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Year 2 Neuro > Cortical Organisation and Structure > Flashcards

Cortical Organisation and Structure Flashcards

1
Q

What does the cerebral cortex cover?

A

Entire surface of the brain

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2
Q

What comprises the cortex?

A

Deep nuclei

Grey matter

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3
Q

What is the structure of the cortex?

A

Highly folded with gyri and sulci

Organised into lobes

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4
Q

How is the cortex organised microscopically?

A

Layers and Columns

6 layers

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5
Q

How many regions of the brain are there, based on cytoarchitecture?

A

52

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6
Q

What is region 4?

A

Primary motor cortex

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7
Q

What are regions 1,2 + 3?

A

Primary somatosensory cortices

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8
Q

What are the 4 lobes?

A

Frontal
Parietal Occipital
Temporal

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9
Q

What functions is the frontal lobe responsible for?

A

Regulating and initiating motor function

Language

cognitive functions (executive function [e.g. planning])

Attention

Memory

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10
Q

What functions is the parietal lobe responsible for?

A

Sensation - touch, pain

sensory aspects of language

spatial orientation and self-perception

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11
Q

What function is the occipital lobe responsible for?

A

Processing visual information

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12
Q

What functions is the temporal lobe responsible for?

A

Processing auditory information

Emotions

Memories

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13
Q

What is included in the Limbic lobe?

A

Includes the amygdala, hippocampus, mamillary body, and cingulate gyrus

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14
Q

What is the Limbic lobe responsible for?

A

learning, memory, emotion, motivation and reward

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15
Q

Where is the insular cortex found?

A

Deep within the lateral fissure

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16
Q

What is the insular cortex concerned with?

A 
Visceral sensations 
Autonomic control
Interoception
Auditory processing
Visual-vestibular integration
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17
Q

What comprises grey matter?

A

Neuronal cell bodies and glial cells

85 billion of each

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18
Q

What comprises white matter?

A

Myelinated neuronal axons arranged in tracts

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19
Q

What are the different types of white matter tracts?

A

Association fibres
Commissural fibres
Projection fibres

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20
Q

Whats are the different tracts differentiated by?

A

What cortical areas they connect

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21
Q

What do association fibres connect?

A

Areas within the same hemisphere

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22
Q

What do projection fibres connect?

A

Cortex with lower brain structures (e.g. thalamus, brain stem and spinal cord)

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23
Q

What do commissural fibres connect?

A

Homologous structure in left and right hemispheres

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24
Q

What are short association fibres also known as?

A

U fibres
Because of their shape
Tend to connect adjacent cortical regions

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25
Q

Name 4 long association fibres and what they connect

A

Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus connects frontal and occipital lobes

Arcuate Fasciculus - connects frontal and temporal lobes

Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus - connects temporal and occipital lobes

Uncinate Fasciculus - connects anterior frontal and temporal lobes

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26
Q

Name two commissural fibres

A

Corpus Callosum

Anterior commissure

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27
Q

What are the two types of projection fibres?

A

Afferent – towards cortex
(Info from outside world up via the spinal cord)
Efferent – away from cortex
(Info out from the cortex down the brainstem/spinal cord)

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28
Q

What are the afferent/efferent projection fibres collectively known as?

A

Corona Radiata

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29
Q

What happens to the projection fibres deeper to cortex?

A

Radiate as the corona radiate

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30
Q

What happens as the projection fibres make their way down towards the spinal cord?

A

Converge through internal capsule between thalamus and basal ganglia
Occupying smaller spaces
Then they are congregated into a structure called the internal capsule

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31
Q

What does the internal capsule contain?

A

Both motor and sensory fibres

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32
Q

How are the cortices categorised functionally?

A

Primary cortices

Secondary/association cortices

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33
Q

What are the main features of primary cortices?

A

Function predictable (e.g. sensation in specific part of skin will cause activity in a discrete region of somatosensory cortex)

Organised topographically (body regions located in particular region of the cortex)

Symmetry between left and right
(e.g. stimulate motor region 3 cm from midline would contract the same muscle on both sides of body)

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34
Q

What are the main features of secondary cortices?

