Cranial cavity and brain

Question 1

What does the coronal suture do?

Answer 1

Joins the frontal bone to the 2 parietal bones

Question 2

What does the sagittal suture do?

Answer 2

Joins each parietal bone together along the midline

Question 3

What does the lambdoid suture do?

Answer 3

Joins the occpital bone to the 2 parietal bones

Question 4

Where is the bregma?

Answer 4

Junction between the frontal and 2 parietal bones

Question 5

Where is the lambda?

Answer 5

Junction between the occipital and 2 parietal bones

Question 6

What are the components of the temporal bone?

Answer 6

Squamous part, zygomatic mastoid and styloid processes, external acoustic meatus and petrous part

Question 7

What is the significance of the anterior cranial fossa?

Answer 7

Cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone contains small perforations through which the small olfactory nerves pass

Question 8

What are the 4 foramen in the middle cranial fossa?

Answer 8

Foramen rotundum, foramen ovale, foramen spinosum and foramen lacerum

Question 9

What are the important holes in the posterior cranial fossa?

Answer 9

Foramen magnum, internal acoustic meatus, jugular foramen and hypoglossal canal (foramen)

Question 10

What does the prosencephalon become?

Answer 10

Telencephalon and diencephalon

Question 11

What does the mesencephalon become?

Answer 11

Stays as mesencephalon

Question 12

What does the rhombencephalon become?

Answer 12

Metencephalon and myelencephalon

Question 13

What structures do the telencephalon and diencephalon become?

Answer 13

Cerebral hemisphere
Thalamus, hypothalamus, optic nerve and retina, pituitary

Question 14

What do the metencephalon and myelencephalon give rise to?

Answer 14

Pons and cerebellum (1) and medulla oblongata (2)

Question 15

What is the biggest connection the L and R hemispheres?

Answer 15

Corpus callosum - bunde of white matter joining the cerebral hemispheres together.

Question 16

What is the interventricular foramen?

Answer 16

• small structures
• between fornix and anterior pole of thalamus
• connects lateral ventricles to third ventricle

Question 16

What is the insula?

Answer 16

• thin ribbon of grey matter
• lies deep to lateral sulcus
• insulated by the frontal and temporal lobes

Question 17

Where is the third ventricle found?

Answer 17

Between the two thalami

Question 18

What does the third ventricle contain?

Answer 18

Hypothalamus

Question 19

What is the cerebral aqueduct?

Answer 19

A small cavity in the midbrain that connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle

Question 20

What are subarachnoid cisterns?

Answer 20

• compartments within subarachnoid space
• pia mater and arachnoid membrane are not in close approximation
• CSF forms pools/cisterns –> provides the brain with nutrients, allow for solute exchange, basic mechanical/functional support for the brain

Question 21

What are arachnoid granulations?

Answer 21

• small outpouching of the arachnoid mater
• protrudes into the venous sinuses
• allow CSF to exit the subarachnoid space and enter blood stream

Question 22

What are the three layers of meninges?

Answer 22

Dura, arachnoid and pia mater

Question 23

Describe dura mater

Answer 23

• tough mother
• outermost layer, fibrous protective layer which adheres to the periosteum of the skull

Question 24

Describe arachnoid mater

Answer 24

• spidery mother
• middle layer
• much more delicate membrane, lines the inner surface of the dura mater

Question 25

Describe pia mater

Answer 25

• delicate mother
• adheres to the brain surface and follows its contours

Question 26

What are the three types of haematoma?

Answer 26

1) Extradural
2) Subdural
3) Subarachnoid

Question 27

Outline extradural haematoma

Answer 27

• between skull and dura
• arterial blood –> middle meningeal artery
• result of skull fracture –> brain damage due to increased pressure

Question 28

Outline subdural haematoma

Answer 28

• between dura and arachnoid
• venous blood –> superior cerebral vein
• result of damage to brain

Question 29

Outline subarachnoid haematoma

Answer 29

• between arachnoid and pia
• usually result of aneurysm, skull fracture or cerebral laceration –> meningitis irritation, severe headache, stiff neck and often loss of consciousness