanoreceptors respond to mechanical stress or strain (movement).
Thermoreceptors respond to temperature changes.
Photoreceptors respond to variations in light.
Baroreceptors respond to pressure.
Specific areas of the brain interpret information from each sense organ. For example, regions of the occipital lobe interpret nerve impulses that come from the sensory receptors of the eyes, and regions of the temporal lobe interpret sensory information from the ears through the nerves that enter the brain in these areas, as shown in Figure below. It is generally agreed that there are at least seven different senses in humans. These are sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, balance, and body awareness (the sense of knowing where the regions of your body are located at any one time). At least two other senses that humans do not have are observed in other organisms. Examples include electroreception, the ability to detect electric fields, and magnetoreception, the ability to detect magnetic fields.
Figure 20.23
The entry of sensory nerves into the brain. Among other nerves, the sensory nerves for smell, sight, hearing, and taste (yellow structures) can be seen entering the skull. You can also see how the cerebrum, thalamus, cerebellum, and brain stem are nested within the skull.
Sight
Sight or vision describes the ability of the brain and eye to detect certain wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (light), and interpret the image as "sight." Different receptors are responsible for the perception of color (the frequency of photons of light) and perception of brightness (number of photons of light). Photoreceptors are found in the retina, shown in Figure below.
Figure 20.24
The structure of the eye. The macula is a spot near the center of the retina that has a diameter of about 1.5 mm. Near its center is the fovea, a small pit that contains the largest concentration of cone cells in the eye and is responsible for central vision. The macula is the point of sharpest vision. A video of the human eye is available at
Figure 20.25
Focusing light in the retina. This diagram shows how light from a distant source is bent by the stretched lens to strike the retina, and how light from a closer source is bent even more sharply by the relaxed lens to strike the retina.
The structure of the eye owes itself completely to the task of focusing light onto the retina, the light-sensitive inner layer of the eye. First, light passes through a clear protective layer called the cornea, shown in Figure above. Light then passes through the pupil, which is the opening in the iris, and into the interior of the eye. After passing through the pupil, the light then travels through the lens, a transparent, biconvex structure that, along with the cornea, helps to focus light on the retina. Muscles attached to the lens change the shape of the lens to bend the light rays so that they focus on the retina, as shown in Figure above. Light hitting the retina causes chemical changes in the photosensitive cells of the retina, the products of which trigger nerve impulses which travel to the brain along the optic nerve.
The retina has two forms of photosensitive cells important to vision—rods and cones. Rod cells are highly sensitive to light which allows them to respond in dim light and dark conditions, but, they cannot detect color. These are the cells which allow humans and other animals to see by moonlight, or in a dimly-lit room. This is why the darker conditions become, the less color objects seem to have. Cone cells respond to different wavelengths of bright light to initiate a nerve impulse. They are also responsible for the sharpness of images. Cones do not respond well in poor light conditions, which is the reason why you see things in dim light as fuzzy shades of gray.
Humans have three different types of cone cells that respond to different wavelengths of light. These cone cells contain a pigment that absorbs the energy from different wavelengths of light to initiate a nerve impulse. Activation of the visual pigments by certain wavelengths of light opens ion channels on the membrane of the cone or rod cell. This leads to an action potential that is carried by the millions of neuron axons that make up the optic nerve to the visual centers of the brain. The brain integrates the nerve impulses from the cone cells and perceives the world in all the colors of the visual spectrum. A person who is colorblind has damaged or missing cones, and is unable to perceive certain colors.
Hearing
Hearing is the sense of sound perception that results from the movement of tiny hair fibers in the inner ear. These hairs detect the motion of a membrane which vibrates in response to changes in air pressure. Sound can also be detected as vibrations that are conducted through the body. Sound wave frequencies that are too low or too high to be heard by the ear can be detected this way. Audible sound is sensed by the ear.
> Figure 20.26
The detection of sound by your ear.
The folds of cartilage surrounding the outer ear canal are called the pinna. Sound waves are gathered by the pinna, and channeled down the auditory canal, a tube-shaped opening of the ear which ends at the tympanic membrane, or eardrum.
Sound waves traveling through the ear canal hit the eardrum and cause it to vibrate. This wave information travels across the air-filled middle ear cavity through a group of three tiny, delicate bones: the hammer, the anvil, and the stirrup, shown in Figure above. This group of bones transfers the eardrum vibrations to another membrane called the oval window. The oval window separates the middle ear from the inner ear. The inner ear contains the cochlea.
The cochlea is a coiled tube that is filled with a watery liquid, which moves in response to the vibrations coming from the middle ear through the oval window. As the fluid moves, thousands of mechanoreceptors called hair cells bend, releasing a neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitter causes an action potential in the neurons of the auditory nerve. The action potential travels along the auditory nerve to structures in the brainstem, then to the thalamus, and then to the auditory centers of the brain in the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex.
A very strong movement of the fluid within the cochlea, caused by very loud noise, can kill hair cells. This is a common cause of partial hearing loss and is the reason why users of firearms or heavy machinery should wear earmuffs or earplugs. Destruction of the hair cells usually leads to permanent hearing loss because once destroyed, the hairs do not generally grow back.
CK-12 Biology I - Honors Page 94