Functional Anatomy of the Brain Flashcards
What are the brain lobes
4: frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe
What are the two main sulci
Lateral sulcus (also known as Sylvian fissure) and central sulcus
What is the insula cortex hidden by
The lateral sulcus
What are the “hills” of the brain
Gyri
What are the “valleys” of the brain
Sulci
What is the function of the corpus callosum
It provides a rout for information to get from one hemisphere to the other without having to synapse further down
What is the corpus callosum essential for
Normal functioning and integration
What are ventricles
Fluid-filled spaces in the brain
What are the 3 main arteries coming off the Circle of Willis
Anterior cerebral artery, middle cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery
What does the anterior cerebral artery supply
The parietal lobe
What does the middle cerebral artery supply
The area for motor control and the area that receives feedback from teh somatosensory system
What happens if you have a stroke in your MCA
It has a big impact on your life
What does the motor cortex describe
A place and function
Why can surgery be done under local anaesthetic
There are no pain receptors in neural tissue
What is the main output area of the brain
The primary motor cortex
What does the primary auditory cortex receive information from
The olfactory system
What are Brodmann’s areas
A cytotechtonic map of cell density, shape and distribution
What is the primary visual cortex
The first cortical region to receive information from the eyes
What is the primary somatosensory cortex
The first cortical region to receive information from receptors in the skin, muscles and tendons
What is the primary auditory cortex
The first cortical area to receive information from the ears
What does damage to a primary area mean
Consequent regions of the brain and information fed into the brain is redundant
What is the primary motor cortex
Provides an entire map of the body’s muscles and is responsible for muscular control making it the major output of the brain
How does PET scanning actively map metabolism of the brain
By tracking where oxygenated blood is flowing
What are you using when you are hearing words
Auditory area
What are you using when you are seeing words
Occipital lobe
What are you using when you are speaking words
Primary motor cortex
What is the retrosplenial cortex involved in
Spatial awareness/ navigation
Where is CSF
In the ventricles and surrounds the brain
What is CSF constantly produced by
The choroid plexus in the lateral ventricles at a rate of 500ml.day
Describe the flow of CSF
From the lateral ventricles through the interventricular foramen into the third ventricle then through the cerebral aqueduct into the fourth ventricle befoe entering the subarachnoid space (or spinal canal)
Where is CSF reabsorbed
In the arachnoid villus before heading to the superior sagittal spinus
What are the functions of CSF
Allows the brain to float (almost weightless), mechanical protection from injury, provides chemical stability for the brain, protects against ischaemia
What does the fact that the brain floats mean
There is mechanical buffering- at low speed impacts the brain doesn’t smack straight into the scalp. The CSF provides chemical stability as if there is a high concentration of neurotransmitters/ ions the CSF removes them before damage occurs
Describe Weigert’s stain for CNS tissue
A stain for lipids which therefore stains all the myelin sheath darkly. So white matter made up of myelinated axons will be dark and grey matter containing neurone cell bodies will be unstained. Makes the internal capsule easily identifiable
What happens if the internal capsule is damaged in stroke
The motor or sensory system will be affected
Describe the lentiform nucleus
Contains the basal ganglia which provides motor control
What is involved in Parkinson’s disease
The substantia nigra
What is the fornix responsible for
Communication between the limbic system and rest of the brain
Describe the hippocampus
Nodular and its wiring is held throughout the entirety of its structure. It sits on the medial temporal lobe deep within the brain
What contrast is used in mid-sagittal MRI and why
T1 as it shows well the white and grey matter
What is the brainstem
Nuclei
What are the lots of small black dots that can be seen in transverse dissection and preparation of the brain
Blood vessels
Where are the amygdala and hypothalamus burried
In the medial aspect of the temporal lobe
Which structures are part of the limbic system
Amygdala and hippocampus
What are the functions of the hippocampus
Aggressive behaviour, endocrine control via the hypothalamus, learning and memory. The hippocampus is very important in the formation of new memories
What are the functions of the amygdala
Control over autonomic effects mediated by the hypothalamus, aggression and rage. The amygdala is involved in processing of positive and negative emotions and how memories are tagged with emotional context
What can damage to he amygdala result in
Psychopathic behaviour and behaviour typical to that seen in people with PTSD
What is the limbic system involved in
Motivation, emotion, learning and meory
