Higher cerebral functions
The neurons of the cerebral cortex constitute the highest level of control in the hierarchy of the nervous system. Consequently, the terms higher cerebral functions and higher cortical functions are used by neurologists and neuroscientists to refer to all conscious mental activity,…
Higher-level pain pathways
Brain Many regions of the brain can influence the input arriving at lower levels of the nervous system. This descending inhibition can be selective, with different regions of the brain inhibiting certain inputs to…
Basal ganglia
Deep within the cerebral hemispheres, large gray masses of nerve cells, called nuclei, form components of the basal ganglia. Four basal ganglia can be distinguished: (1) the caudate nucleus, (2) the putamen,…
Cerebral ventricles
Deep within the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres are cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid that form the ventricular system. These cavities include a pair of C-shaped lateral ventricles with anterior, inferior,…
Cerebral cortex
Lobes of the cerebral cortex The cerebral cortex is highly convoluted; the crest of a single convolution is known as a gyrus, and the fissure between two gyri is known as a sulcus. Sulci and gyri form…
Spinal cord
Spinal cord, major nerve tract of vertebrates, extending from the base of the brain through the canal of the spinal column. It is composed of nerve fibres that mediate reflex actions and that transmit impulses to and…
Tissue engineering
Spinal cord injury, any of various conditions caused by damage to the tract of nerves that extends from the base of the brain through the canal of the spinal column. Spinal cord injury often has…
Neuronal development
In the second week of prenatal life, the rapidly growing blastocyst (the bundle of cells into which a fertilized ovum divides) flattens into what is called the embryonic disk. The embryonic disk soon acquires three…
Human nervous system
Human nervous system, system that conducts stimuli from sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord and conducts impulses back to other parts of the body. As with other higher vertebrates, the human nervous system has…
Outcomes of Traumatic Brain Injury
Outcome after traumatic brain injury can vary widely depending on the location and extent of damage, age and sex of the patient, prior medical conditions, socioeconomic and educational status, early…
