Biology notes 3­27­07

• The Reflex Arc

o Reflex­ Rapid, predictable, and involuntary responses to stimuli
o Reflex arc­ direct route from a sensory neuron, to an inter­neuron, 
to an effector
• Types of Reflexes and Regulation
o Autonomic reflexes
o Smooth muscle regulation
o Heart and blood pressure regulation
o Regulaion of glands
o Digestive system regulation
• Somatic Reflexes
o Activation of skeletal muscles
• Regions of the Brain
o Cerebral hemispheres (cerebellum)
 Diencephalon
 brain stem
 Cerebellum
o Paired (left and right)
superior parts of the
brain
 include more than half of the brain
mass
o Cerebral Hemispheres (cerebrum)
o The surface is made of ridges and grooves
• Lobes of the Cerebrum
• -Fissures (deep grooves) divide the cerebrum into lobes
• -Surface lobes of the cerebrum
o frontal lobe
• parietal lobe
• Occipital lobe
• Temporal lobe
• Specialized areas of the cerebrum
Broca’a area- involved in our ability to speak
Layers of the Cerebrum

• Gray matter
o Outer layer
• Composed mostly of neuron cell bodies
• White matter
 o -Fiber tracts inside the gray matter
o -Example: corpus callosum connects hemispheres
• Basal nuclei- internal islands of gray matter
Diencephalon
• Sits on top of the brain stem
• Enclosed by the cerebral hemispheres
• Made of three parts
o Thalamus
o Hypothalamus
o Epithalamus
Thalamus
• The relay station for sensory impulses
Hypothalamus
• Under the thalamus
• Important autonomic nervous system center
o Helps regulate body temperature
o Controls water balance
o Regulates metabolism
Brain Stem
 Attaches to the spinal cord
 Parts of the brain stem
o Midbrain
o Pons
o Medulla oblongata
Midbrain
o Mostly composed of tracts of nerve fibers
o Has two bulging fiber tracts- cerebral peduncles
o Has four rounded protrusions – Corpora quadrigemina
o Reflex centers for vision and hearing
Pons
The bulging center part of the brain stem
Mostly composed of fiber tracts
Includes nuclei involved in the control of breathing
Medulla Oblongata
The lowest part of the brain stem
Merges into the spinal cord
Contains important control centers
Heart rate control
Blood pressure regulation
Breathing
Swallowing
Vomiting