Brain and Spinal Cord: Motor and Sensory Functional Systems

This 1.0 CU human anatomy course will cover the anatomy of the central nervous system, including a detailed examination of the brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon, visual system, auditory system and cerebral cortex. The objectives are to: 1) describe the cerebellar connectional anatomy that permits the right side of the cerebellum to promote fine-tuning of skeletal muscles on the right side of the body; 2) describe the major components of the Direct and Indirect Basal Ganglia Pathways, the neurotransmitters that they use and their roles in initiating movement or suppressing unwanted movement; 3) discuss how motor and sensory nuclei of brainstem cranial nerves are organized into functional longitudinal columns in the brainstem; 4) trace the path of a visual stimulus from the nasal and temporal parts of the retina to the cuneus and temporal gyrus of visual cortex; 5) describe the three components of the ear and how the organ of Corti transduces mechanical energy into generator potentials; 6) differentiate the major nuclei of the thalamus and their functions; 7) describe the different embryonic origins of the pituitary and the nuclei in the hypothalamus that control or contribute to the functional activity of each pituitary component; 8) name the lobes that make up the cortex and distinguish the vascular territories of the anterior, middle and posterior cerebral arteries; 9) describe how the dominant hemisphere differs functionally from the non-dominant hemisphere; and 10) list the signs and symptoms of lesions to each of the cranial nerves. This course is open to LPS Pre-Health, Post-Baccalaureate, Alumni, and Non-degree Undergraduate students only.