Brain dissection Flashcards
Rostral
At front, by nose
Causal
Posterior brain - towards tail
Dorsal
Back of animal
Ventral
Bottom/abdomen of animal
Coronal plane
Divides brain into rostral/anterior and caudal/posterior sections
Sagittal planes
Divides brain into lateral and medial
What are the meninges?
3 layers forming a protective covering
What are the layers of the meninges (superficial going in)
Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater
What is the dura mater divided into?
Meningeal layer and periosteal layer (closer to bone)
Where is the tentorium cerebelli?
Runs on border of middle and posterior cranial fossa, sits between occipital lobe (cerebral hemispheres) and cerebellum
Where is the optic chiasma?
Forms cross on bottom of brain
Characteristics of epidural hematoma
Skull fracture, young patients, middle meningeal artery, arterial, bright red blood, unilateral
Tend to lose consciousness after a few hours
Hallmark of epidural hematoma
Biconvex, bright white area
Blood pushes brain to other side
Characteristics of subdural bleeding
- Much more diverse causes
- Sudden change of velocity of the head
- Usually last tributaries are affected
Hallmark of subdural bleeding
Sickle shaped area
Symptoms of subarachnoid bleed
Thunderclap headache
How to detect subarachnoid bleed
Blood enters CSF so can be detected during Lp
What is inter-ventricular bleeding?
Bleeding inside brain - increased ICP and shifting of brain
Characteristics of a brain hernia
- Raised ICP
- Supratentorial herniation: uncal (transentorial), central, cingulate (subfalcine/transfalcine), transcalvarial
- Infratentorial herniation: upwards (upward cerebellar or upward transtentorial)
Symptoms of meningitis
Fever, headache, neck stiffness, confusion, unconsciousness, vomiting, inability to tolerate light
What is meningitis?
- Acute inflammation of protective membranes covering brain and spinal cord, collectively known as meninges
What is bacterial meningitis?
Low glucose in CSF because bacteria using glucose