PSYC37H3 Lecture : Chapter 10.docx
Document Summary
Chapter 10 topic 10a neuropsychological assessment and screening. The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system that includes the cranial nerves and the network of nerves emanating form the spinal cord. The brain is beyond doubt the most protected organ in the body first line of defense is the skull, beneath that is the meninges, the cerebrospinal fluid also forms protection. The brain literally floats in a snugly fitting bath of cerebrospinal fluid. The brain is composed principally of five elements: gray matter, white matter, glial cells, csf, and the blood vessels of the vascular system that provide the brain with oxygen and nutrients. The gray matter consists of densely packed cell bodies of neurons, which are also called nerve cells. The myelin sheath that surrounds axons gives white matter its distinctive appearance.
