Chapter 2: The Brain and Nervous System
- Learn about the central and peripheral nervous systems and their subdivisions including the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- Know terms to describe locations in the brain such as anterior, posterior, inferior, superior, dorsal, ventral, medial, and lateral
- Know the coronal, sagittal, and horizontal anatomical planes used to visualize the brain in two dimensions
- Describe the basic functions of the brainstem, cerebellum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebral hemispheres
- Understand the differences between gray matter and white matter
- Learn about the four lobes of the cerebral cortex: occipital, temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes.
- Learn about the roles of major subcortical structures including the basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, and hypothalamus
- Understand important non-neuronal structures, including the meninges that surround and protect the brain, the ventricles that contain cerebrospinal fluid, and the vasculature that supplies blood throughout the brain
