I chose this article from the Science Daily for my anatomy and physiology in the news assignment due to its mention of anatomical terms neurons, cortex and thalamus. This article entitled “Decision making involves a little known brain region in the thalamus” was developed by scientist from the Institute de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine . The decision making process was thought to usually involve the orbitofrontal cortex. This article discusses the new discover that the thalamus also plays an important role in these decisions. I will be discussing the cerebral cortex, thalamus and neurons.
“Neurons are the basic information processing structures in the central nervous system”(Anatomy and Physiology, the unit of Form and Function,7th edition, Saladin). The function of a neuron is to receive information from other neurons, process that information, then to send information to other neurons. The neurons are connected by synapses which are what help the information flow from one neuron to another tissue. The three main parts of a neuron are the axon, the dendrites, and the soma also known as cell body. The axon carries information away from the soma and transmits it to other neurons. The dendrites receive information from other neurons. The soma contains the nucleus of the cell and protein synthesis occurs here.
A bundle of axons is also known as a tract. Tracts carry signals from one central nervous system level to another. There are six tracts in the spinal that are ascending, and seven that are descending. Ascending tracts are known as sensory, and descending are motor tracts. One of the ascending tracts is the spinothalamic tracts. This tract carries signals for pain, temperature, pressure, tickle, itch and light touch. The fibers in this tract lead all the way to the thalamus, the neurons continue form there to the cerebral cortex. The