Gross Brain, Brainstem, & Spinal Cord

Question 1

What are the components of the brain?

Answer 1

Cerebrum/forebrain, cerebellum, and brainstem

Question 2

What is gray matter made up of?

Answer 2

Cell bodies and dendrites

Question 3

What is white matter made up of?

Answer 3

Axons, can be myelinated or not

Question 4

What are the four prominent sulci?

Answer 4

Central, lateral, parietooccipital, cingulate

Question 5

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 5

Huge set of fiber tracts that connects the R and L sides of the brain

Question 6

What does the frontal lobe control?

Answer 6

Execution, planning, and anticipation of motor function

Question 7

What makes up the frontal lobe?

Answer 7

Precentral gyrus, and superior, middle, & inferior frontal gyri

Question 8

Where is the primary motor cortex located?

Answer 8

Precentral gyrus

Question 9

What are the premotor and supplementary motor areas for?

Answer 9

Planning and initiating voluntary movements

Question 10

Where is Broca’s area located?

Answer 10

Opercular & triangular parts of inferior frontal gyrus (in one hemisphere)

Question 11

What is Broca’s area important for?

Answer 11

Motor aspects of written and spoken language

Question 12

What is the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 12

Involved with executive functions (personality, decision making, insight, foresight)

Question 13

What does the parietal lobe control?

Answer 13

Sensory function

Question 14

What makes up the parietal lobe?

Answer 14

Postcentral gyrus, and superior & inferior parietal lobules

Question 15

Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?

Answer 15

Postcentral gyrus

Question 16

What does the primary somatosensory cortex do?

Answer 16

Controls processing of sensory (touch & proprioception) and perception

Question 17

What is the inferior parietal lobe involved in?

Answer 17

Language comprehending

Question 18

What does the parietal cortex do other than sensory function and language comprehension?

Answer 18

Spatial orientation & directing attention

Question 19

What is the homonculus?

Answer 19

A map on the primary motor or somatosensory cortex, shows distribution/density of motor/sensory neurons devoted to a particular area of the body

Question 20

What does the temporal lobe control?

Answer 20

Auditory processing

Question 21

What makes up the temporal lobe?

Answer 21

Superior, middle, inferior temporal gyri

Question 22

Where is the primary auditory cortex located?

Answer 22

The superior surface of the temporal lobe

Question 23

What is Wernicke’s area?

Answer 23

Important in language comprehension

Question 24

Where is Wernicke’s area located?

Answer 24

Superior temporal gyrus, also includes portions of supramargincal & angular gyri

Question 25

What is the inferior surface of the temporal lobe involved in?

Answer 25

Higher-order processing of visual information. Learning & memory

Question 26

What is the limbic system?

Answer 26

A group of cortical areas involved in cognitive function (such as emotional responses, drive-related behavior, & memory)

Question 27

What makes up the limbic structures?

Answer 27

Uncus, parahippocampal gyrus, amygdala, hippocampus

Question 28

What is the insula?

Answer 28

Area of cerebral cortex involved in taste function?

Question 29

Where is the insula?

Answer 29

Deep in the lateral sulcus between the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes

Question 30

What makes up the occipital lobe?

Answer 30

Cuneus and lingual gyrus

Question 31

What does the occipical lobe do?

Answer 31

Vision

Question 32

Where is the primary visual cortex located?

Answer 32

In the cuneus and lingual gyrus

Question 33

What does the remainder of the occipital lobe do?

Answer 33

Visual association cortex

Question 34

What makes up the diencephalon?

Answer 34

Thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, subthalamus

Question 35

What does the diencephalon do?

Answer 35

Regulates autonomic functions and controls the pituitary gland

Question 36

What is the thalamus for?

Answer 36

Sensory except olfaction

Question 37

What is the pineal gland associated with?

Answer 37

The epithalamus

Question 38

What is the hypothalamus for?

Answer 38

Homeostasis

Question 39

Where are the basal nuclei located?

Answer 39

Group of nuclei that lie deep to the surrounding brain cortex, divided into caudate & lenticular nucleus (putamen & globus pallidus)

Question 40

What are the basal nuclei involved in?

Answer 40

Associated with movement control and moderation of movement

Question 41

What is the internal capsule?

Answer 41

Thick sheet of fibers that separates lenticular nuclei from the thalamus and caudate White matter tract divided into 5 limbs that each contain specific fiber groups. Has its own vasculature and is therefore prone to vascular insult

Question 42

What is central white matter?

Answer 42

Long tracts that connect parts of the brain so they can talk to each other

Question 43

What are arcuate fibers?

Answer 43

Link individual gyri to each other that are close

Question 44

What are longitudinal/association fasciculi?

Answer 44

Connects cortical areas within the same hemisphere (ex: frontal to occipital)

Question 45

What are projection tracts?

Answer 45

Connects brain with areas outside the brain (ex: brain to skeletal muscle)

Question 46

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 46

Large fiber tract that connects R and L hemispheres, is a type of commissural tract

Question 47

What is the anterior commisure?

Answer 47

Connects temporal lobe to temporal lobe

Question 48

What are the 5 limbs of the internal capsule?

Answer 48

Anterior, genu, posterior, sublenticular, retrolenticular

Question 49

What does the cerebellum do?

Answer 49

Fine motor movements and balance/postural control

Question 50

What are the cerebellar peduncles?

Answer 50

Three white matter tracts that relay information from the cerebellum to the cortex or spinal cord (superior, middle, and inferior)

Question 51

What is the substantia gelatinosa?

Answer 51

A region of gray matter that caps the posterior horn

Question 52

What is Lissauer's tract?

Answer 52

White matter located between the substantia gelatinosa and surface of the spinal cord (posterior horn)

Question 53

What is Clark's nucleus?

Answer 53

Also known as the posterior thoracic nucleus, located T1-L2. Plays role in postural/sensory processing and sends feedback from the cerebellum to the spinal cord

Question 54

What does the anterior horn do?

Answer 54

Cell bodies of motor neurons that supply skeletal muscle control from the CNS

Question 55

What is the intermediate gray matter?

Answer 55

Derived from intermediolateral cell column (embro), spans T1-L3 to make up lateral horn

Question 56

What are the ascending tracts?

Answer 56

Posterior column, spinocerebellar tracts, anterolateral system (ALS)

Question 57

What does the posterior column do?

Answer 57

Conveys ipsilateral proprioceptive, tactile, & vibratory info from the body

Question 58

What does the spinocerebellar tract do?

Answer 58

Relays info to cerebellum, thalamus, & motor cortex to influence efficiency of motor activity

Question 59

What does the anterolateral system do?

Answer 59

Relays pain, temp, and touch from body

Question 60

What are the descending tracts?

Answer 60

Corticospinal tract, vestibulospinal tract, rubrospinal fibers

Question 61

What does the corticospinal tract do?

Answer 61

Controls voluntary, fine movements of muscles

Question 62

What does the vestibulospinal tract do?

Answer 62

Influences motor neurons innervating primarily axial and neck musculature

Question 63

What do the rubrospinal fibers do?

Answer 63

Excite flexor motor neurons and inhibit extensor motor neurons