2.6 - Neuroanatomy Flashcards
What do the terms rostral and caudal mean for humans at the spinal cord level?
- rostral - towards the head / superior
- caudal - towards the lower end of the spinal cord / inferior
What do the terms rostral and caudal mean for humans at the brain level?
- rostral - anterior part of brain
- caudal - posterior part of brain
What do the terms dorsal and ventral mean for humans at the spinal cord level?
- dorsal - posterior
- ventral - anterior
What do the terms dorsal and ventral mean for humans at the brain level?
- dorsal - superior and posterior (top and back)
- ventral - inferior (bottom of front and brainstem)
Describe three ways that the brain can be examined? i.e. the different planes of the brain
- axial / horizontal / transverse section - perpendicular to the long axis of the body
- sagittal section - divides brain into two separate halves
- coronal / frontal section - parallel to long axis of the body
What are cranial fossae?
- any of the three large depressions in the posterior, middle and anterior aspects of the floor of the cranial cavity
- houses the lobes of the brain
Which part of the brain lies in the anterior cranial fossa?
Frontal lobe of the cerebral hemisphere
Which part of the brain lies in the middle cranial fossa?
Temporal lobe of the cerebral hemisphere
Which part of the brain lies in the posterior cranial fossa?
Cerebellum
Which part of the brain lies directly above the body of the sphenoid bone?
Hypothalamus
Which part of the brain passes through the foramen magnum?
Medulla
What is the ventricular system?
- network of cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid
- composed of two lateral ventricles (one in each cerebral hemisphere), third ventricle (diencephalon), cerebral aqueduct (midbrain) and fourth ventricle (hindbrain)
- cerebral aqueduct allows CSF to flow between third and fourth ventricles
Which part of the ventricular system relates to the cerebral hemisphere?
Lateral ventricle
Which part of the ventricular system relates to the diencephalon?
Third ventricle
- the diencephalon consists of the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, subthalamus
Which part of the ventricular system relates to the midbrain?
Cerebral aqueduct
Which part of the ventricular system relates to the pons and medulla?
Fourth ventricle
What are the lobes of the brain?
- frontal lobe - front of brain
- parietal lobe - top of brain
- temporal lobe - sides of brain
- occipital lobe - back of brain
What are the sulci and gyri of the brain?
- gyrus - ridge on surface of brain
- sulcus - surrounds gyri, shallow grooves
- fissure - deeper grooves
- central sulcus - where the precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe meets the postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe
- lateral sulcus / fissure - top of superior temporal gyrus of the temporal lobe
What are the twelve cranial nerves going into the brain?
- Oh Oh Oh To Touch And Feel Very Good Velvet Ah Heaven
- olfactory
- optic
- oculomotor
- trigeminal
- trochlear
- abducens
- facial
- vestibulocochlear (/auditory)
- glossopharyngeal
- vagus
- accessory
- hypoglossal
Areas of the cerebral cortex
- Broca’s area - frontal lobe region of dominant hemisphere (left hemisphere if right handed) - linked with speech production
- Wernicke’s area - temporal lobe of left hemisphere - language development, comprehension of speech
- primary auditory cortex - perception of tones and pitch - temporal lobe
- visual cortex - occipital lobe - integrates and processes visual information
- primary motor cortex - frontal lobe, before central sulcus
- primary somatosensory cortex - parietal lobe, after central sulcus
The circle of Willis - top to bottom
- anterior cerebral arteries
- anterior communicating artery
- internal carotid arteries
- middle cerebral arteries
- posterior communicating arteries
- posterior cerebral arteries
- basilar artery
- vertebral arteries
Why can the circle of Willis maintain perfusion of the brain even if there is a blockage in one part of the structure?
- the structure is a circular connection of blood vessels, so that blood coming up from one of the arteries can flow in either direction around the circle and avoid any blockage or narrowing of the blood vessels
What is somatotopy?
- when a specific part of the body is associated with a distinct location in the central nervous system
- mapping of the body’s surface sensation onto a structure in the brain
What artery supplies the primary motor cortex for the face and arm?
Middle cerebral artery
What artery supplies the motor cortex for the foot and leg?
Anterior cerebral artery
What artery supplies the somatosensory cortex for the arm?
Middle cerebral artery
What artery supplies the primary visual cortex?
Posterior cerebral artery
What artery supplies the primary auditory cortex, Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area?
Middle cerebral artery
