home assignment neuroanatomy Flashcards
Which 5 main brain subdivisions arise from the neural tube vesicles?
Telencephalon, Diencephalon, Mesencephalon, Metencephalon, Myelencephalon
In Purves Fig. A2, the central nervous system is divided on basis of structures that can be recognized in all mammals. Which seven major structures are used?
Spinal cord, medulla, pons, cerebellum, midbrain, diencephalon, cerebral hemispheres.
Which brain structure shows particularly strong developmental characteristics in the human brain?
Cerebral cortex
What component of the ventricular system do we encounter in:
telencephalon -
diencephalon -
mesencephalon -
metencephalon -
myelencephalon -
telencephalon diencephalon- Ventricle I/II Ventricle III
mesencephalon- Cerebral aqueduct
metencephalon- Ventricle IV
myelencephalon- Ventricle IV
What kind of neurological deficits would you expect to see if the 7th cranial nerve is damaged?
(among others) Paralysis of the facial muscles
You are having a cavity filled and your dentist says that he caters to cowards. Since you’re not in a heroic mood you accept the anesthesia. (Branches of) Which cranial nerve will the dentist try to target?
Trigeminal nerve (Nervus trigeminus), branches V-2 (n. maxillaris) or V-3 (n. mandibularis).
What are gyri and sulci?
Gyri are bulges or bumps in cortex lying between sulci; the sulci are grooves that separate the gyri
What are hemispheres?
The two sphere-like structures with foldings and grooves, that constitute the telencephalon and/or the cerebellum.
What sensory dysfunctions will result from a damage to the Spinothalamic tract?
Pain, temperature on contralateral side of the body are affected.
What sensory dysfunctions will result from a damage to the cranial nerve 5?
Trigeminal nerve > Pain, temperature, ipsilateral in the face.
What is the capsula interna?
A large structure consisting of only white matter in which axons run from cortex to brainstem, spinalcord (NB corticospinal tract) and thalamus and from thalamus and brain stem to cortex (NB sensory fiber tracts).
Is the thalamus located lateral or medial to the capsula interna?
Thalamus lies medial to the internal capsule.
Via which fiber connections and which brain nucleus does visual information reach the cerebral cortex?
Optic nerve (Nervus opticus), optic chiasma (chiasma opticum), optic tract (tractus opticus), Lateral geniculate nucleus (corpus geniculatum laterale), optic radiation (radiatio optica).
In (and around) which sulcus do you find the primary visual cortex? Which Brodmann area constitutes the primary visual cortex?
Calcarine fissure (Sulcus calcarinus). Area 17.
The anatomical organization of the visual pathways and somatosensory system are very similar in a general aspect? What aspect is alluded to?
Organizational principle: sensory organ, afferent fiber connection to brain, relay in thalamus, (sensory)
axons from thalamus to cortex.
The colliculus superior is involved in what aspect of vision?
Localizing an object in visual space and generating object related reflexory eye movements and movements of head and upper body.
The left LGN receives information from which part of the visual field?
Right visual field
The primary auditory cortex lies in which lobe and in which gyrus?
Temporal lobe, Superior temporal gyrus (gyrus temporalis superior).
The vestibular information arrives in which brain nuclei?
Vestibular nuclei
Which cortical areas receive vestibular information and in which functions do these areas partake?
Parietal cortical regions, within and posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex. Areas process proprioceptive, visual and vestibular stimuli.
Which two features make the olfactory system unique in comparison to the other sensory systems?
The olfactory output from the sensory organ does NOT reach the thalamus before it arrives in cortex. Topographical organization is apparently absent, i.e. a topographical map of scent has not been found yet.
The pathway from solitary nucleus to the amygdala and hypothalamus in Purves Fig. 15.20 B is implicated in which function?
Carrying taste information to areas involved in: e.g. appetite, satiety (motivation).
Where is the corticospinal tract between the cortex and the mesencephalon?
In the Capsula interna.
Which nuclei belong to the Basal Ganglia?
Caudate nucleus (nucleus caudatus), putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus (nucleus
subthalamicus) and substantia nigra.
Which components of the Basal Ganglia are localized lateral to the internal capsule?
Putamen, Globus pallidus.
The thalamus is engaged in central motor control via which connections?
Thalamus receives input from Basal Ganglia via Globus pallidus and projects to Frontal cortex
Describe the connections via which the cerebellum exerts motor control
Input to Cerebellum from: Cerebral cortex (via Pons) [Motor plan], Spinal cord roprioception], Vestibular nuclei [Balance] and Oliva inferior [modulatory influence on Cerebellum] Output to Thalamus (VL complex) [influences motor cortex], red nucleus (nucleus ruber) [motor control of the rubrospinal tract], vestibular nuclei [motor control of
estibulospinal tract], colliculus superior [ motor control of colliculospinal tract].
The afferent connections of the cerebellum run in which anatomical structures?
The cerebellar peduncles
Which cortical regions, descending pathways, brain stem nuclei and cranial nerves enable you to
- willfully swallow?
– stick out your tongue?
- willfully swallow? Motor cortex (lateral), connections between cortex (via capsula interna) to cranial
nerve nuclei IX, X and XII. – stick out your tongue? Motor cortex, Nervus XII.
How can you distinguish cervical from thoracic sections through the spinal cord?
Cervical sections feature a large volume of grey matter because the motor and sensory control of the upper extremities originates at this level. At the thoracic level the motor and sensory control of the trunk originates. At the lumbar and sacral level we see the same pattern as in cervical levels. The major difference between on the one hand lumbar/sacral and on the other cervical is that at the caudal levels only 1 of the 2 dorsal columns is present: the fasciculus gracilis, which carries mechanosensory information coming from the legs.
Broca’s area is situated in what gyrus?
Gyrus frontalis inferior.
The fornix is a brain structure involved in memory processing (Purves Fig. 30.9). What exactly is its function?
Hippocampus projects via the Fornix to the Hypothalamus. Hence, the Fornix is purely a fiber bundle that carries memory-related information to the hypothalamus, viz. The mammillary bodies. The fact that the latter
structure degenerates in Korsakoff’s syndrome suggests that it is involved in memory formation.
Lesions of specific nuclei in the thalamus of humans and monkeys result in memory disturbances. Explain these memory disturbances on basis of the anatomical connections of this brain region (thalamus)
The lesion sits in the nucleus anterior of the thalamus. This nucleus receives input from the mammillary bodies and is part of the limbic circuitry involved in memory formation via its output to the cingulate gyrus.
Via which connections can the Amygdala control autonomous processes like perspiration, cardiac rhythm, breathing frequency that change dramatically in fearful and stressful situations.
Output to Hypothalamus and Autonomous centers in the reticular formation.
