Brain and Spinal Cord Structures Flashcards
Basal Ganglia
- Substantia Nigra
- Caudate Nucleus
- Globus Pallidus
- Putamen
- Habit learning involving motor skills; posture; muscle tone
- Smooth execution of movements (e.g., talking)
Limbic System
- Fornix
- Hippocampus
- Olfactory Bulb
- Mamillary Bodies
- Cingulate gyrus
- Amygdala
Oldest portion of the brain
A loosely defined, widespread group of brain nuclei that innervate each other to form a network
Involved in: learning and emotion; control of functions necessary for self’species preserveration; regulate autonomic and endocrine function (esp emotion); motivation and reinforcing behavior; Memory
Thalamus
relay station of somatosensory and motor information
(except sense of smell–olfactory bulb)
Midbrain
Tectum: sensory component
(visual & auditory info)
Tegmentum: motor component
(Substantia Nigra)
Brainstem
(MPM)
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla Oblongata
Dorsal Root of Spinal Cord
Carries sensory information from to body to the spinal cord
Located at the back of the spinal cord
(“How and Where” CAP)
Ventral Root of Spinal Cord
Carries motor information from the spinal cord to the muscles
Located nearest the belly/at the front of the spinal cord
(“What” CAP)
White matter
consists mostly of fiber tracts. It gains its appearance from whitie fatty myelin that ensheathes and insulates the axons of many neurons
- Myelin is formed by glial cells, and improves the speed of conduction of nerve impulses.
- NPR study showed that pathological liars have increased white matter → they can think quicker in the moment.
- damage to white matter - results in disconnection syndromes; Multiple Sclerosis - literal translation “many scars” - a disorder characterized by widespread degeneration of myelin
- can be studied using DTI - diffusion tensor imaging
In spinal cord: outer layer
In brain: inner layer
Gray Matter
contains more cell bodies and dendrites, which lack myelin
(*sections reversed in spinal cord)
In spinal cord: inner layer
In brain: outer layer
Blood Brain Barrier
a wall of capillaries that keep foreign things out of the brain
- the blood-brain barrier is the result of higher resistance in brain capillaries that restricts passage of large molecules
- if blood gets in contact with an area of the brain, that area will die!
- some medications made to cross/not cross the BBB
Damage on Left vs. Right Hemisphere
(response to illness)
Left: Catastrophic Response
Right: Denial and Minimization of Illness
