Cranial Nerves Flashcards
Which of the cranial nerves are exclusively sensory?
- Olfactory (1)
- Optic (2)
- Vestibulocochlear (8)
Compare the locations of motor nuclei in spinal nerves and in cranial nerves
Spinal: ventral horn of grey matter
Cranial: medial part of the brainstem
Compare the locations of sensory nuclei in spinal nerves and in cranial nerves
Spinal: dorsal horn of the grey matter
Cranial: lateral part of the brainstem
What divides the alar and basal plates into their respective sensory and motor components?
the sulcus limitans
Which four cranial nerves contain parasympathetic fibres, and where do they synapse?
- ciliary ganglion (3)
- pyterogopalatine ganglion (7)
- submandibular ganglion (7)
- otic ganglion (9)
Which of the three cervical ganglion only innervates the neck?
- superior cervical ganglion
Where do the olfactory nerve fibres originate, project through, and synapse?
Originate: nasal olfactory epithelium
Project: through the cribriform plate
Synapse: olfactory bulb
Where do second-order neurons in the olfactory bulb connect, and via what means?
primary olfactory cortex via the olfactory tract
True or false, the sense of olfaction has thalamic relay.
False
What connects the two olfactory bulbs and the piriform cortices?
The anterior commissure
What are the primary olfactory cortical areas?
- Anterior olfactory nucleus
- Amygdala
- Olfactory tubercle
- Piriform cortex
- Entorhinal cortex
Discuss the process of primary olfactory sensory neurons expressing on their receptors
- express only one of ~1000 olfactory receptors, and converge their inputs onto single second-order neurons via the large synaptic meshwork (the glomeruli) at the olfactory bulb
Under what conditions do cone cells function?
Light
What are cone cells responsible for, and what are their visual acuity like?
- colour vision (blue, green, red)
- high visual acuity as they connect to few bipolar cells
Under what conditions do rod cells function under?
- low light
Why do rod cells have decreased visual acuity?
- they connect to many bipolar cells, which increases sensitivity but decreases acuity.
What cells sharpen contrast?
- horizontal cells
What cells regulate sensitivity?
- amacrine cells
What nerve carries visual information to the brain?
- optic nerve (carried by retinal ganglion cells)
Where do retinal ganglion cell axons leave the eye?
- the optic disk
Light falling through the cornea is focused onto what, by what?
- focused onto the retina by the lens
What is the fovea, and what is distinct about its cells?
- the point of highest visual resolution
- highest concentration of cone cells
What are the hemiretinae of each eye?
- nasal and temporal hemiretinae
Where do most retinal ganglion cell axons from the nasal hemiretinae decussate?
- optic chiasm
Why don’t all retinal ganglion cell axons decussate at the optic chiasm?
- the crossover of fibres from the nasal hemiretinae allows for complete crossover of visual information
What is the organisation of the primary visual cortex (V1)?
- contralaterally and upside-down
What nucleus of the thalamus does visual input enter into?
- the lateral geniculate nucleus
What columns segregate the visual input from both eyes in V1?
ocular dominance columns:
- meaning the layers of V1 are striped such that they are represented; ipsi, contra, ipsi, contra
How many layers does the lateral geniculate nucleus have, and what inputs do they each receive?
6 layers, each receiving exclusive input from either the ipsi- or contra- eye
Where do M-type retinal ganglion cells project to?
the magnocellular layers of the LGN (ventral 2x)
Where do P-type retinal ganglion cells project to?
- the parvocellular layers of the LGN (dorsal, 4x)
Where are the intralaminar neurons located, and what do they do?
- between the layers of the LGN
- receive and relay information relating to colour to V1
What do the M-type retinal ganglion cells d?
- form the basis for a visual pathway that is specialised for movement detection
What do the P-type retinal ganglion cells do?
- form part of the parallel pathway that relays information on form and colour