Chapter 15 - Brain and Cranial Nerves Flashcards
Gray Matter
- outer part (cortex) of cerebrum and of cerebellum, as well as deep nuclei
- neurosomas, dendrites, and synaspes
White Matter
- deep in brain
- bundles of mylinated axons
Ventricles
chambers filled with CSF and lined by ependymal cells
- lateral ventricles (connected by interventricular foramen)
- third ventricles (connected to fourth by cerebral aqueduct)
- fourth venttricle (central canal)
Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
clear, colorless liquid = plasma that is filtered and modified by ependymal cells
- produced by choroid plexus within ventricles
- flows within ventricles, canals, and subarachnoid space around CNS
- absorbed by arachnoid granulations into blood of superior sagittal sinus
Functions of CSF
- Buoyancy
- Protection
- Chemical Stability
Brain Blood Supply
- brain is 2% of body weight
- receives 15% of blood
- receives 20% of oxygen and glucose
Blood-Brain Barrier
- isolation from general circulation
- seals capillaries in brain tissue (astrocytes)
- tight junctions between endothelial cells
Blood-CSF Barrier
- seals choroid plexus within brain ventricles (ependymal cells)
- tight junctions between ependymal cells
Medulla Oblongata
Several important nuclei:
- Cardiac center
- regulated rate and force of heartbeat
- Vasomotor center
- regulates blood pressure
- Respiratory center
- breathing, speech, coughing, sneezing, salivation, swallowing, gagging, and vomiting
Pons
- facial sensation and expression
- control of chewing, respiration, and sleep
- many tracts and relay centers
Midbrain
- nuclei that process visual and auditory information and control reflexes triggered by them
- cerebral aqueduct passes through
- centers that control consciousness
Reticular Formation
- web of gray matter that runs through all levels of brainstem
- regulates vital autonomic functions
1. Somatic motor control
2. Cardiovascular control
3. Pain modulation
4. Sleep and consciousness
5. Habituation
Cerebellum
- autonomic processing center
- adjusts postural muscles (balance and equilibrium)
- fine tunes & programs movements (e.g. riding a bike)
- Cortex of folia - gray matter
- Purkinje cells (receive input)
- deep nuclei (coordinate and control body movements)
- Arbor vitae - white matter
- connects cortex and nuclei w/ peduncles
Diencephalon
- part of forebrain
- three divisions that surround third ventricle
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Epithalamus
- integrates sensory information with motor output
Thalamus
- gateway to the cortex
- involved in sensation, movement, memory, and emotion
Hypothalamus
- relay signals from limbic to thalamus
- major control center of the autonomic nervous system and endocrine system
- Functions:
- Hormone secretion (ADH & OXT)
- Autonomic effectors
- Thermoregulation
- Sleep and circadian rhythms
- Emotional & behavioral drives
Epithalamus
- thin rood over third ventricle
- pineal gland (endocrine) - melatonin
- habenula - relay from limbic system to midbrain
Frontal Lobe
- cognition
- speech
- motor control
Parietal Lobe
interprets signals of general senses and taste
Occipital Lobe
principle visual center
Temporal Lobe
- hearing
- smell
- learning
- memory
Insula
- taste
- visceral sensation
- language
Association tracts
connect regions within same hemisphere
Commissural tracts
cross between two hemispheres (corpus callosum is largest)