A

Function less predictable

Not organised topographically

Left-right symmetry weak or absent

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35
Q

Where do you tend to find secondary cortices?

A

Surrounding primary cortices

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36
Q

What are the functions of the primary motor cortex in the frontal lobe?

A

Motor impulse generation

Controls fine, discrete, precise voluntary movements

Provides descending signals to execute movements

37
Q

What are the functions of the supplementary motor area in the frontal lobe?

A

Involved in planning movements (e.g. externally cued - plan to move a limb)

Orchestrates the sequence of events before the movement needs to take place

38
Q

Give an example of a secondary cortex in the frontal lobe?

A

Supplementary area

39
Q

What is the function of the pre-motor area of the frontal lobe?

A

Involved in planning complex movements (e.g. internally cued)

40
Q

What is the primary cortex in the parietal lobe?

A

Primary somatosensory

41
Q

What is the function of the primary somatosensory?

A

Processes somatic sensations arising from receptors in the body

(e.g. fine touch, vibration, two-point discrimination, proprioception, pain and temperature

42
Q

What is the secondary cortex of the parietal lobe?

A

Somatosensory association

43
Q

What is the function of the somatosensory association in the parietal lobe?

A

Adds significance to the sensations

Interpret significance of sensory information, e.g. recognizing an object placed in the hand.

Awareness of self and awareness of personal space

44
Q

What is the primary cortex in the occipital lobe?

A

Primary visual

45
Q

What is the function of the primary visual cortex?

A

Processes visual stimuli

46
Q

What is the secondary cortex in the occipital lobe?

A

Visual association

47
Q

What is the function of the visual association cortex?

A

Gives meaning and interpretation of visual input

Recognition of the input

48
Q

What is the primary cortex of the temporal lobe?

A

Primary auditory

49
Q

What is the function of the primary auditory cortex?

A

Processes auditory stimuli

50
Q

What is the secondary cortex of the temporal lobe?

A

Gives meaning and interpretation of auditory input

51
Q

Name three other secondary/association cortices

A

Prefrontal cortex
Broca’s area
Wernicke’s area

52
Q

What are the functions of the pre-frontal cortex?

A

Executive functions e.g.

Attention
Adjusting social behaviour
Planning
Personality expression
Decision making
53
Q

What is the function of Broca’s area?

A

Production of language

54
Q

What is the function of Wernicke’s area?

A

Understanding of language

55
Q

Where is Broca’s area found?

A

Sits directly in front of the motor regions

It is a motor region with respect to language

How you formulate your mouth and generate the motor commands to produce speech

56
Q

Where is Wernicke’s area found?

A

Temporal lobe - so is a sensory region in relation to language

57
Q

What symptoms are common in frontal lobe lesions?

A

Changes in personality

Inappropriate behaviour

58
Q

What are classic symptoms of parietal lobe lesions?

A

Loose aspects of self-awareness and personal space

59
Q

What would happen to a patient with a lesion in the right parietal lobe?

A

Contralateral neglect (themselves and the world)

e. g. would neglect to shave left side of factor or put left arm into t-shirt
e. g. would not eat food on the left side of plate

Lack of awareness of self on left side

Lack of awareness of left side of extrapersonal space

60
Q

What are classic symptoms of temporal lobe lesions?

A

Leads to agnosia (inability to recognise)

61
Q

What happened to the case of HM who had a bilateral resection of anterior medial temporal lobe?

A

Could not form new memories - anterograde amnesia

62
Q

What would a lesion to Broca’s area lead to?

A

Expressive aphasia – poor production of speech, comprehension intact

Can understand reading/speech

63
Q

What would a lesion to Wernicke’s area lead to?

A

Receptive aphasia – poor comprehension of speech, production is fine

64
Q

What would a lesion in the primary visual cortex (occipital lobe) lead to?

A

Blindness in the corresponding part of the visual field

As signals can not reach cortex from retina

65
Q

What would a lesion to the visual association cortex (occipital lobe) lead to?

A

Deficits in interpretation of visual information e.g. prosopagnosia: inability to recognise familiar faces or learn new faces (face blindness)

66
Q

What can be used to assess cortical function?

