functional anatomy of the human brain Flashcards
why is it important to study neuroanatomy?
gateway to understanding brain functions and disorders
knowing which brain structures are affected by disease is essential for..?
diagnosis and treatment of disorders
what is the pathway system that causes us to produce an action (stages)?
sensory signal -> neural processing -> motor commands -> action/behaviour
when doing an activity or behaviour, is only one part of the brain stimulate or is multiple parts of the brain stimulated?
multiple brain regions are recruited
the brain is able to adapt after injury due to?
plasticity
if part of one hemisphere is damaged, what can happen?
the opposite hemisphere can take over the lost function
in the orientation of the CNS, what are the terms for “in front of”?
anterior or rostal
in the orientation of the CNS, what are the terms for “behind”?
posterior or caudal
in the orientation of the CNS, what are the terms for “above”?
superior or dorsal
in the orientation of the CNS, what are the terms for “below”?
inferior or ventral
what are the three possible axis to look at / cut the brain
coronal (frontal), sagittal and horizontal
which axis looks more like a bird eye view picture of the brain, eyes top down, brain looks like butterfly wings with each hemisphere side by side?
coronal
what axis looks like most typical brain diagram images you see for parts of the brain, ear down?
sagittal
what axis has one hemisphere of the brain on top of the other?
horizontal
what part of the brain is just above the brain stem?
diencephalon
what is the brain stem made up of?
midbrain, pons, medulla
what is the brain stem responsible for?
breathing, attention
what are the four lobes of the brain?
frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
the sulci of the brain are the?
grooves
the gyri of the brain are the?
crests (infolds of grey matter)
the precentral gyrus is where what is?
primary motor cortex (movement)
the postcentral gyrus is where what is?
primary somatosensory cortex (sensation + feeling)
what is the function of the frontal lobe?
shaping personality, behavioural control, short-term memory, planning (makes us human)
what study allowed us to learn the importance of the frontal lobe in shaping personality?
phineas gage
phineas gage allowed for neuroscientists to understand what about the functions of the brain?
localization of brain function
what is the function of the parietal lobe?
somatosensation, attention, body awareness
what are the two major pathways for visual processing?
dorsal and ventral
what visual processing pathway goes through the temporal cortex?
ventral stream
what visual processing pathway goes through the parietal cortex?
dorsal stream
another name for the dorsal stream that explains what it is in charge of is?
vision for action
what happens if there is damage to the dorsal stream?
visuomotor tasks involving tasks linked to object location
what is the name for the disorder that describes the difficulty in translating vision into action (dorsal stream)?
optic ataxia
there is activation of what part of the brain by attention and action?
posterior parietal cortex
another name for the ventral stream that explains what it is in charge of is?
vision for perception
what is the name for the disorder that impairs recognition of objects (ventral stream)?
visual form agnosia
visual form agnosia means there is damage to what part of the brain?
temporal lobe
what is hemineglect?
unawareness that a particular side of a visual field is missing
hemineglect results from?
unilateral damage to the parietal lobe
in hemineglect, if you have damage to the left parietal lobe, you have neglect of what side of your visual field?
right visual field
the temporal lobe is divided into two major brain structures, what are they?
hippocampus and amygdala?
what is the hippocampus in charge of?
learning and remembering (memory consolidation), spatial navigation, forming associative (new) memories
what is the amygdala in charge of?
emotional expression, associations between emotions and behavioural situations
what is a disorder that describes damage to the hippocampus?
anterograde amnesia
what is anterograde amnesia?
cannot make new memories
what kind of diseases cause the loss of neurons in the hippocampus?
neurodegenerative (alzheimers)
