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Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): conveys sensory impulses from the blood vessels, the heart and all of the organs in the chest, abdomen and pelvis through nerves to other parts of the brain (mainly the medulla, pons and hypothalamus). These impulses often do not reach our consciousness, but elicit largely automatic or reflex responses through the efferent autonomic nerves, thereby eliciting appropriate reactions of the heart, the vascular system, and all the organs of the body to variations in environmental temperature, posture, food intake, stressful experiences and other changes to which all individuals are exposed.
(www.ndrf.org/ans.htm)
Brain Stem: the lower part of the brain, consisting of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The brain stem is responsible for many of the body’s unconscious functions, as well as playing a critical role in basic consciousness.
(www.waiting.com/brainfuncthree.html)
Central Nervous System (CNS): the nervous system informs the body about itself and the world around it and enables the body to react to this information. To accomplish this, the nervous system actively identifies, integrates and interprets incoming sensory stimuli, and produces electrochemical impulses that are distributed via peripheral nerves to generate responses to the environment and internal conditions. The human nervous system is perhaps the most complex thing we know. This complexity is apparent at all levels of its structure, from the creases and folds of its outward appearance, to the dizzying number of connections made by the multitude of cells at the microscopic level.
(www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=anat/cns)
Cerebral Cortex: the layer of the brain often referred to as gray matter. The cortex is gray because nerves in this area lack the insulation that makes most other parts of the brain appear to be white. It covers the outer portion (1.5mm to 5mm) of the cerebrum and cerebellum. The cerebral cortex consists of folded bulges called gyri that create deep furrows or fissures called sulci. The folds in the brain add to its surface area and therefore increase the amount of gray matter and the quantity of information that can be processed. The cerebral cortex is divided into right and left hemispheres. It encompasses about two-thirds of the brain mass and lies over and around most of the structures of the brain. It is the most highly developed part of the human brain and is responsible for thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language. It is also the most recent structure in the history of brain evolution. Most of the actual information processing in the brain takes place in the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is divided into lobes that each have a specific function. For example, there are specific areas involved in vision, hearing, touch, movement, and smell. Other areas are critical for thinking and reasoning. Although many functions, such as touch, are found in both the right and left cerebral hemispheres, some functions are found in only one cerebral hemisphere. For example, in most people, language abilities are found in the left hemisphere.
(http://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/aa032505a.htm)
Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF): acts as a cushion that protects the brain from shocks and supports the venous sinuses. It also plays an important role in the homeostasis and metabolism of the central nervous system.
(www.neuropathologyweb.org/chapter14/chapter14CSF.htm)
Cerebrum: located in the anterior portion of the forebrain, it is divided into two hemispheres that are connected by the corpus callosum. The functions of the cerebrum are intelligence, personality, the interpretation of sensory impulses, motor function, planning and organization, and touch sensation.
(http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blcerebrum.htm)
Choroid Plexus: produces the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which is found within the ventricles of the brain and in the subarachnoid space around the brain and spinal cord.
(www.sci.uidaho.edu/med532/choroid.htm)
Dura Mater Membrane: literally, hard mother (in Latin). The outermost, toughest, and most fibrous of the three membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord.
(www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=32513)
Hypothalamus: a gland in a region of the brain and it is involved in regulation of the internal milieu of the body or, said another way, for homeostatic control. It does that by means of its neuroendocrine role in conjunction with the pituitary gland as well as by its influence on the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate body temperature, the cardiovascular system, and food and water in take. It is an integral component of the limbic system.
(www.sci.uidaho.edu/med532/hypothal.htm)
Medulla: the lower portion of the brainstem. It controls autonomic functions and relays nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord.
(http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blmedulla.htm)
Occipital Lobes: located in the back portion of the brain’s cerebral cortex, it controls vision and color recognition.
http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bloccipitallobe.htm)
Parietal Lobes: located above the occipital lobes and behind the central sulcus (fissure) and frontal lobes, this area of the brain controls cognition, information processing, pain and touch sensation, spatial orientation, speech, and visual perception.
(http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blparietallobe.htm)
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