NURS 534 Adv Physiology Exam 2 R - Neuroanatomy/Nervous System Lecture| Questions and Answers | 2026 Update | Graded +.
What makes up the Central Nervous System (CNS)? ✔️Brain and spinal cord
What makes up the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)? ✔️Sensory neurons and motor neurons; its goal is to relay information about the
environment to the CNS (touch, pain, etc), and also involves the motor nervous system (reacting to environment via movement etc) and the
autonomic nervous system (parasympathetic --rest and digest-- and sympathetic --fight or flight--)
Sensory system ✔️Receive input from the environment; Acquire and process info about environment
Motor system ✔️Generate output in response to the environment;
Respond to such info by generating movement and other behaviors
Associational Systems ✔️Systems that lie between the sensory system and motor system and integrate and process information
Rostral ✔️Referring to the front of the brain, or anything that goes toward the brain
Caudal ✔️Referring to the back of the brain, or anything that goes toward the feet
Dorsal ✔️Referring to the top of the brain, or anything toward the back of the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord (i.e. behind the spinal cord)
Ventral ✔️Referring to the bottom of the brain, or anything toward the front of the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord (i.e. in front of the spinal
cord)
Coronal (frontal) plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from front to back
Sagittal plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from side to side (left to right, or right to left)
Horizontal (axial) plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from bottom to top or top to bottom
Spinal nerve ✔️A nerve that includes sensory (afferent) nerves on the dorsal roots, which have information going toward the brain, and motor
(efferent) nerves on the ventral roots, with information coming from the brain
Afferent ✔️going towards (the brain)
Efferent ✔️coming from (the brain)
Cauda equina ✔️Collection of spinal nerves at the end of the lumbar region of the spinal cord, "horse's tail" that transverse down toward
corresponding vertebra (after spinal cord has ended)
Cervical enlargement ✔️C3- T1, extra innervation for the arms
Lumbosacral enlargement ✔️L1-S2, extra innervation for the legs
Spinal cord internal anatomy ✔️gray matter (looks like a butterfly) inside, white matter outside;
--gray matter is made up of dorsal horns (sensory, afferent neurons, does NOT contain cell bodies), ventral horns (motor, efferent neurons,
does contain cell bodies), and lateral horn (only in T1-T12; preganglionic visceral motor neurons and interneurons)
--white matter is made up of axons of various neurons
dorsal horn of gray matter in spinal cord ✔️Has sensory (afferent) neurons that enter the spinal cord;
Cell bodies of afferent nerves are located outside of the dorsal horn: **no cell bodies within the dorsal horn**
ventral horn of gray matter in spinal cord ✔️has cell bodies of motor (efferent) neurons that leave to go innervate skeletal muscles
Brainstem structure ✔️medulla, pons, and midbrain
Brainstem functions ✔️--location of cranial nerve nuclei and cranial nerves; receive and send out info from and to face and viscera (internal
organs)
--lots of messaging coming off of CNS (sensory and motor info) has to travel through the brainstem
What makes up the Central Nervous System (CNS)? ✔️Brain and spinal cord
What makes up the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)? ✔️Sensory neurons and motor neurons; its goal is to relay information about the
environment to the CNS (touch, pain, etc), and also involves the motor nervous system (reacting to environment via movement etc) and the
autonomic nervous system (parasympathetic --rest and digest-- and sympathetic --fight or flight--)
Sensory system ✔️Receive input from the environment; Acquire and process info about environment
Motor system ✔️Generate output in response to the environment;
Respond to such info by generating movement and other behaviors
Associational Systems ✔️Systems that lie between the sensory system and motor system and integrate and process information
Rostral ✔️Referring to the front of the brain, or anything that goes toward the brain
Caudal ✔️Referring to the back of the brain, or anything that goes toward the feet
Dorsal ✔️Referring to the top of the brain, or anything toward the back of the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord (i.e. behind the spinal cord)
Ventral ✔️Referring to the bottom of the brain, or anything toward the front of the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord (i.e. in front of the spinal
cord)
Coronal (frontal) plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from front to back
Sagittal plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from side to side (left to right, or right to left)
Horizontal (axial) plane ✔️A plane that cuts through the brain from bottom to top or top to bottom
Spinal nerve ✔️A nerve that includes sensory (afferent) nerves on the dorsal roots, which have information going toward the brain, and motor
(efferent) nerves on the ventral roots, with information coming from the brain
Afferent ✔️going towards (the brain)
Efferent ✔️coming from (the brain)
Cauda equina ✔️Collection of spinal nerves at the end of the lumbar region of the spinal cord, "horse's tail" that transverse down toward
corresponding vertebra (after spinal cord has ended)
Cervical enlargement ✔️C3- T1, extra innervation for the arms
Lumbosacral enlargement ✔️L1-S2, extra innervation for the legs
Spinal cord internal anatomy ✔️gray matter (looks like a butterfly) inside, white matter outside;
--gray matter is made up of dorsal horns (sensory, afferent neurons, does NOT contain cell bodies), ventral horns (motor, efferent neurons,
does contain cell bodies), and lateral horn (only in T1-T12; preganglionic visceral motor neurons and interneurons)
--white matter is made up of axons of various neurons
dorsal horn of gray matter in spinal cord ✔️Has sensory (afferent) neurons that enter the spinal cord;
Cell bodies of afferent nerves are located outside of the dorsal horn: **no cell bodies within the dorsal horn**
ventral horn of gray matter in spinal cord ✔️has cell bodies of motor (efferent) neurons that leave to go innervate skeletal muscles
Brainstem structure ✔️medulla, pons, and midbrain
Brainstem functions ✔️--location of cranial nerve nuclei and cranial nerves; receive and send out info from and to face and viscera (internal
organs)
--lots of messaging coming off of CNS (sensory and motor info) has to travel through the brainstem
