Anatomy Flashcards
Neuroanatomy
The study of the parts of the nervous system and their functions
Ventral/anterior
Toward the front
Ex:the heart is anterior to the spinal and cord
Dorsal/ posterior
Toward the back
Ex: the spinal cord is posterior to the heart
Medial
Toward the midline of the body
Lateral
away from the midline of the body
—
Superior
Above
Ex: the brain is superior to the lungs
Inferior
Below
Ex: the lungs are inferior to the brain
Proximal
Nearer the trunk of the body or point of attachment
Ex: the shoulder is proximal to the wrist
Distal
Farther from the trunk of the body or point of attachment
The wrist is distal to the shoulder
The nervous system is composed of two major subsystems ?
The central nervous system
The peripheral nervous system
Central nervous system is composed of ?
Brain
Spinal cord
Spinal cord
found within the spinal column
Communicates with the sense organs and muscles below the level of the head
Part of CNS
The spinal cord is compromised of?
Dorsal root ganglia Gray matter White matter Spinal nerve Ventral root
Each segment sends sensory information to the brain and receives motor commands
Dorsal root ganglia
Sensory cell bodies
Located in clusters of neurons outside the spinal cord
Gray matter
Neurons cell bodies and dendrites
Located in center of the spinal cord, INSIDE
White matter
Myelinated Axons that carry information
OUTSIDE
Spinal nerve
Controls both motor and sensory
Ventral root
Motor
Peripheral nervous system is composed of?
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Nerves convey sensory information to the CNS
Nerves transmit messages for motor movement from the CNS to the body
SENSORY + VOLUNTARY MOVEMENT
Autonomic nervous system
Sends and receives messages to regulate the autonomic behaviors of the body
Control heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, etc
INVOLUNTARY
Divisions of the autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Nerves that prepare the organs for rigorous activity:
Fight or flight
INCREASE heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, etc
Made of ganglia on the left and right of the spinal cord
Uses norepinephrine as a neurotransmitter
Parasympathetic nervous system
DECREASES functions increased by the sympathetic nervous system
Rest and digest
Made of long preganglion axons and short postganglionic fibers
Dominant during our relaxed states
Released acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter
The three major divisions of the brain?
Hindbrain
Forebrain
Midbrain
Hindbrain
Made of?
Location?
Medulla, pons, cerebellum
Located at the posterior portion of the brain
Hindbrain structures, the midbrain and other central structures of the brain combine and make up the brain stem
Medulla
Aka brainstem
(Hindbrain)
Responsible for vital reflexes and functions needed to stay alive
—
Cranial nerves
Allow the medulla to control sensations from the head, muscle movements in the head, and many parasympathetic outputs to the organs
Pons
Hindbrain
Controls muscle movements, like walking
Little brain with many deep folds
Lies on each side of the medulla
Contains the reticular formation and raphe system
Works in conjunction to increase arousal and readiness of other parts of the brain
Cerebellum
Hindbrain
Helps regulate motor movements
Balance and coordination
Important for shifting attention between auditory and visual stimuli
Located in the hindbrain with many deep folds
Tumors: Kids 80% cerebellum, 20% brain
Adults: 20% cerebellum, 80% brain
Forebrain
Made of two cerebral hemispheres
receives sensory information and controls motor movement from the opposite side of the body
Made of the outer Cortex and subcortical regions
Parts of the forebrain?
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Thalamus
Forebrain
Relay station for all sensory information, which processes it and send output to the cerebral cortex
Except olfactory (smell) information
Limbic system
Made of a number of other interlinked structures that form a border around the brainstem
Associated with motivation, emotion, drives and aggression
Includes the olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate gurus of the cerebral cortex
Turns memories into memorization
Hypothalamus
Forebrain
Responsible for the four F’s
—
Diencephalon made up of?
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Pituitary gland
Produces hormones found at the base of the hypothalamus
Midbrain
In the middle of the brain
More prominent in birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish
Made of the
—
Tectum
Midbrain
The root of the brain
Superior and inferior colliculus
Midbrain
Important for sensory processing
Inferior: hearing
Superior: vision
Substantia nigra
Midbrain
Gives rise to a dopamine containing pathway that facilitates readiness for movement
Hippocampus
Essential for Memory
Sea horse
A large structure between the thalamus and cerebral cortex
