Diencephalon

Question 1

initially, closure of the neural tube in this region forms

Answer 1

rhombencephalon (hindbrain)

Mesencephalon (midbrain)

prosencephalon (forebrain)

during week 4

Question 2

during week five prosencephalon divides into

Answer 2

telencephalon and diencephalon

Question 3

during week five rhombencephalon divides into

Answer 3

divides into telencephalon and metencephalon

Question 4

diencephalon parts

Answer 4

thalamus (dorsal)
hypothalamus 
epithalamus
sub/ventral thalamus
metathalamus (medial or lateral geniculate nuclei)

Question 5

Three major groupings for thalamic nuclei

Answer 5

specific, non-specific, reticular

Question 6

Specific “relay nuclei”

Answer 6

auditory system: cochlear nuclei- inferior colliculus- MEDIAL geniculate

visual system: retina- LATERAL geniculate

Sensory system: Ventral Posterior nuclei (VOM (head/face) and VPL (body) receives info from: Medial lemniscus, spinothalamic tracts, trigeminothalamic tracts- primary sensory cortex

Motor system: cerebellum- red nucleus- Ventral Lateral; substantia nigra- basal nulcei- Ventral Anterior

Question 7

non-specific “association” nuclei

Answer 7

anterior (cingulate gyrus)

dorsomedial (prefrontal and orbital cortex)- limbic system

dorsomedial, pulvinar, lateral dorsal, and lateral posterior: connected widely with other thalamic nuclei and cortex connections r reciprocal

Question 8

medial geniculate nucleus function

Answer 8

auditory system

Question 9

lateral geniculate nucleus

Answer 9

visual system

Question 10

pulvinar

Answer 10

sensory integration

Question 11

ventral posterior medial

Answer 11

sensory for face

Question 12

ventral posterior lateral

Answer 12

sensory for body

Question 13

ventral lateral nucleus

Answer 13

motor system- cerebellum

Rostral-> motor
Caudal-> somatosensory

Question 14

ventral anterior nucleus

Answer 14

motor system- basal nuclei

Question 15

anterior nucleus

Answer 15

limbic system

Question 16

lateral dorsal nucleus

Answer 16

limbic system

Question 17

lateral posterior nucleus

Answer 17

sensory integration

Question 18

dorsomedial nulceus

Answer 18

limbic system

Question 19

midline nucleus

Answer 19

cortico arousal

Question 20

reticular nulceus

Answer 20

inhibit thalamic nucleus

Question 21

intralaminar

Answer 21

activate cortex (thalamic activation)

Question 22

acute clinical manifestations of thalamic lesions

Answer 22

disturbances of consciousness (esp. bilateral)

behavior and memory disorders

contralateral hypesthesia and anesthesia, paresthesias

contralateral hemiataxia

quadrantanopia

Question 23

thalamic pain

Answer 23

condition developed after deafferentation of thalamus.

Question 24

central pain

Answer 24

deafferentation anywhere along CNS part of pain pathway

first symptoms often include lack of sensation and tingling in opposite side of body

weeks to months later, numbness can develop into severe and chronic pain that is not proportional to an environmental stimulus- allodynia

Question 25

epithalamus

Answer 25

habenular nuclei

pineal gland

Question 26

habenular nulcei

Answer 26

input from limbic system, projects to septal nuclei- role in reward processing

Question 27

pineal gland

Answer 27

produces melatonin: induction of sleep, melatonin secretion suppressed by light

calcification typically seen in adults- useful radiological landmark, as it is a midline structure

most common pathology: tumors-> early puberty onset, midbrain compression