Exam 1 Flashcards
What do Shh and BMP growth factors do?
Differentiate neural tube along dorsal/ventral axis with use of concentration gradients
What is the neural plate?
Derivation of ectoderm that eventually forms the neural tube (4th wk)
What is primary neurulation
The columnarization of existing epithelium followed by rolling of the epithelium along the rostro-caudal axis
What is secondary neurulation?
The condensation of mesenchyme to the rod, which undergoes an epithelial transition to form the neural tube
What is the mechanism by which the neural tube closes?
5 waves of closure beginning in brain stem/upper spinal cord, followed by head, face, neck, and finally ending at the caudal region (sacral part) of spinal cord
What is unique about the sacral part of the spinal cord?
It is formed by secondary neurulation as opposed to primary neurulation as seen in thee rest of the spinal cord
What is anencephaly?
Lack of skull/cerebrum formation due to the failure of wave 2 neural tube closure
What is spina bifida?
Incomplete formation of spinal cord and vertebrae due to incomplete closure of neural tube and caudal spinal cord (wave 5)
What is the hind brain?
Medulla and pons
What is the midbrain?
Mesencephalon
What makes up the forebrain (prosencephalon)?
Diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus)
Telencephalon (cerebral hemispheres)
What do rostral/caudal refer to?
Rostral - towards front of brain
Caudal - towards spinal cord
What are the flexures of the brain?
Cephalic flexure - ensures optical axes are at proper angle to vertebral column
Pontine flexure - at area of 4th ventricle, edges give rise to cerebellum
What are the rexeds lamina?
Functionally specific areas of grey matter
dorsal - sensory
intermediate - autonomic
ventral - motor
What is the dorsal funiculus? What information is carried?
Dorsal spinal tracts of white matter comprised of cuneate and gracile fasciculi (smaller tracts)
Carries tactile info to brainstem/thalamus
What info is carried in the lateral corticospinal tract?
descending motor info
What info is carried in the spinocerebellar tracts?
Tactile/proprioceptive info to cerebellum
Where is pain/temperature carried through spinal cord?
Anterolateral system
Besides lateral corticospinal tract, where else is descending motor info carried through spinal cord?
Anterior corticospinal, vestibulospinal, and reticulospinal tracts
What does the propriospinal tract do?
Surrounds grey matter, interconnecting various spinal levels
What is the substantia nigra?
dopamine modulation and motor control center in midbrain
What is the periaqueductile grey (PAG)?
Regulation of pain/stress response in midbrain
What are the superior/inferior colliculi?
Midbrain structures
superior - vision pathway
inferior - auditory pathway
What is the red nucleus?
Part of descending motor pathway in midbrain
What is the cerebral peduncle?
White matter of the midbrain involved with sensory/motor pathways to/from spinal cord, brainstem, and cortex
What is the epithalamus?
part of diencephalon containing pineal gland
What is the major difference between the anterior and posterior pituitary?
anterior is derived from ectoderm and communicates via connecting blood vessels (portal system) from hypothalamus
posterior is derived from neural tube and communicates directly with hypothalamus
What are the 5 main divisions of the cerebral cortex?
Frontal lobe - motor cortex, broca’s speech
Parietal lobe - somatosensory, wernicke’s language
Temporal lobe - auditory, memory
Occipital lobe - visual cortex
Insula (between frontal/temporal) - gustatory, visceral, emotional cortex
What are basal ganglia?
Gateway of fiber tracts from cortex located in central white matter
globus pallidus, caudate/putamen striatum, substantia nigra, subthalamus
What structures make up the limbic system?
Limbic cortex - cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, orbital/medial prefrontal cortex
Anterior/medial dorsal thalamic nuclei
Amygdala
Ventral striatum
What is the fovea?
Central point of retina with only cones and no rods
point of visual acuity
avascular - reduces vascular interference
What is the macula lutea?
Yellow area surrounding fovea