Advanced Neural Trasmission Flashcards
Give an example of a part of the brain that can be more easily seen in a particular slice?
- Basal ganglia
- Best seen in coronal slices
What is meant a ‘Dorsal region’?
The top of a brain region
e.g. Dorsal Anterior Cingulate
What is meant by a ‘Ventral region’?
The bottom of a brain region
What is meant by the term ‘Superior’ when describing brain regions?
Superior = above
e.g. superior temporal lobe is on the top of the temporal lobe - it’s superior to other parts of the lobe
What is meant by the term ‘Inferior’ when describing brain regions?
Inferior = below
What is meant when the term ‘anterior’ is used describing a region of the brain?
Anterior = towards the front of the brain or that region
What is meant when the term ‘posterior’ is used when describing a region of the brain?
Posterior = towards the back of the brain or that region
What is meant when the term ‘proximal’ is used when describing a region of the brain?
Proximal = close to
e.g. close to another region
What is meant when the term ‘distal’ is used when describing a region of the brain?
Distal = far from
e.g. far from another region
What is meant when the term ‘ipsilateral’ is used when describing a region of the brain, in relation to another part/region?
Ipsilateral = same hemisphere
What is meant when the term ‘contralateral’ is used when describing a region of the brain, in relation to another part/region?
Contralateral = opposite hemisphere
What is meant when the term ‘gyrus’ is used when describing the brain?
Describing the texture/folds of the brain
Gyrus = protuberance on surface of the brain
Gyri = the plural
What is meant when the term ‘sulcus’ is used when describing the brain?
Describing the texture/folds of the brain
Sulcus = fold or groove separating gyri
Sulci = plural
What is meant when the term ‘fissure’ is used when describing the brain?
Describes texture/folds of brain
Fissure = long, deep sulcus
What makes up the Central Nervous system?
Brain and Spinal Cord
What makes up the Peripheral Nervous system?
Somatic Nervous System
- Voluntary Muscles and Sense
Autonomic Nervous System
- Involuntary Muscles (sympathetic = ‘fight or flight’) (parasympathetic = ‘rest and digest’)
What are Neurons?
They receive and transmit information
What are the three types of Glial cells and what do they do?
- Astrocytes
- star shaped
- involved in response to injury of the CNS
- regulate blood flow to some neurons - Oligodendrocytes
- form myelin in the CNS
- schwann cells form myelin in PNS
- form myelin by wrapping up to 150 layers of tightly compressed cell membrane around axons - Microglia
- Involved in immune response in CNS
What are the three major divisions of the brain?
- Hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
- Midbrain (mesencephalon)
- Forebrain (prosencephalon)
What makes up the Hindbrain?
- Medulla (oblongata)
- Pons
- Cerebellum
What is the Medulla, what does it do and what part of the brain is it a part of?
An enlarged extension of the spinal cord into the skull
It controls vital reflexes (breathing, heart rate, vomiting, salivating, coughing, sneezing) - through the cranial nerves
Part of the Hindbrain
What is the Hindbrain?
The posterior part of the brain
What is the Pons, what does it do and what part of the brain is it a part of?
Lies anterior to the Medulla
Axons from each half of the brain cross to opposite side of the spinal cord, so that the left hemisphere controls the muscles on the right side of the body and vice versa
Part of the Hindbrain
What is the Cerebellum, what does it do and what part of the brain is it a part of?
Large hindbrain structure with many deep folds
Is mainly known for its role in movement and coordination, but also has cognitive functions
Part of the Hindbrain
What do Cranial Nerves do?
What part of the brain are they part of?
- Control sensations from the head, muscle movements of the head and most parasympathetic output to the organs
- The receptors and muscles of the head are connected to the brain via 12 pairs of cranial nerves
- Each one originates in a nucleus that integrates sensory information, and/or regulates the motor output
- The nuclei for cranial nerves V and XII are located in the medulla and pons; those for cranial nerves I to IV are in the midbrain and forebrain
Part of the Hindbrain
What makes up the Midbrain?
- Tectum
- Superior colliculus
- Inferior colliculus
What is the Superior colliculus (part of the Midbrain) important for?
Vision
What is the Inferior colliculus (part of the Midbrain) important for?
Hearing
What makes up the Forebrain?
Consists of two cerebral hemispheres (left & right)
- Limbic system
- Diencephalon
- Basal Ganglia
- Cerebral Cortex
What do the two Cerebral Hemispheres, that make up the Forebrain, do?
Receive sensory input, and control muscles on the opposite side of the body
What does the Limbic System do?
What part of the brain is it in?
Forms a border around the midbrain.
Limbic structures carry out a very wide variety of functions, including emotion, motivation, and cognition
Part of Midbrain
What does the Limbic system consist of?
- Cingulate Gyrus
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Mamillary body
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala
- Olfactory bulb
What makes up the Diencephalon?
What part of the brain is it part of?
Thalamus and Hypothalamus
Midbrain
What does the Thalamus do?
Has many important functions, key one being sensory relay.
- Info. from all sensory receptors (except olfactory) goes into specific nuclei of the thalamus for processing before travelling on to specific areas of the cerebral cortex
What does the Hypothalamus do?
Vital for homeostatic functions - regulation of the autonomic nervous system
What is the Basal Ganglia?
Functions include movement and memory A group of subcortical structures lateral to the Thalamus, including the: - Caudate nucleus - Putamen - Globus Pallidus
What is the Cerebral Cortex?
- Outer layer of the brain
- Is folded (creating gyri and sulci)
What are the lobes of the cortex and what function are they responsible for?
Frontal - Primary motor cortex Parietal - Primary somatosensory Occipital - Primary visual cortex Temporal - Primary auditory cortex
How many neurons are in the cortex?
Approx. 1,000,000,000,000
a trillion
What is the White Matter of the brain composed of?
Bundles of axons connecting different areas of brain
What is White Matter important for?
Important to brain function, as it allows for neural communication
What are the major White Matter tracts (regions), and what do they do?
Corpus Callosum
- connects left&right hemispheres (located at back of brain above anterior commissure)
Anterior commissue
- connects left&right hemisphere (located at back of brain below corpus callosum)
Fronto-Occiptal Fassiculus
- connects frontal&occipital lobes, located at front of brain)
