Week 13 — Readings & Resources · The Central Nervous System

Course: Anatomy & Physiology I (BIOL 2301 + BIOL 2101) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Navarro
Objective covered: Objective 7 — Describe the major regions of the brain and their functions, the spinal cord, the meninges and cerebrospinal fluid, and the reflex arc.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded.

This week's load is deliberately light: 1 video + 2 short readings + 1 interactive atlas, grouped by the ideas from the lecture. Watch or read one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 35–45 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

Order that matches the lecture: ① the brain's regions & their functions → ② protecting the CNS (meninges & CSF) → ③ the spinal cord & the reflex arc.

A habit to start now: before you trust any A&P claim — in these resources, in a chatbot, or anywhere — ask the questions from class: Which region is this, and does the function match its location? Are the meninges in the right order (outer to inner)? Is vision in the occipital lobe, not the temporal?

① The Brain's Regions & Their Functions

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–4. The cerebrum and its four lobes (frontal = movement/planning; parietal = sensory; temporal = hearing/memory; occipital = vision), the cerebellum (coordination/balance), the thalamus (relay) and hypothalamus (homeostasis), and the brainstem/medulla (vital centers).

Video — "Central Nervous System" (CrashCourse Anatomy & Physiology #11)
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8NtmDrb_qo
Why it earns the click: an energetic ~10-minute tour of exactly our week — how the brain is organized, why location is function, the major regions, and the lobes of the cerebrum (≈ 7:35). Watch the whole thing; it previews most of the week's map.
⏱ ~10 min

Reading — "Anatomy and Physiology 2e," §13.2 The Central Nervous System (OpenStax)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/13-2-the-central-nervous-system
Why it's assigned: the cleanest plain-language tour of the cerebrum and its lobes, the diencephalon (thalamus & hypothalamus), the cerebellum, and the brainstem — a free online textbook page, no account needed. Focus on the region→function descriptions; skip the developmental detail.
⏱ ~12 min

② Protecting the CNS — Meninges & Cerebrospinal Fluid

Maps to Lecture Segments 5–6. The three meninges in order (dura → arachnoid → pia, outer to inner) and what cerebrospinal fluid does — cushion, buoyancy, and waste removal.

Reading — "Anatomy and Physiology 2e," §13.3 Circulation and the Central Nervous System (OpenStax)
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/13-3-circulation-and-the-central-nervous-system
Why it's assigned: the section that lays out the meninges (dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater — with the subarachnoid space) and cerebrospinal fluid (made in the ventricles, cushions and supports the brain, removes waste) — exactly the protection system we built in class. Read the "Protective Coverings" and "Ventricular System" parts; the circle-of-Willis detail is beyond our scope.
⏱ ~10 min

③ The Spinal Cord, Nervous Tissue & the Reflex Arc

Maps to Lecture Segments 4 & 7. The spinal cord as conductor and reflex center, gray vs. white matter, and the reflex arc in order (receptor → sensory neuron → integration center → motor neuron → effector).

Interactive — InnerBody "Nervous System" (free, no download)
🔗 https://www.innerbody.com/image/nervov.html
Why it earns the click: a free, clickable atlas of the nervous system with clear written sections on the brain, spinal cord, meninges, cerebrospinal fluid, gray vs. white matter, and reflexes. You'll use it in Lab 13 to identify brain regions and their functions; spend five minutes now reading its brain and reflex sections.
⏱ ~5 min (browse)

Optional one-stop references (free online)

• Khan Academy — Human Anatomy & Physiology. A free unit with short articles and videos covering the brain, the nervous system's organization, and reflexes. A good place to return to all term.
  🔗 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/human-anatomy-and-physiology
• GetBodySmart — interactive A&P tutorials. Clean, labeled, interactive diagrams of the brain and nervous system; handy when you want to drill region names and functions.
  🔗 https://www.getbodysmart.com/

Pick-one quick path (≈20 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Watch "Central Nervous System" (the regions and lobes in one video).
2. Skim OpenStax §13.2 for the region→function map (the heart of the quiz), then glance at the meninges & CSF part of §13.3.

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Navarro and use the OpenStax or Khan Academy references above in the meantime.