1.3 Gross Neuroanatomy: Forebrain Flashcards
List some brain areas that comprise the basal ganglia
- Subthalamus
- Substantia nigra
What are some functions associated with the basal ganglia?
- Motor learning and control
- Executive function
- Learning
List two structures that make up the basal forebrain
- Nucleus basalis
- Septal nuclei
What is the basic function of the basal forebrain?
Releases acetylcholine to cortex
Nucleus basalis function
Arousal, wakefulness, and attention (ACh)
Septal nuclei function
- Relay between hypothalamus and hippocampus
- Important for reward and reinforcement learning
List three subcortical structures located in the telencephalon
- Limbic system
- Basal ganglia
- Basal forebrain
This nucleus is a source of acetylcholine for subcortical structures such as the basal ganglia…
Pedunculopontine nucleus
Does the primary motor cortex design patterns of movement?
- No
- It merely converts the pattern and plan into execution
What type of cell dominates the primary motor cortex? What tract do they contribute to?
Large pyramidal cells. These contribute to the corticospinal tract.
List three motor associated areas that the primary motor cortex receives input from
- Thalamus
- Cerebellum
- Basal ganglia
What determines the amount of real estate a certain body part gets in the primary motor cortex? What doesn’t?
- Directly related to the skill involved in moving that body part
- Unrelated to mass of muscle being targeted
Does the primary motor cortex operate contralaterally or ipsilaterally on the body?
Contralaterally
In what area is Broca’s area located?
Inferior frontal gyrus
What is Broca’s area responsible for? Therefore, what would Broca’s aphasia look like?
- Responsible for speech production
- Therefore, in Broca’s aphasia, the patient knows what to say, but has trouble saying it (low fluidity)
How does Broca’s area facilitate speech, in terms of neural areas?
By projecting to the relevant areas in the motor cortex
Where can the frontal eye field be found?
Where the middle
frontal gyrus meets the precentral gyrus
What is the frontal eye field responsible for? {brain area}
Voluntary eye movements (pursuit)
What is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex important for?
Holding objects in working memory
Other than the postcentral gyrus, what are the two other gross anatomical sections of the parietal lobe?
Superior and inferior parietal lobule
Where does the primary somatosensory cortex receive input from?
The thalamus.
Does the primary somatosensory cortex have more or less pyramidal cells than the primary motor cortex?
Less
Functions of superior parietal lobule
- Touch localisation
- Spatial attention
What are the five gyri of the temporal lobe?
- Superior temporal gyrus
- Middle temporal gyrus
- Inferior temporal gyrus
- Fusiform gyrus
- Parahippocampal gyrus
What is the role of the primary auditory cortex?
Processing basic aspects of auditory stimuli
What does it mean that the primary auditory cortex is tonotopically organised?
Certain areas respond to certain frequencies of sound.
Where in the temporal lobe is the primary auditory cortex located?
Superior temporal gyrus
What is Wernicke’s area responsible for? Therefore, what happens during aphasia?
- Speech comprehension
- Aphasia causes word salad
Describe the arrangement of the primary, secondary, and association auditory cortices
Primary is surrounded by secondary, secondary is surrounded by association.
Where is Wernicke’s area located?
Posterior aspect of auditory association (superior temporal gyrus)
What two areas of the occipital lobe does the calcarine fissure separate? (superiorly and inferiorly)
- Cuneus
- Lingual gyrus
Where is the primary visual cortex located?
Medial surface of brain — around calcarine fissure
What is the responsibility of the primary visual cortex
Basic visual perception (e.g. orientation)
Describe how an electrical impulse spreads from the primary visual cortex
Starts at back of brain in V1, then more complex processing in V2, then association in V2+
