Brain Parts And Their Functions Flashcards
Sensory trigeminal
Function: receives touch, pain and temperature sensations from the face
Lesion:loss of the above sensations from the face
Pyramidal decussation
Function: crossing of the corticospinal tract
Lesion: weakness or paralysis of all voluntary muscles below
Reticular nuclei
Function: consciousness and many other functions
Lesion: If shaken up, it causes loss of consciousness for a brief time. However, damage can result in death.
Cerebellum
Function: it is responsible for the coordination of complex movements
Lesion: loss of hand, eye and other voluntary muscle coordination on the same side of the lesion
Solitary nucleus
Function: receives visceral sensations that includes taste.
Lesion: damage causes loss of taste and visceral sensations
Hypoglossal nuclei
Function: controls the muscles of the tongue
Lesion: causes the opposite side of the tongue to be paralysed. The tongue will deviate towards the paralysed side when protruded. Difficulty speaking and swallowing.
Inferior olive
Function: fires 10 action potentials per second for the cerebellum to plan movement with precise timing.
Lesion: loss of coordination.
Deep cerebellar nuclei
Function: It is the output centre for the cerebellum
Lesion: loss of coordination or aspects of coordination lost
Inferior cerebellar peduncle
Function: carries the olive cerebellar tract
Lesion: loss of coordination
Cochlear nuclei
Function: receives auditory information from the ears
Lesion: inability to detect the direction of the sound. Hearing is less impaired as auditory information crosses over to both sides of the brain.
Vestibular nuclei
Function: receives information about head position from the vestibular system
Lesion: vertigo which might be accompanied by nausea
Facial nucleus
Function: controls the muscles of facial expression and glands-submandibular, sublingual and lacrimal
Lesion:drooling and paralysis of opposite side of the face
Medial lemniscus
Function: compact bundle carrying fine touch and proprioception sensations from the body
Lesion: loss of these sensations on the contra lateral side.
Superior colliculus
Function: it receives auditory information from the cochlear nuclei from both the sides of the body
Lesion: inability to determine the direction of the noise and partial deafness.
Motor trigeminal
Function: controls the jaw muscles
Lesion: paralysis of these muscles
Locus coeruleus
Function: sends noradrenaline throughout the forebrain, brainstem, cerebellum and spinal cord. Awake centre and keeps the brain active
Lesion: excessive sleepiness
Central gray
Function: pain modulation by the release of endogenous opioids and stimulation of serotonin fibres
Lesion: inability to control severe pain during fight or flight situations
Middle cerebellar peduncle
Function: contains the Corticopontine fibres
Lesion: loss of coordination
Superior cerebellar peduncle
Function: contains the fibres that transmits feedback to the motor cortex via the thalamus
Lesion: loss of coordination
Basilar pontine nucleus
Function: the Corticopontine fibres synapses here
Lesion: loss of coordination
Superior colliculus
Function: responsible for visual reflexes
Lesions: abnormal visual reflexes
Inferior colliculus
Function: responsible for auditory reflexes
Lesions:
Pineal gland
Function: releases melatonin
Lesions:impaired sleep regulation
Periaqueductal Gray
Central Gray
Raphe nuclei
Function: serotonin distribution throughout the brain and spinal cord. It is an awake centre and keeps brain awake.
Lesions: excessive sleepiness
Isthmus
Function: organiser. Responsible for the development of the hindbrain and cerebellum
Lesions: death
Entorhinal cortex
Function:part of the hippocampal structures. Attaches location to episodic memory
Lesions:position aspect of memory impaired
Subiculum
Function:final output of the hippocampal structures
Lesions: loss of ability to form episodice memory
Visual cortex
Function: processes visual information
Lesions: cortical blindness
Dentate gyrus
Function: important for the formation of episodic memory
Lesions: inability to form episodic memory
Substantia nigra
Function:produces dopamine and distributes in the striatal complex
Lesions: Parkinson’s disease
Ventral tegmental area
Function:produces dopamine and distributes in the accumbens nucleus. Part of the reward system
Lesions: lack of motivation
Red nucleus
Function: gives rise to rubrospinal tract, an important motor bundle
Lesions:motor impairments
Medial geniculate
Function: part of the thalamus, projects auditory information to the auditory cortex
Lesions: inability to process auditory information
Hypothalamus
Function: important functions that is responsible for the survival of the organism. Controls the autonomic nervous system and the neuroendocrine system
Lesions: death
Thalamus
Function: relays all sensory and other inputs to the cerebral cortex. There are few exceptions such as the olfactory system
Lesions:inability to process specific information based in area affected.
Dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus
Function:part of the thalamus. Relays visual information to the primary visual cortex.
Lesions: cortical blindness
VPM and VPL
Function:relays pain, touch and temperature sensations from the body
Lesions:loss of sensations
Pretectum
Function:
Lesions:
Prethalamus
Function:
Lesions:
Corpus callosum
Function: the largest commissure in the nervous system. Connects the right hemisphere to the left hemisphere
Lesions: split brain conditions
Amygdala
Function:emotional processing and processing olfactory sensations
Lesions: loss of social hierarchy and related feelings, loss of aggression and fear. Also good visual perception but lost visual recognition
Piriform cortex
Function: processes olfactory sensations
Lesions: loss of olfactory sensations
Optic tract
Function:carries visual information from the retina
Lesions: blindness
Caudate-putamen
Function:part of striatum and is important in regulation of style and form of movement. Projects to the pallidum. Initiation of movement.
Lesions: increased muscle tone that makes the person to appear emotionless or apathetic. Parkinson’s disease
Globus pallidus
Function:part of pallidumand is important in regulation of style and form of movement. Projects GABAergic fibres to the thalamus. Initiation of movement.
Lesions: increased muscle tone that makes the person to appear emotionless or apathetic. Parkinson’s disease
Insular cortex
Function: processes taste and visceral sensations
Lesions: loss of these sensations
Internal capsule
Function:carries both ascending and descending fibres to and from the cortex
Lesions: loss of sensations or paralysis of voluntary muscles or both to some extent.
VMH
Function: nuclues that produces feeling of satiey
Lesions: never feels full
Fornix
Function: connects the hippocampal structures and some other parts of the part
Lesions: coordination of these centres for complete processing of information
Claustrum
Function:
Lesions:
Ventral pallidum
Function:part of the striatum. Works with orbits frontal cortex to produce pleasure
Lesions: lack of motivation
Anterior commissure
Function: connects the structures of the temporal lobes
Lesions: inability to coordinate information from both sides.
Stria terminalis
Function:
Lesions:
Septum
Function:
Lesions: Headache
Preoptic area
Function: has centres that regulate the 24 hour clock and sleep regulation
Lesions:hormonal disturbances and pathological insomnia
Cingulate cortex
Function:important for personality and behaviour
Lesions: profound changes in behaviour
Nucleus accumbens
Function: part of the striatal complex that stimulates the ventral pallidum and orbitofrontal cortex to produce feeling of pleasure
Lesions: lack of motivation
Olfactory bulb
Function: carries olfactory information
Lesions: loss of olfaction senses
Accessory olfactory bulb
Function: pheromone detection. Important for social and mating clues
Lesions: inability to detect these cues