A

Imaging

Encephalography

67
Q

What imaging can be used to assess cortical function?

A

Position emission tomography (PET)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

68
Q

How does PET work?

A

Radioactive glucose injected into blood and the person is placed in scanner and asked to undertake a task

Examines blood flow directly to brain region

Regions that consume glucose will light up on scan

e.g. if reading visual cortex will light up
if speaking Broca’s area will light up

69
Q

How does fMRI work?

A

Used to understand brain function when carrying out tasks e.g. responding to emotional stimuli

Used to understand connection between brain regions

Amount of blood oxygen in a brain region is monitored

Assesses oxygenated vs. deoxygenated blood in an area

Increased oxygen being delivered equals increased activity

70
Q

What should be considered before a scan?

A

Is the radiation that PET exposes the patient to necessary

Differences in temporal and spatial resolution

71
Q

What does electroencephalography measure?

A

Electrical signals produced by the brain can reach the surface and be detected by electrodes all over the brain

Comparing the signals from different regions of the brain over time can give you an insight into what regions were active at the time of a stimulus or task

Frequently used for sleep disorders or epilepsy

72
Q

What doe magnetoencephalography measure (MEG)?

A

Magnetic signals produced by the brain

More recent

73
Q

How are electrodes placed?

A

Electrodes are numbered and have a specific position

Universal system

74
Q

What potentials are observed?

A

Visual evoked potentials
Event-related potentials
Evoked-Potentials

With brain activity 50-100 stimuli are needed to elicit a waveform

75
Q

How do you know which signal corresponds to which electrodes?

A

e.g LO-Fz shows the signals between the electrodes LO and Fz

76
Q

How can we assess the integrity of the sensory pathway?

A

Record along the path from an impulse when it arrives along the entrance point of a peripheral nerve up to the brain

Routinely carried out in people with spinal cord injuries

To confirm where along the pathway any injury has occurred

77
Q

What is recorded when using somatosensory evoked potentials?

A

Series of waves that reflect sequential activation of neural structures along the somatosensory pathways

Can track the pathway of a peripheral nerve from start to end

To ascertain where within the nervous system there is an issue and the signal gets blocked

78
Q

What is the path that should be recorded when using somatosensory evoked potentials?

A

E.g. Median nerve

Impulses arriving at shoulder

Mid-cervical cord activity

Thalamic activity

Somatosensory activity

Each will generate a trace

79
Q

How can we asses cortical function using brain stimulation (non-invasive)?

A

Assess functional integrity of neural circuits

Using transcranial magnetic stimulation

Electromagnetic induction stimulated neurons

Hold a magnetic coil over head. Current is passed through the coil causing a EM field to be induced.

The EM field produces a field in a nerve or the brain

80
Q

How can TMS be used in practice?

A

Investigate neural interactions controlling movement following spinal cord injury

Investigate whether a specific brain area is responsible for a function e.g. speech

Could be used in modulating activity e.g turning down overactivity

Research being conducted into whether it can reduce/prevent epilepsy, used in tinnitus, migraines

81
Q

What is tDCS?

A

Transcranial direct current stimulation

82
Q

What does tCDS do?

A

Uses low direct current over the scape to increase or decease neuronal firing rates

83
Q

What is DTI?

A

Diffusion tensor imaging

84
Q

What is DTI used for?

A

Assessing structure of the brain

Based on the diffusion of water molecules

85
Q

What is DTI with tractography used for?

A

3D reconstruction to assess neural tracts

86
Q

What are the main symptoms of MS?

A 
Fatigue
Vision problems
Numbness and tinglign 
Mobility issues
Pain 
Anxiety and Depression
Sexual problems
 Bladder problems
87
Q

What is MS?

A

Multiple Sclerosis: autoimmune condition of the CNS. Demyelinates nerves in a particular set of neurons, disrupting these nerves from conducting impulses. It is not directly inherited but there is a genetic component. It usually begins in early adulthood between the ages of 20 and 40.

88
Q

What is a M-wave

A

Small preceding wave to any motor response, muscle twitches

Direct activation of motor neuron towards muscles

Year 2 Neuro (15 decks)

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