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Human A&P BIO 304 · American River College ← Course home (Week 5)

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . MONDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

CNS Organization: Brain and Spinal Cord

Major brain regions, meninges, ventricles, and the spinal cord.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

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Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

Today you'll draw the brain in lateral view with its lobes and major regions, then a spinal cord cross-section with the three meningeal layers.

Box A. Brain in lateral view

Directions

  1. Draw the outline of a brain in left lateral view. Show the convoluted surface (gyri and sulci).
  2. Divide the cerebrum into four lobes with dashed lines: Frontal (anterior, in front of the central sulcus), Parietal (behind the central sulcus), Temporal (below the lateral sulcus), Occipital (most posterior).
  3. Label the central sulcus (separates frontal from parietal) and the lateral sulcus (separates temporal).
  4. Draw the cerebellum below the occipital lobe.
  5. Draw the brainstem extending down from the center: midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata. Label each.
  6. Inside the frontal lobe, label the primary motor cortex (just anterior to the central sulcus). Inside the parietal lobe, label the primary somatosensory cortex (just posterior to the central sulcus).

Box B. Spinal cord cross-section with meninges

Directions

  1. Draw a round cross-section of the spinal cord.
  2. Inside, draw a butterfly (H) shape representing gray matter. Label dorsal horn (top), ventral horn (bottom), and central canal (small hole in the middle of the H).
  3. Around the gray matter, draw the white matter (it surrounds the H). Label.
  4. Wrap the cord in three meningeal layers. Innermost: pia mater (tight on the cord). Middle: arachnoid mater (with subarachnoid space below it where CSF flows). Outermost: dura mater (thick).
  5. Label all three layers and the subarachnoid space.
  6. Outside the dura, draw vertebral bone (the spinal cord sits inside the vertebral canal).

1C. Structures to label (21)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

  1. Frontal lobe
  2. Parietal lobe
  3. Temporal lobe
  4. Occipital lobe
  5. Central sulcus
  6. Lateral sulcus
  7. Cerebellum
  8. Midbrain
  9. Pons
  10. Medulla oblongata
  11. Primary motor cortex
  12. Primary somatosensory cortex
  13. Dorsal horn
  14. Ventral horn
  15. Central canal
  16. Gray matter
  17. White matter
  18. Pia mater
  19. Arachnoid mater
  20. Dura mater
  21. Subarachnoid space

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Map the function to the brain region

For each function below, name the brain region MOST responsible. Be specific about lobe, gyrus, or subcortical structure.

1. Voluntary control of skeletal muscle in the right hand.
2. Conscious sensation of touch from the left foot.
3. Visual processing of the scene in front of you.
4. Producing fluent, grammatical speech.
5. Understanding spoken language.
6. Balance, posture, and coordination of fine motor movements.
7. Regulation of heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure (autonomic 'vital signs' centers).

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A patient has a stroke that damages the right primary motor cortex in the region controlling the hand. Predict the side and pattern of weakness, and explain why it's on that side using the concept of decussation.
2. Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges. Explain why a lumbar puncture (collecting CSF from below the spinal cord) is the diagnostic test, and which meningeal space the needle enters.
3. A car accident causes a spinal cord injury at the C7 level. Predict which functions are lost (motor, sensory, autonomic) and which are preserved, and explain why an injury one level higher would be much more dangerous.

3. What to submit

Complete both the Anatomy Lab (your own drawings, hand-labeled, plus the structures list) and the Physiology Lab (activity and synthesis questions). Photograph or scan every page and upload to Canvas before the deadline listed on the schedule. Hand-drawn, hand-labeled work is the integrity mechanism for this course. Typed or AI-generated diagrams are not accepted.