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Neuroscience > 1.1 Brain Topography And CSF Circulation > Flashcards

1.1 Brain Topography And CSF Circulation Flashcards

1
Q

What are the basic components of the CNS?

A

Cerebral Hemispheres
Brainstem and cerebellum
Spinal cord

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2
Q

What is the functions of the cerebral hemispheres?

A

Higher functions, motor and sensory (conscious), emotion, memory

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3
Q

What is the function of the brainstem and cerebellum?

A

Communication via cranial nerves including functions such as eye movement, swallowing and cardiorespiratory homeostasis
Cerebellum involved with motor sequencing and co-ordination

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4
Q

What is the main functions of the spinal cord?

A

Ascending (sensory) and descending (motor) pathways
Spinal reflex arcs
Control of upper and lower limbs at level of cervical and lumbosacral enlargements

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5
Q

What are the main components of the peripheral nervous system?

A

Dorsal and ventral roots
Spinal nerves
Peripheral nerves

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6
Q

What is grey matter?

A

Cell bodies and dendrites of neurones, and a small amount of axons to allow it communicate with white matter
Highly vascular

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7
Q

What is a ganglion?

A

A collection of cell bodies outside of the CNS

Essentially grey matter of the PNS

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8
Q

What is the function of grey matter?

A

Computation

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9
Q

Why is it important that the grey matter has a rich blood supply?

A

As lots of metabolic activity taking place

Lots of O2 and nutrients needed for synaptic activity

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10
Q

What is white matter composed of?

A

Myelinated and non-myelinated axons with no cell bodies

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11
Q

What is the equivalent of white matter in the PNS?

A

A nerve

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12
Q

What is a nucleus (grey matter)?

A

A collection of functionally related cell bodies

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13
Q

What is the cortex (grey matter)?

A

A folded sheet of cell bodies found on the surface of the cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres
1-5mm thick

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14
Q

What is a fibre?

A

A white matter axon with its associated supporting cells

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15
Q

What is the function of association fibres?

A

To connect cortical regions within the same hemisphere

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16
Q

What is the function of commissural fibres?

A

To connect left and right hemispheres or cord halves

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17
Q

What is the function of projection fibres?

A

To connect the cerebral hemispheres with the cord/brainstem and vice versa

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18
Q

Describe the structure of the spinal cord?

A
  • The cord is composed of around 31 segments, each supplying a given dermatome and myotome on each side
  • The cord has a central core of grey matter and an outer shell of white matter
  • Each segment connects with a spinal (mixed) nerve through dorsal (sensory) and ventral (motor) roots
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19
Q

What forms the roots of the spinal nerve?

A

Multiple rootlets, which plug directly into the cord

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20
Q

What is supplied by the dorsal ramus?

A

Instrinsic muscles of the back

A small dermatomal segment

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21
Q

What is found in the dorsal root ganglion?

A

Cell bodies of 1st order pseudounipolar sensory neurones

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22
Q

What does a sensory deficit in a dermatomal pattern suggest?

A

That the lesion is at the level of dorsal roots or spinal nerves

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23
Q

What might a sensory deficit across multiple dermatomal segments suggest?

A

A cord lesion

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24
Q

What might a sensory deficit in ahomuncular pattern suggest?

