Anatomy & Physiology
Fall
04
The Nervous System
Instructions: Please
read each
section/question carefully. Answer questions in complete sentences, and
if/when
you need to cite outside materials, please use footnotes. All work is
to be
typed, and may be submitted either by email or in class. This
assignment is due
no later than midnight Tuesday November 30th. NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED.
Short Answer:
What do such features of the brain represent in terms of function?
2) Compare the methods by which the cerebrospinal fluid and the blood-brain barrier provide protection to the brain.
3) Would a brain tumor that destroyed the functioning of nerve cells in the medulla lead to death quicker than a tumor of the same size on the cerebral cortex? Defend your answer
4)
Discuss the ventricles: where are they located, their function and how
they
interconnect. What cells are closely associated with their function?
Case
Study A
A
boxer is hit in the jaw very hard, his head and therefore his medulla
and reticular
activating system are twisted sharply.
Q1:
) What is the reticular activating system [RAS]?
Describe its function.
Q2)Why
might this result in a knockout in which the boxer loses consciousness?
Q3): If the medulla were injured from the twisting, what other possible ramifications should the trainer watch for?
Case
Study B
Zak
was riding a motorcycle, when it was side swiped by a large pickup
truck. He
was thrown and landed hard about 30 feet from impact, sustaining quite
a few
broken bones. As his injuries healed, subsequent exams found some
muscular
problems.
Q1:
For each of the following, state what nerve is damaged:
Unable
to flex the leg [at hip]
Unable
to adduct the thigh
Q2:
He also has some sensory damage. For each of the following indicate
which nerve
is damaged:
Loss
of sensation from the skin of the lateral thigh
Loss
of sensation from the skin of the lateral lower leg and foot
Case Study C
While Freda was wading
barefoot in
a tide pool at the beach, her left big toe was painfully stimulated by
the
pinch of a large crab.
Q1: Describe the
pathways that
brought the sensory information to the brain. Acknowledge each
structure the neuron
passed through in the CNS.
Q2: There are two pain
pathways.
Identify them and explain how both would function in Freda’s situation.
Q3: How would you explain the fact that some serious injuries, such as those produced by a bullet entering the abdomen, may be relatively painless, but others, such as those that Freda experience that involve crushing of the skin, may produce considerable discomfort?
LABS:
Write an introduction
that
indicates what labs are attached, and in what order.
Choose one of the labs done over the past 2 weeks, and comment on what you learned and how this has helped you in processing information concerning the nervous system. Can you tie it to an ‘everyday’ situation and how you might be able to apply this knowledge?