Brain Introduction Flashcards
Directionality in the brain
Constant:
- Medial/Lateral
- Superior/Inferior
Below midbrain:
- Rostral = superior
- Caudal = inferior
- Ventral = anterior
- Dorsal = posterior
Above midbrain:
- Rostral = anterior
- Caudal = posterior
- Ventral = inferior
- Dorsal = anterior
Ipsilateral
Same side
Contralateral
Opposite side
White matter
Myelinated axons
Grey matter
Cell bodies and unmyelinated axons
Area of the spinal cord that is enlarged due to extra myelination
Cervical and lumbar (due to branches to UE and LE)
Parts of the brainstem
Midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata
Fissure
Sulcus
Ridges with sulci as boundaries
Gyri
Central sulcus
Horizontal fissure separating frontal lobe from parietal lobe as well as precentral gyrus from postcentral gyrus
Wernicke’s area
- In posterior superior parietal lobe of left hemisphere
- Responsible for comprehension of speech
Wernicke’s aphasia
Person will be able to speak (form words and phrases) clearly but speech will be telegraphic (nonsensical) due to a lack of language comprehension
Broca’s area
- In inferior frontal gyrus of the left hemisphere
- Responsible for the formulation of motor components of speech
Broca’s aphasia
Difficulty naming objects or repeating words although comprehension remains
Somatotopic organization of the precentral gyrus
- Lateral = head
- Dorsal = UE
- Medial = LE
Premotor cortex
- Located rostral to motor cortex - Helps initiate and sequence movements
Prefrontal cortex
- Rostral portion of frontal lobe -
- Responsible for processing of intellectual and emotional events
Insula
- Seen only when temporal lobe is pulled away from rest of cortex
- Convergence of temporal, parietal, and frontal cortices
- Functions include: reception and integration of taste sensation, reception of viscerosensations, processing of pain sensations, and vestibular functions