Physiology 3120 Lecture Notes - Cerebral Cortex, Basal Ganglia, Central Nervous System

• School: Western University
• Department: Physiology
• Course: Physiology 3120
• Professor: Tom Stavraky

Document Summary

Brain is capable of incredible precision and in particular the cerebellum. An average neuron has 10000 synaptic connections on it; 10^15 synaptic connections in the human brain. Central nervous system: everything central and includes: the spinal cord and the brain. At the top of the spinal cord is a structure called the brain stem; structures of the brain stem are the midbrain, pons and the medulla. Above the region of the brain stem is the cerebellum, which consists of a cerebellar cortex and a cerebellar deep nuclei. At the top of the brain stem is a structure called the hypothalamus, which coordinates all sorts of neural and endocrine functions. Superimposed is this cerebral cortex, which is thrown into folds to increase the surface area; folds in valleys are called sulcus (ex. Central sulcus) and hills are called gyrus (ex. Precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, which are in front and behind the.