1. BBio 351 – December 1, 2015 Outline for today Neural circuits compute things! (2015-11-19 slides) Computation by individual post-synaptic neurons Computation by neural circuits Organization of nervous systems (these slides) Communication between PNS & CNS Spinal cord anatomy & organization Brain anatomy & organization

2. 3 functional classes of neurons Sherwood Figure 5-6

3. Organization of the vertebrate nervous system Sherwood Figure 5-5

4. How does “fight or flight” map onto this diagram? Sherwood Figure 5-5

5. PNS to CNS: the 12 cranial nerves E.N. Marieb et al., Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual

6. Spinal cord: protected by vertebrae Sherwood Figure 5-16

7. Diagnose Dr. C’s sister! Above: my sister and her daughter in 2009. Right: spinal x-ray of someone with a more severe case of her problem (from Wikipedia).

8. Starting in about 2004, my sister began having increasing trouble with her lower back. Every so often, routine movements like getting a vacuum cleaner out of a closet would leave her in intense pain and essentially unable to walk until given an epidural anaesthetic. Physical therapy was prescribed to strengthen her core and make her back more limber (with Pilates-like stretches), but months of this did not improve her situation. What do you think her problem was? How do you think she solved it? Do you think this solution resulted in any negative “side effects”?

9. Spinal cord anatomy: more details Sherwood Figure 5-17 gray matter vs. white matter afferent neurons vs. efferent neurons

10. White matter is organized into tracts to/from the brain Figure: Wikipedia

11. Ascending and descending pathways Sherwood Figure 5-18

12. Overview of human/mammal brain Sherwood Table 5-6

13. How have we discovered the functions of particular brain parts?

14. The rest of this course...