Anatomy of the brain

Question 1

What does dorsal/ventral mean?

Answer 1

Towards the back/belly

Question 2

What does anterior/posterior mean?

Answer 2

Towards the front/back

Question 3

What does rostral/caudal mean?

Answer 3

Towards the beak/tail

Question 4

What does medial/lateral mean?

Answer 4

Towards the middle/side

Question 5

What are the 3 planes of section?

Answer 5

Coronal (across head)
Sagittal (down)
Horizontal (horizontal)

Question 6

What are the basic subdivisions of the brain?

Answer 6

Spinal Cord
Hindbrain
Midbrain
Forebrain

Question 7

What does the forebrain consist of?

Answer 7

Telencephalon and Diencephalon

Question 8

What does the Midbrain consist of?

Answer 8

Mesencephalon

Question 9

What does the Hindbrain consist of?

Answer 9

Metencephalon and Myelencephalon

Question 10

What does Encephalon mean?

Answer 10

Within the head

Question 11

What is the brain stem?

Answer 11

Hindbrain + Midbrain

Question 12

What is the myelencephalon in the hindbrain also known as?

Answer 12

Medulla oblongata - allows you to do stuff without thinking ab the vital functions

Question 13

What does the myelencephalon in the hindbrain control?

Answer 13

Nuclei which (amongst other things) control
Respiration (respiratory groups and respiratory rhythm)
Tongue musculature
Blood Pressure and Heart rate (nucleus ambiguus)
Nucleus ambiguus gives rise to part of the vagus nerve (vagus nerve is part of autonomic system)

ANS CONTROLS HEART MUSCLE, SMOOTH MUSCLE AND ADRENAL GLAND

Question 14

What does the metencephalon in the hindbrain consist of?

Answer 14

Pons and cerebellum - movement

Question 15

What do pons contain?

Answer 15

Nuclei involved in sleep and arousal (amongst others) eg locus coeruleus that provides a NT noradrenaline
Cell activity is closely related to level of arousal

Question 16

What is the cerebellum?

Answer 16

Contains 4/5 of neurons in ur brain

Combines sensory (visual, auditory, vestibular, somatosensory) information and combines it w motor output to allow for fine movement
Interact efficiently w outside world
Damaging it causes poorly executed movement (impairs standing and walking)

Question 17

What does the mesencephalon contain in the midbrain?

Answer 17

contains tectum and tegmentum

Question 18

What is the tectum?

Answer 18

Meaning hills
Tectum is the bit at the top
CONSITS OF THE INFERIOR AND SUPEPRIOR COLLICULI

Question 19

What is the inferior colliculi?

Answer 19

Part of auditory system

Question 20

What is the superior colliculi?

Answer 20

Part of the visual system, in primates, involved in production of saccades (rapid eye movement)

Question 21

What is the tegmentum?

Answer 21

Contains 3 major structures:
Periaqueductal grey - involved in species-typical behaviours (has an effect on lordosis)

Question 22

What is the red nucleus (component of tegmentum)?

Answer 22

Part of the motor system (muscles of shoulder and upper arm)

Question 23

What is the substantia nigra?

Answer 23

Part of motor system

Question 24

What does the Diencephalon consist of in the Forebrain?

Answer 24

Thalamus (divided into nuclei - neurons of similar shape and size)
Hypothalamus

Question 25

What do the nuclei in the thalamus do ?

Answer 25

Sensory relay nuclei transmit info from receptors to cortex Other non-sensory nuclei function unknown, project mainly to cortex

Question 26

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 26

Organises autonomic and glandular aspects of responses related to survival the 4 fs fighting, feeding, fleeing and FLIPPING(mating) also homeostasis (temp, blood glucose)

Question 27

What does the SCN (Suprachiasmatic nucleus) control?

Answer 27

Circadian rhythms (rhythms w about 24 hours)

Question 28

What does the telencephalon do in the forebrain?

Answer 28

Connected by the corpus callosum, most of the 2 cerebral hemispheres Mediates the most complex functions

Question 29

What does the telencephalon in the forebrain consist mainly of?

Answer 29

The limbic system Basal ganglia Cerebral cortex

Question 30

What are the four lobes in the cerebral cortex?

Answer 30

Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe Some areas receive sensory information Occipital lobe - primary visual cortex Temporal lobe - primary auditory cortex Parietal lobe - primary somatosensory cortex Frontal lobe - movement - primary motor cortex

Question 31

What is the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 31

Involved in planning and emotional behaviour eg Phineas Gage