A

A lesion above the thalamus

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25
What is a funiculus?
funiculus refers to a large segment of white matter containing multiple distinct tracts. Impulses both ascend and descend.
26
What is a tract?
Anatomically and functionally defined white matter pathway connecting two distinct regions of grey matter. In a tract, impulses travel in a single direction only. Contained within a funiculus
27
What is a fasiculus?
fasciculus is a subdivision of a tract that supplies a distinct body region.
28
How are cell bodies in the grey matter of the spinal cord organised?
Into cell columns (laminae)
29
What are they 2 swellings on the ventral aspect of the medulla called?
Medullary pyramids (major descending motor pathway)
30
What is the function of the midbrain?
Eye movement Reflex responses to visual and auditory stimuli (Oculomotor and trigeminal)
31
What is the function of the pons?
Feeding (circuits involving trigeminal nerve) | Sleep
32
What is the function of the medulla?
Homeostatic reflexes (BP, paO2, pH) Cardiovascular and respiratory centres Contains major motor pathway
33
What are the key features of the midbrain?
``` Cerebral peduncles (white matter) Substantia nigra (grey matter) The red nucleus (grey matter) Oculomotor nucleus (grey matter) Edinger-Westphal nucleus (grey matter) Periaqueductal grey matter Cerebral aqueduct medial lemniscus and spinothalamic tracts travel through the midbrain Superior/inferior colliculus ```
34
What is the function of the cerebral peduncles?
contain descending corticospinal fibres from the ipsilateral hemisphere
35
What is the function of the substantia nigra?
contains dopaminergic neurones that project to the striatum (nigrostriatal fibres)
36
What is the function of the red nucleus?
Gives rise to axons | that travel to the cord in the vestigial rubrospinal tract. It also has some other less important motor functions
37
What is the function of the oculomotor nucleus?
contains lower motor neurone cell bodies that project through the oculomotor nerve to all bar two of the extraocular muscles
38
What is the function of the edinger-Westphal nucleus?
contains parasympathetic | preganglionic neurones that project to the ciliary ganglion in the orbit to cause pupillary constriction
39
What is the function of the periaqueductal grey matter?
Is an area surrounding the cerebral aqueduct | that has roles in pain transmission and micturition
40
What is the role of the cerebral aqueduct?
connects the third ventricle (found between the halves of the thalamus) and the further ventricle (found beneath the cerebellum)
41
What is the function of the medial lemniscus?
connects the gracile and cuneate nucleus to thalamus
42
What is the function of the spinothalamic tract?
Connects the spinal dorsal horn to the thalamus
43
What is the function of the Superior/inferior colliculus (grey matter)?
regulate reflex responses to visual and auditory stimuli respectively
44
What are the key features of the pons?
Trigeminal nerve exits from its lateral aspect Corticospinal fibres travel ventrally (hence susceptible to damage by basilar artery occlusion causing locked in syndrome) Sits beneath the fourth ventricle so can get compressed if this ventricle expands Contains reticular formation (grey matter) regions important for sleep
45
What are the key features of the medulla?
``` Pyramids (white matter, ventral swellings on each side containing corticospinal fibres from ipsilateral hemisphere. These decussate in the caudal medulla at the decussation of the pyramids) Gracile and cuneate nuclei (grey matter, relays onto second order neurones in the dorsal column-medial lemniscus pathway) Important nuclei (grey matter) for cardiorespiratory homeostasis such as solitary nucleus and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus ```
46
Names the important landmarks of the cerebral hemispheres
Central sulcus Lateral fissure (sylvian) Parietal-occipital sulcus Calcarine sulcus
47
What important system is the Calcarine sulcus a landmark for?
Calcarine sulcus is a key landmark in the visual system. Visual cortex above the calcarine sulcus supplies the (contralateral) inferior field, and visual cortex below the calcarine sulcus supplies the (contralateral) superior visual field
48
What is the uncus?
most medial part of the temporal lobe, containing olfactory cortex. This structure can also herniate below the tentorium cerebelli, compressing adjacent midbrain
49
What is the parahippocampal gyrus?
part of the medial temporal lobe that provides input to the underlying hippocampus
50
What is the function of the corpus callosum?
To connect the 2 hemispheres
51
What is the function of the thalamus?
important gateway for conscious sensation. It contains the cell bodies of third order neurones and projects to the primary sensory cortex in a homuncular pattern
52
What is the function of the cingulate gyrus?
Cortical area important for emotion and memory | Part of the Papez circuit
53
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Important neuroendocrine and homeostatic functions.
54
What is the fornix?
The fornix lies just above the midbrain. It is the key output pathway of the hippocampus. Part of the Papez circuit
55
What is the rectum?
The tectum is the posterior part of the midbrain and contains the superior and inferior colliculi (four in total, forming the so-called corpora quadrigemina)
56
What is the clinical significance of the cerebellar tonsils?
The cerebellar tonsils are found on the inferior aspect of the cerebellum and can herniate down through foramen magnum in cases of raised intracranial pressure, often leading to death due to cardiorespiratory compromise through compression of the medulla
57
What are brain ventricles?
Cavities in the brain filled with CSF
58
Where is CSF produced?
Produced by choroid plexus
59
What are the functions of CSF?
Contains glucose and maybe even hormones Shock absorbs the brain and renders it effectively weightless
60
How is CSF reabsorbed?
By arachnoid granulation
61
What are arachnoid granulations?
Small protrusions of arachnoid mater into the outer membrane of the dura mater. Allows CSF to exit the subarachnoid space into the venous system.
62
Describe the flow of CSF
``` Although choroid plexus’ are in every ventricle, most are in the large lateral ventricle. Interventricular foramen Third ventricle Cerebral aqueduct Fourth ventricle Lateral (2) and median apertures Subarachnoid space ```
63
Where is a common site for occlusions in the ventricular system?
Cerebral aqueduct (congenital stenosis/ tumour)
64
Blockage of the cerebral aqueduct would affect which structures?
Dilation of the lateral and third ventricles

Neuroscience (20 decks)

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