The NERVOUS SYSTEM: An AMAZING, COMPLEX ARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION to the MOST COMPLEX SYSTEM of ALL in YOUR BODY:
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

A diagram of the main parts of a neuron

Overview of your SPINAL and CRANIAL nerves. Note the eight CERVICAL nerves, the 12 THORACIC nerves, the 5 LUMBAR nerves, and the 5 SACRAL nerves.
Which nerves innervate your arms?
Which nerves innervate your legs?

Detailed view of the MAJOR NERVES in your body.

The DERMATOMES of your body. If you have a spinal cord injury, for example, by slipping on ice, the corresponding dermatome will become numb or will hurt greatly. For example, if the front of your leg including your knee becomes numb, which vertebrae in your spinal cord has become injured ?

A SAGITTAL view (cut in half) of the brain to show the internal structures. Note in particular the HYPOTHALAMUS and the PITUITARY gland. Among other things, these parts of your brain are critical in changing boys and girls into men and women.

The FOUR LOBES of the Brain: FRONTAL lobe, PARIETAL lobe, OCCIPITAL lobe and TEMPORAL lobe. COMPARE to the bones of the skull. WHAT do each of these lobes do?

REFLEXES are hard wired into your spinal cord, and react even before your brain is notified. Some examples of reflexes are to...

• Help pick up an unexpectedly heavy load
• Drop a disastrously heavy load before your muscles and/or tendons are torn
• Help to balance your body
• Take away your arm or leg from a pan that is too hot or a sharp object on the ground

MAJOR MUSCLES of the BODY

Major muscles of the body, with their
COMMON names and SCIENTIFIC (Latin) names


YOUR JOB is to DIAGRAM and LABEL the major muscle groups, for both the Anterior (frontal) view and the Posterior (Rear) view

ANTERIOR view

POSTERIOR view

More MUSCLES of the body, including male and female differences

Here are views of the muscles in the front and back of the LEG, for MALES and FEMALES, the FOREARM, and the HEAD and NECK.





Muscles in the BACK of the FEMALE LEG

Muscles in the BACK of the MALE LEG

Muscles in the FRONT of the FEMALE LEG

Muscles in the FRONT and SIDE of the MALE LEG


















Muscles in the FOREARM















Muscles in the HEAD and NECK

The SKELETAL SYSTEM

The bones of the foot and ankle:

The bones of the HAND, posterior view, left hand

The bones of the SKULL, lateral view:

The bones of the SKULL, frontal view

The bones of the SKELETON, anterior and posterior view

Hypovolemic shock? Vasodilatory shock? TIA's? Information that could save your life.

Ever wondered what causes heart disease, heart attacks, shock or stroke?
Do you know the difference between hypovolemic shock and vasodilatory shock?
If not, read on...












See this link for all the details: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0ARNbGsVH1evCZGQ5MjluM2dfMTY2YzQzYmJoZDk&hl=en

Major Arteries and Veins from the American Medical Association (AMA)

This is an overview of the major blood vessels in the circulatory system...

These are the major arteries in the body

and these are the major veins...

Systemic blood circulation, Arteries and Veins

This is a simplified diagram of how blood flows through your body.
From your heart, blood goes to the lungs (to get oxygenated, and to eliminate the CO2), then goes to the
HEAD, ARMS, LEGS, LIVER, SMALL Intestine, KIDNEYS and LEGS.
(Of course, it goes to all parts of your body, but this is a simplification).

CLICK the DIAGRAMS to get a LARGER VIEW.

Note the names of the major veins and arteries involved.(e.g., Carotid arteries and Jugular veins for the head).

Here is a comparison of the differences between ARTERIES and VEINS.
Note that Arteries ALWAYS carry blood away from the heart. They usually carry oxygenated blood, except in the case of the pulmonary artery.
Veins ALWAYS carry blood towards the heart. They usually have deoxygenated blood, except in the case of the pulmonary vein.

Detailed diagram of the cross-section of an artery and a vein.

Human Heart Anatomy

Here is the basic internal anatomy of the human heart.

It consists of 2 sides (Right and Left)...

4 chambers (Right atrium, Right ventricle, Left atrium, Left ventricle)

4 valves (Tricuspid valve, Mitral valve, Pulmonary valve, Aortic Valve)

4 major blood vessels (Superior/inferior vena cavae, Pulmonary Vein, Pulmonary Artery, Aorta)

(from WIKIPEDIA)

The following applet, on the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.gov website, has several movies showing the circulation of the blood, and various problems that can occur with it. YOUR JOB is to watch the following movie, WRITE DOWN the major parts of the heart, and DEFINE them. You do NOT have to diagram the heart (for this homework).

See the following link for the applet: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/hhw/hhw_pumping.html

Blood tests are so complicated?

When you go to get a blood test, for what is the doctor looking? That depends on your age, gender, and symptoms. See the following website for all the details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reference_ranges_for_common_blood_tests

Your job: to make a drawing of this graph and find at least 3 differences between men and women. Note! If you're using Google Chrome, you may need the latest plugin (it's safe to install).
You can also go to this site to get a printable version, but you **must** turn in your **own** diagram of this test. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blood_values_for_print.png

The pH of life

Note how narrow is the pH range of life for humans!
See this link on the effect of acid rain on the pH of lakes, and how this affects the fish's ability to survive:
http://www.lenntech.com/aquatic/acids-alkalis.htm

pH and acid rain around the US

Check out the USGS (United States Geological Survey) site regarding the effects of pH and acid rain on fish reproduction.  See: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/phdiagram.html

How do insects see flowers?

Flowers, such as this Narcissus Pseudonarcissus flower (i.e., a daffodil), look startlingly different in UV (Ultraviolet) light.   Note: UV has a wavelength of 1-400 nm, compared to 400-700 nm for Visible light, where nm stands for nanometer = 10^-9 m, or 1 billionth of a meter. nanos is the Greek word for "dwarf".