Download Can an Injured Spinal Cord Be Fixed?

Can an Injured Spinal
Cord Be Fixed?
The spinal cord is the central
communication conduit
between the brain and the
body
It consists of a bundle of nerves
Spinal cord injury disrupts
communication between the
central nervous system and
the rest of the body
Paraplegia is paralysis of the lower
half of the body
Quadriplegia is paralysis from the
neck down
Research on nerve cells is leading to
new therapies
NERVOUS SYSTEM
STRUCTURE AND
FUNCTION
Nervous systems receive sensory
input, interpret it, and send out
appropriate commands
The nervous system has three
interconnected functions
Sensory input
Integration
Motor output
SENSORY INPUT
Sensory receptor
The motor division of the
PNS
The autonomic nervous system
exerts involuntary control over the
internal organs
The somatic nervous system exerts
voluntary control over skeletal
muscles
Opposing actions of sympathetic
and parasympathetic neurons
regulate the internal
environment
The autonomic nervous system consists
of two sets of neurons that function
antagonistically on most body organs
The parasympathetic division primes the
body for activities that gain and conserve
energy
The sympathetic division prepares the body
for intense, energy-consuming activities
“Fight or Flight”?
THE HUMAN BRAIN
 The vertebrate brain evolved by the
enlargement and subdivision of three anterior
bulges of the neural tube
Forebrain
Midbrain
Hindbrain
 Cerebrum size and complexity in birds and
mammals correlates with sophisticated
behavior
The association areas are the
sites of higher mental
activities (thinking)
Frontal association area (judgment,
planning)
Auditory association area
Somatosensory association area
(reading, speech)
Visual association area
Testosterone and Male
Aggression
Testosterone and other male hormones
seem to be related to aggressive
behavior in some species
In the fish species
Oreochromis
mossambicus,
elevated levels have
been found in the
males that engage in,
or even just observe,
territorial battles
Research has concluded that high
levels of testosterone in human
males does not lead directly to
higher levels of violent aggression
But scientists have demonstrated a
correlation between testosterone
levels and competition
Gustation
Taste (gustation).
 The receptor cells for taste are modified
epithelial cells organized into taste buds, which
are scattered on the tongue.
 Binding of a sugar molecule to a receptor cell
initiates a signal transduction pathway.
 Sodium channels open, Na+ ions diffuse into
the cell, and the membrane depolarizes.
The overarching role of hormones
is to coordinate activities in
different parts of the body
Hormones regulate energy use,
metabolism, and growth
Hormones and other chemicals also
maintain homeostasis