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Neuropsychology > Functional Neuroanatomy > Flashcards

Functional Neuroanatomy Flashcards

1
Q

Breakdown of the nervous system

A

Central. Peripheral
Brain. Spinal chord. Somatic. Autonomic
Sympathetic Parasympathetic

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2
Q

Somatic nervous system and its nerves

A

Interacts with external environment.
Afferent nerves: sensory organs to CNS
Efferent nerves: motor signals from CNS

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3
Q

Autonomic nervous system

A

Regulates the body’s internal environment, controlling the internal organs

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4
Q

Sympathetic vs parasympathetic

A

Sympathetic is energy expending, prepares the body for action. Fight or flight. Parasympathetic works when the body is at rest.

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5
Q

Things the CNS has that the PNS doesn’t.

A
  • Glia do not support regeneration
  • Neurons usually can’t regenerate
  • Different main protein constituent of myelin differs
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6
Q

Spinal chord (structure, function and pathology)

A

Structure: innervation of 30 sensory and motor nerves, protected by the spinal chord
Function: relays and integrates sensory and motor info, controls basic reflexive behaviour
Pathology: lesions cause sensory and motor impairment

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7
Q

Structure of the skull

A
  • Cranial plates: pieces of bone fused together over time, varying in strength and width
  • Fossae: ridges at the base of the skull that keep the brain in place
  • Foramina: holes at the base of the skull that let the nerves in
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8
Q

Function of the skull

A

Encases the brain as protection. Not perfect protection bc its rigid and the brain has nowhere to go, should swelling occur.

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9
Q

Structure of meninges (inner to outer)

A

Pia mater, subarachnoid space (CSF sits here), arachnoid membrane and dura mater
[lies between the spinal chord and column and the brain and skull, holding things in place]

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10
Q

Meningitis

A

Inflammation of the meninges, starts out with cold like symptoms but progresses to delirium, vomiting, photophobia and phonophobia

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11
Q

Structure of the Ventricular system

A

Four interconnected ventricles, allows CSF to flow through the body. The choroid plexus handles CSF circulation. This area gets distorted by brain damage.

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12
Q

Function of the ventricular system

A

It acts as a liquid buffer, keeping the brain floating and away from the ridged bones in the skull. It also removes waste from the brain

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13
Q

Pathology of the ventricular system - hydrocephalus

A

Intracranial pressure distorts the ventricles to keep the brain the right size.
Hydrocephalus: the over expansion of the brain, causing it to swell up and press against the skull. Too much CSF

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14
Q

3 symptoms of normal pressure hydrocephalus

A
  1. Gait and balance issues
  2. Urinary issues
  3. Cognitive problems like memory, attention etc
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15
Q

Function of the Vascular system

A

Predictable system that sends blood to and from the brain to ensure that neurons get the high levels of energy that they require to function properly

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16
Q

Circle of Willis

A

A circulation of blood within the brain that maintains supply to the brain if other sources are cut off. Near the base of the brain, former by cross brain arterial connections

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17
Q

Blood supply for anterior parts of the brain

A

Right and left carotid arteries - left and right cerebral arteries

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18
Q

Blood supply to the posterior part of the brain

A

Two vertebral arteries - basilar artery - left and right posterior cerebral arteries

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19
Q

Connections between the cerebral arteries

A

Left and right internal carotid: anterior communicating artery
Middle and posterior cerebrals: posterior communicating arteries

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20
Q

Reticular formation (RAS)

A

Diffuse arrangement of ascending and descending neurons that forms a network throughout the brain

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21
Q

RAS function

A

Non specific arousal, respiration and selective attention

22
Q

Selective attention, in the hierarchy of cognition

A

Bottom of the hierarchy, process of deciding what information to filter out and what to allow for processing. Evolutionarily important as it prevents overworking the brain on things that are not important

23
Q

First example of bilateral organisation within the brain

A

The thalamus

24
Q

Brief description of the thalamus

A

Not well understood, as it sits right in the middle of the brain. It has dendritic and axonal connections to many brain regions and is the interaction centre for several different neurotransmitters

25
Q

Functions of the hypothalamus

A

Body homeostatis, stress response, body temp, digest ions, circulation, circadian rhythms, development of secondary sexual characteristics

26
Q

Damage to the hypothalamus

A

Generally by direct or indirect tumor, medial area damage associated more with behavioural issues.

