Week 3

This week we had our first quiz. Because of our quiz we did not get as much lecture time as usual. I liked this lecture better than the past few because it was a faster pace and we covered more. This week we started going over the brain. Starting to cover the mennges, CSF circulation, blood flow, and the anatomy of the brain. We went through the circulatory pathway and the circle of Willis. You can find these on pages 774 and 758. The wrapping around the brain is two layers thick and the wrapping around the spinal cord is only one layer thick. This is what we went over for the brain so far.

This week in lab I was able to see a sheep brain and the inside of it. This helped having the hands on experience before talking about it in lecture. It is still early in the chapter but having hands on the brain before lecture helped understand the midbrain and hindbrain better.

Week 1 and 2

The past two weeks we have been talking about the nervous system. The nervous system is separated into two categories: the central nervous system (CNS)and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system consist of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nervous tissue outside the CNS. There are both similarities and differences to chemically and voltage regulated ion channels. They are both unique shaped and change shape allowing ions to move across the plasma membrane. The chemically regulated ion channels change by binding to a chemical whereas voltage ion channels change shape because of the electrical charge.

When learning about the nervous system I was unsure of the diseases related to this system until the last class we had. This is when we mentioned Alzheimer's Disease and how it related. I work with Alzheimer's patients on a regular basis so I see how they decline but I did not realize why they declined in the way they did until the other day. It is very interesting once you understand how the disease works.