1 - Intro to NeuroAnatomy - Surface Topography Flashcards
What are the 7 Major Divisions of the CNS?
Spinal Cord Medulla Oblongata Pons Cerebellum Midbrain Diencephalon Cerebral Hemisphere
Overall Spinal Cord Functions
Initial gateway for sensory information (neck to toes), touch, pain Motor execution (muscle contraction) Final arbiter of autonomic control of various peripheral ganglia of ANS
4 Spinal Cord Divisions (Rostral to Caudal)
Cervical (Upper Extremity)
Thoracic (Trunk)
Lumbar (Hips to Toes)
Sacral (Hips to Toes)
3 Brain Stem Divisions
Medulla Oblongata Pons Midbrain (Diencephalon) (Telencephalon)
Brain Stem Function
Motor Control - Does what the spinal cord does, except in the head, neck and face Special Senses - Taste, Hearing Homeostatic Circuits ANS Control Neuromodulatory Transmitters Memory Arousal Breathing Sleep/Wake Cycle
Cerebellum Function
Important in motor control
2 Divisions of the Diencephalon
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Thalamus Function
Gateway to cortex
All info from spinal cord and brainstem (sensorimotor, consciousness) EXCEPT olfaction
3 Cerebral Hemisphere Components
Telencephalon
Cerebral Cortex
Basal Ganglia
How many neurons are in the cerebellum?
About the same amount as in the rest of the brain combined
What is contained in the top 3mm of the surface of the cortex?
All the neurons of the cerebral hemisphere. The rest is white matter.
What is white matter?
Myelinated axons
4 Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
Frontal Lobe Function
Motor Motor planning Speech Executive decisions Working memory Emotional processing
Parietal Lobe Function
Somatosensory processing Attention Visual processing Body image Sensory-motor transformation
Temporal Lobe Function
Auditory processing Visual processing Language Declarative memory Emotional processing
Occipital Lobe Function
Visual
Lateral Sulcus/Fissure
Separates Temporal Lobe from Frontal Lobe & Parietal Lobe
Central Suclus/Fissure
Separates Frontal Lobe from Parietal Lobe
Precentral Gyrus
Primary Motor Cortex adjacent to the Central Sulcus, at the posterior ridge of the Frontal Lobe (lateral)
Motor Control: How much surface area is dedicated to a body part?
Proportional to the amount of activity required to control that body part (# of muscles to control, essentially)
Postcentral Gyrus
Primary Somatosensory Cortex adjacent to the Central Suclus, at the anterior ridge of the Parietal Lobe (lateral)
Moving superiorly to inferiorly along the Central Sulcus, what body parts do you control?
Legs (most superior) to Face (most inferior).
Broca’s Area
Frontal Lobe (LEFT only) - Motor aspect of speech. Your grammar lives here.
Occipital Lobe
Primary Visual Processing Center
Cingulate Gyrus
Emotional memory
Corpus Callosum
Axon track connecting regions of the brain
Parietal Occipital Sulcus/Fissure
Separates Parietal Lobe from Occipital Lobe
What is at a right angle to the Parietal Occipital Fissure?
Calcarine Fissure
Calcarine Fissure
Extends from Parietal Occipital Fissure to Occipital Pole. Primary Visual Cortex
Hypothalamus
Regulates Pituitary function
Homeostasis
Desires driven by homeostatic needs
Survival
Location - Orbital Cortex
Just superior to where the eyes sit
Gyrus Rectus
Frontal Lobe (medial, inferior) - Processes olfactory information from the Olfactory Bulb
Olfactory Bulb
Receives olfactory input from periphery, processes it, transmits to Gyrus Rectus
Location - Parahippocampal Gyrus
Most medial part of the inferior Temporal Lobe.
Components - Parahippocampal Gyrus
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Amygdala - Function
Emotional Valence (fearful, happy, others)
Hippocampus - Function
Explicit Learning - Facts, navigating space
Alzheimer’s typically begins where?
Parahippocampal Gyrus (degeneration)
Location - Occipital Temporal Gyrus
From Temporal Pole to Occipital Pole
Occipital Temporal Gyrus - Function
Processing of visual information
Facial recognition
You have specific neurons dedicated to recognizing Britney Spears
Excitatory Neurotransmitter
Glutamate
Nerves - General Function
Bring in sensory information to CNS
Send out motor commands to Periphery
Commissure
A bunch of nerve fibers that go from one side of the brain to the other
Tracts
Large bundle of axons conveying information from one brain center to another
Peduncles
Cerebral
Cerebellar
Telencephalon Components
Caudate Nucleus
Putamen
Internal Capsule
Descending cortical axons separating Caudate Nucleus from Putamen in the Telencephalon.
Beyond the Diencephalon (in the Midbrain), the name changes to Cerebral Peduncle
At the medulla, it becomes the pyramid tract
Cerebellar Peduncle
Fiber tracts connecting Cerebellum with the rest of the Brain Stem and CNS
Dorsal Midbrain Nuclei
Superior Colliculus
Inferior Colliculus
Inferior Colliculus
Projects from nucleus in Midbrain through one of the Thalamic Nuclei to reach the Medial Geniculate Nucleus (Auditory Processing)
Medial Geniculate Nucleus - Function
Auditory Processing
Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
Visual Processing
All cranial nerves (except IV) extend from which surface?
Ventral
The Trochlear Nerve extends from which surface?
Dorsal, then curves around to innervate Superior Oblique
Dorsal Column Nuclei
Somatosensory information
Motor Decussation
Boundary between Medulla and Spinal Cord
Grey Matter
Cell bodies
