Functional Neuro Anatomy (CNS) Flashcards
What is the difference between the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
The CNS is concerned with the brain and spinal cord whereas the PNS is all other aspects outside of these regions.
What is the longitudinal fissure? and what does it separate?
It is the clear large groove that separates the two cerebral hemispheres of brain.
What is the corpus callosum? and how can it help us when viewing dorsal images of the brain?
The corpus callosum is a dense hard structure in the brain where a large amount of neurons are gathered. It’s also known as the hard body, because relative to other cortical tissue in the brain it is more dense.
It can help us orientate ourselves when looking at sliced images of the brain.
What are axons?
Axons are the transmission line of the nervous system and as bundles they help make up nerves.
What are tracts and nerves? how are they different, how are they the same?
Tracts are bundles of axons travelling in the CNS (white matter)
Nerves are bundles of axons travelling in the PNS.
They are both the same however due to neuroanatomical conventions and language they are called different things.
What are nuclei and ganglia? how are they different, how are they the same?
Nuclei are groups of neuron cell bodies in the CNS
Ganglia are groups of neuron cell bodies in the PNS
They adhere to the neuroanatomical language convention where they are called different things depending on where they are located.
What are three different planes of view that are used to look at the body and the brain? how are they used?
- The Horizontal plane
This is where the brain and body are split on the horizontal plane. This can be moved up as well as down to slice at different levels. - The Sagittal plane
This is where the body and brain is split from back to front. - The Coronal plane
This is where the body and brain are split from left to right.
None of these planes are on a fixed position and can be moved in order to scan particular parts of the body and brain.
What is the mid-sagittal view?
This is a view of the brain that is sliced directly down the longitudinal fissure. Essentially, a line that is directly down the middle of the brain.
What is a cross section?
Typically in a cross section we are looking at the spinal cord, or the region where the spinal cord transitions to the brain, also known as the brain stem.
If we cut across this part of the spinal cord and the brain then this is called a cross section.
What is a neuraxis? what do we need to be mindful of when relation to humans?
It is an imaginary line that is “drawn” from the tip of the spinal cord to the very front of the brain.
Note: Orientation relative to humans means that our neuraxis has a 90 degree curve in it, which then shifts neuroanatomical orientation.
In the spinal cord, what are the anatomical orientations and where are they located?
- Dorsal (to the back)
- Posterior (to the bottom)
- Ventral (to the belly)
- Anterior (towards the top)
In the brain, what are the anatomical orientations and where are they located?
- Dorsal (to the top)
- Posterior (to the back)
- Ventral (to the bottom)
- Anterior (to the front)
What are some terms that are used instead of anterior?
Inferior and rostral
note: these all mean the same thing but they are used when looking at different parts of the brain.
What are some terms that are used instead of posterior?
Susperia and cordal
note: these all mean the same thing but they are used when looking at different parts of the brain.
When thinking about CT scans and MRI what is the horizontal plane of orientation referred to?
The Axial
Note: This is the same as the horizontal view it is named the axial due to the scans.
What are the three primary divisions of the brain?
- The forebrain
- The midbrain
- The hindbrain
What are the two divisions of the forebrain and what do they both contain?
- The Telencephalon
Which holds the cerebral cortex, the limbic system and the basal ganglia. - Diencephalon
Which holds the thalamus and the hypothalamus
What is the midbrain and what is contained there?
This is the location of two pairs of colliculi - the superior colliculi and the inferior colliculi.
What is the hindbrain and what structures are located there?
The hindbrain is located at the base of the brain and contains structures such as the medulla, pons, cerebellum and reticular formation.
What is the medulla?
It is a system in the hindbrain that contains circuits of neurons that control functions vital for survival such as heart rate, blood pressure and respiration.
What is the pons?
It literally means bridge.
The pons provides a bridge between the brain stem structures and the cerebellum. The pons also contains several clusters of nuclei. One of these clusters that runs through the pons is the reticular formation which has an influence on our level of consciousness and arousal (alertness).
How is the CNS and PNS formed in the womb and what is its process? name the specific structures as well as the time it takes for these structures to develop.
18 days from conception the neural plate (which is the beginning of the brain) is formed.
Then, up to 20 days we see the formation of the neural groove.
Then, the neural groove forms the neural tube at 24 days. At the same point in time the neural crests are formed and sit above the neural tube.
The neural tube will go on to be the foundation of the CNS
and the neural crests will be the foundation of the PNS.
How does the neural tube form the different divisions of the brain?
Over time the neural tube begins to form discrete enlargements or vesicles. These embryonic vesicles then develop into the major parts of the brain:
The forebrain
The midbrain
The hindbrain
What is the cerebellum?
It translates from the Latin to “little brain”. The cerebellum is a relatively large structure located behind the brain stem. it is critical to the co-ordination of movement and to balance.
