Central Nervous System Flashcards

1
Q

What is a pathway, tract or commissure in the CNS?

A

No nerves in the CNS –
a group of axons travelling together is called a pathway, tract or commissure

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2
Q

What are nuclei in the CNS?

A

Cell bodies of neurons of similar functions often cluster together – in the CNS these clusters are called nuclei
(in the PNS they are called ganglia)

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3
Q

What are the parts of the brain before we are born?

A
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4
Q

What develops from the Forebrain?

A

Cerebrum, Lobes
Thalamus, Hypothalamus

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5
Q

What is included in the brainstem?

A

Medulla Oblongata
Pons
Midbrain

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6
Q

What develops from the Hindbrain?

A
  1. Cerebellum
  2. Pons
  3. Medulla Oblongata
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7
Q
A
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8
Q

What are the parts of The Cerebrum?

3

A
  • Cerebral cortex -> superficial, grey matter, mostly cell bodies
  • White matter -> deep, tracts of myelinated axons
  • Subcortical nuclei -> grey matter, deep to white matter

Left and right cerebral hemispheres

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9
Q

Cerebrum

What is the Corpus Callosum?

A

Massive bundle of axons that connects the left and right hemispheres allowing communication

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10
Q

Cerebrum

What is The Cerebral Cortex?

4

A
  • Site of complex integration of information
  • Folding of the cerebral cortex increases its surface area
  • Gyri/folds (s. gyrus) and sulci (s. sulcus)
  • Lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
  • perception, skilled movements reasoning, learning and memory
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11
Q

Cerebrum

What are Gyri?
(folds)

A

gyri allows higher order reasoning and complex decision making

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12
Q

Cerebrum

What are the Lobes of the Brain?

A

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

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13
Q

Cerebrum

What is the Subcortical Nuclei?

A
  • Deep within the cerebral hemispheres
  • Grey matter
  • Important for controlling movement and posture and complex aspects of behaviour
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14
Q

Cerebrum

What is the Limbic System? (4)
What makes it up? (4)

A
  • Functional system containing both grey + white matter
  • Frontal lobe + temporal lobe + thalamus + hypothalamus + the pathways that connect them
  • Learning, emotional experience and behaviour
  • Visceral and endocrine functioning
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15
Q

What makes up The Diencephalon?

A
  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Epithalamus
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16
Q

The Diencephalon

What is the Thalamus?

A
  • Collection of large nuclei
  • Integration center for most inputs to the cortex
  • Arousal, focusing attention and filtering extraneous information
17
Q

The Diencephalon

What is the Hypothalamus?

A
  • Collection of nuclei
  • Master command center for neural-endocrine coordination (internal homeostatic regulation)
  • Connected to and regulates the pituitary gland
18
Q

The Diencephalon

What is the Epithalamus?

A

Contains the pineal gland (participates in control of circadian rhythm through release of melatonin)

19
Q

What is The Cerebellum?
What can block it?

A
  • Cerebellar cortex -> superficial, grey matter
  • Movement coordination and posture/balance control
  • Almost exclusively functions in motor control

gets blocked when drinking alcohol, casues blance loss

20
Q

What is The Brainstem?
What is included in it?

A
  • ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE (breathing, heart rate, swallowing reflexes)
  • Midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata and reticular formation
  • Receives input from all regions of the CNS and processes it
21
Q

Brain - Cross Section

A
22
Q

What are Meninges?

A
  • Between soft neural tissue and bones (in skull and spine)
  • Protect CNS, circulate and absorb cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)
  • Subarachnoid space is filled with CSF
23
Q

What are the layers of the meninges?
(superficial -> deep)

A

Dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater (superficial -> deep)

24
Q

What is Cerebral Spinal Fluid?

A
  • Provides cushioning for the CNS
  • Circulates the brain through the ventricles
  • Samples of CSF can provide diagnostic information about the brain
25
Q

What secretes Cerebral Spinal Fluid?

A

Produced by ependymal cells in the choroid plexus

26
Q

What forms The Blood Brain Barrier?

A

Formed by astrocytes and the cells that line the smallest blood vessels in the brain

27
Q

What is The Blood Brain Barrier?

A

Exchange of substances between the blood and extracellular fluid of CNS is highly regulated compared to other organs

  • Lipid-soluble solutes can easily pass the blood brain barrier
  • Substances that cannot diffuse across cell membranes rely on transport proteins (i.e.,
28
Q

The Blood Brain Barrier

What are Tight Junctions?

A

protein complexes that restrict the movement of polar molecules into the CNS