27
Q

Description of Thalamus

A

Relatively large, with two symmetric nuclei. Receive ascending and descending input from cerebral cortex ipsilaterally. It has well defined geographic regions, each unique in what it controls and communicating with different brain regions (the start of complex behaviour)

28
Q

Function of the thalamus

A

Classifies, integrates and sends info, makes very basic decisions (good vs bad)

29
Q

Pathology in the thalamus

A

Left: verbal deficits
Right: impaired spatial and facial recognition ability.
Often short lived deficits, the brain adjusts quickly due to the level of connectivity of the thalamus

30
Q

Description of the cerebellum

A

Symmetric ‘mini-brain’ that sits at the level of the pons, containing 50% of the brain’s neurons. Heavily unfolded and is divided into lobes by deep fissures.

31
Q

Function of the cerebellum (3)

A
  • Ipsilateral control of general coordinated motor behaviour.
  • Stores memory for simple learned motor responses
  • Attentional sifting from one stimulus to another
32
Q

Pathology of the cerebellum

A

Deteriorating coordinated movements, like involuntary tremors and resting tremors. Impaired balance and gait disturbances

33
Q

Structure of the corpus callosum

A

Large bundle of intercerebral white matter tracts that sits between the two hemispheres

34
Q

Function of the corpus callosum

A

Exchanging info between cerebral hemispheres

35
Q

Pathology of the corpus callosum

A

Cutting it prevents diseases in on hemisphere from spreading to another but also limits the amount of communication between hemispheres

36
Q

Structure of the Basal Ganglia (5 components)

A

Symmetrical subcortical grey matter.

  • caudate nucleus
  • putamen
  • globus pallidus
  • sunstantia nigra
  • subthalamic nucleus
37
Q

Basal ganglia system that works with info transfer from cortical to subcortical

A

Striato-pallido-thalamic loop (striatum = caudate nucleus and putamen)

38
Q

What is the nigrostriatal system made up of and what does it do?

A

Caudate nucleus, putamen and substantia nigra. It works with dopamine and is linked to Parkinson’s

39
Q

Function of the Basal Ganglia

A

Regulating voluntary movements, everything outside of the pyramidal system (motor and pre motor cortex)

40
Q

Opposing theories around the function of the Basal Ganglia

A

Integrative vs relay station

41
Q

What do recent studies suggest the basal ganglia has a role in?

A

Language: lesions result in difficulty with motor aspects of speech
Attention: lesions result in difficulty in switching tasks and mental flexibility
Behaviour: generation, inhibition and execution (particularly inhibition)

42
Q

Pathology in the basal ganglia

A

Atypical movements, change in muscle tone, tardive dyskinesia (involuntary facial muscle movements)

43
Q

Broca on the limbic system

A

A ring of tissue around the midbrain region
It consists of:
- cingulate gyrus
- subcallosal gyrus
- parahippocampal gyrus
- hippocampal formation
(Early conception of the limbic system, believed to be linked to olfaction)

44
Q

Papez and MacLean on the limbic system

A

Papez: emotional processing
MacLean: functional system

45
Q

Modern day ideas of what structures the limbic system includes

A 
Medial and basal surfaces of cerebral hemispheres. 
Includes: 
- Broca's list 
- Amygdala
- Fornix
- Septum 
- Olfactory bulb 
- Mammiliary bodies
- Anterior nucleus of the thalamus
46
Q

3 sources of cortical input to limbic systems

A
  1. Posterior association cortex
  2. Inferotemporal cortex via entorhinal cortex
  3. Prefrontal cortex
47
Q

3 outpost of the limbic system

A
  1. Mammillary bodies - anterior thalamus - cingulate
  2. Hypothalamus - PFC
  3. Amygdala - PFC
48
Q

Functions of the limbic system

A

No one given function, great complexity due to the number of inputs and inter connectivity.

49
Q

Individual structures within the limbic systems and their functions:

A
  1. Hippocampal formation: memory acquisition

2. Amygdala: emotional processing, namely fear conditioning

50
Q

First four cranial nerves and their functions

A
  1. Olfactory: smell
  2. Optic: vision
  3. Oculomotor: eye muscles, movement and pupil dilations
  4. Trochlear: eye muscles and movement
51
Q

Cranial nerves 5-8 and their functions

A
  1. Trigeminal: senses of skin on the face, nose and mouth, chewing and swallowing
  2. Abducens: sensation from eye muscles, eye movement
  3. Facial: take, facial expressions and crying
  4. Statoacoustic: hearing and equilibrium
52
Q

Cranial nerves 9-12 and their functions

A
  1. Glossopharyngeal: taste and swallowing
  2. Vagus: taste, neck sensations, control of larynx, parasympathetic nerves to heart and viscera
  3. Accessory: movement of shoulders and head
  4. Hypoglossal: tongue senses and movement

Neuropsychology (17 decks)

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