Anatomy and Physiology of the Nervous System

Question 1

What is the telencephalon?

Answer 1

Cerebral Hemispheres

* Gray matter
* Paired hemispheres
* White matter
* Basal ganglia

Question 2

What are the 3 main fissures (sulci) in the cerebral hemisphere/telencephalon?

Answer 2

Lateral central fissure (fissure of Sylvius) - seperates temporal lobe from frontal and parietal lobes
**Longitudinal cerebral fissure **- seperates the two hemispheres
Central sulcus - seperates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe

Question 3

What are the lobes of the paried hemispheres (6 on each side)?

Answer 3

• Frontal
• Parietal
• Temporal
• Occipital
• Insular
• Limbic

Question 4

What is located in the frontal lobe?

Answer 4

• Precentral gyrus: motor cortex –> voluntary muscle movement
• Prefrontal cortex –> emotions and judgement
• Broca’s area –> motor aspects of speech

Question 5

What is located in the Parietal lobe?

Answer 5

Postcentral gyrus: integration of sensation (receives fibers that convey touch, proprioception, pain, and temperature from opposite sides of body)

Question 6

What is located in the temporal lobe?

Answer 6

• Primary auditory cortex
• Associative auditory cortex
• Wernicke’s area: language comprehension
• Primary vestibular area: head position and movement; perception of vertical

Question 7

What is located in the occipital lobe?

Answer 7

• Primary visual cortex
• Visual association cortex

Question 8

Where is the insula located? What is it associated with?

Answer 8

located deep within lateral sulcus
associated with visceral functions

Question 9

What makes up the limbic system?

Answer 9

• cingulate, parahippocampal, and subcallosal gyri
• hippocampal formation
• amygdaloid nucleus
• hypothalamus
• anterior nucleus of thalamus

Question 10

What are the basic functions of the limbic system?

Answer 10

instincts and emotions that contribute to the function of the individual

feeding, aggression, emtions, endocrine aspects of sexual response

CRITICAL role in memory especially emotional memories, motivation and learning

Question 11

What are the 3 types of fibers that connect the white matter of the brain?

Answer 11

Transverse (comissural): interconnect the 2 hemispheres (corpus callosum, anterior comissure, and hippocampal comissure)
Projection: Connects cerebral hemispheres with other portions of brain and spinal cords
Association: connect different portions of cerebral hemispheres allowing cortex to function as an integrated whole

Question 12

What type of matter is the basal ganglia?

Answer 12

Gray

Question 13

What makes up the basal ganglia?

Answer 13

1. Striatum
   * caudate nucleus
   * nucleus accumbens
   * putamen
2. Globus pallidus
   * external segment
   * internal segment
3. Subthalamic nucleus
4. Substantia nigra

Question 14

What is the lenticular nucleus?

Answer 14

putamen + globus pallidus

Question 15

What is the purpose of the basal ganglia?

Answer 15

Forms an associated motor system (extra pyramidal system) with other nuclei in the subthalamus and the midbrain

Question 16

occulomotor circuit

of the basal ganglia

Answer 16

originates in the frontal and supplementary motor eye fields and projects to the caudate

functions with saccadic eye movements

also called caudate loop

Question 17

Motor loop

of the basal ganglia

Answer 17

originates in the precentral motor and postcentral somatosensory areas

projects to and excites putamen neurons

putamen cells inhibit globus pallidus neurons which in turn boost activity in the ventral lateral nucleus and supplemental motor area

functions to scale amplitude and velocity of movements, reinforces selected pattern, and suppresses conflicting patterns, preparatory for movements (anticipatory movements)

also called putamen loop

Question 18

Limbic circuit

of the basal ganglia

Answer 18

originates in prefrontal and limbic areas of cortex to BG to prefrontal cortex

functions to organize behaviors (executive functions, problem solving, motivation) and for procedural learning