Infratentorial brain Flashcards
Posterior fossa houses
Brainstem and cerebellum
Cerebral aqueduct and fourth ventricle
CSF cisterns containing CNs, vertebrobasillar arterial system and veins
Largest part of hindbrain, integrated coordinations and fine tuning of movement and regulation of muscle tone
Cerebellum
Connects pons and cerebellum with forebrain
Midbrain (mesencephalon)
Relays information from brain to cerebellum
Pons
Relays information from spinal cord to brain
Medulla
Contains large descending white matter tracts: midbrain cerebral peduncles, pontine bulb, medullary pyramids
Ventral part of brainstem
Contains tegmentum, common to midbrain, pons and medulla; contains CN nuclei and reticular formation
Dorsal part of brainstem
Has two hemispheres and midline vermis, three surfaces, connected to brainstem by three paired peduncles, cortical gray matter, central white matter and 4 paired deep gray nuclei
Cerebellum
Superior boundary of posterior fossa
Tentorium cerebelli
Anterior border of posterior fossa
Clivus
Lateral border of posterior fossa
Temporal bones and calvarium
Inferior border of posterior fossa
Foramen magnum and calvarium
Contains cerebral peduncles (crus cerebri) that contains corticospinal, corticobulbar and corticopontine tracts
Ventral midbrain
Ventral to cerebral aqueduct
Dorsal tegmentum of midbrain
Upper midbrain contains what cranial nerve at superior colliculus level
CN3
Lower midbrain contains what cranial nerve at inferior colliculus level
CN4
Dorsal to cerebral aqueduct
Tectum (quadrigeminal plate)
Contains the white matter tracts of medial longitudinal fasciculus, medial lemniscus, lateral lemniscus, spinothalamic tract, central tegmental tract
Dorsal tegmentum of midbrain
Contains white matter tracts if medial longitudinal fasciculus, medial lemniscus, lateral lemniscus, trapezoid body, spinothalamic tract, central tegmental tract
Dorsal tegmentum of pons
Contains main nuclei of CN5
Upper pons
Contains nuclei of CN6,7,8
Lower pons
Contains CN nuclei of 9,10,11
Upper and mid medulla
Contains CN12 nuclei
Mid medulla
3 surfaces of cerebellum
Superior (tentorial)
Inferior (suboccipital)
Anterior (petrosal)
Major fissures of cerebellum
Primary (tentorial)
Horizontal (petrosal)
Prebiventral/prepyramidal (suboccipital)
Also called brachium conjunctivum
Superior cerebellar peduncle
Also called brachium pontis
Middle cerebellar peduncle
Also called the restiform body
Inferior cerebellar peduncle
Midbrain is supplied by
Perforating branches from basilar, superior cerebellar and posterior cerebral arteries
Pons is supplied by
Superior cerebellar artery, perforating branches of basilar artery
Medulla is supplied by
Anterior spinal artery, vertebral artery penetrating branches, posterior inferior cerebellar artery
Cerebellum is supplied by
Superior cerebellar, posterior inferior cerebellar and anterior inferior cerebellar arteries
“Butterfly-shaped” upper brainstem which passes thru hiatus in tentorium cerebelli
Midbrain
3 main parts of midbrain
Cerebral peduncles, tegmentum, tectum (quadrigeminal plate)
Adjacent CSF cisterns of midbrain
Interpeduncular, ambient (perimesencephalic), quadrigeminal plate
Anterior CSF cistern of midbrain that contains CN3
Interpeduncular
Lateral CSF cistern of midbrain that contains CN4
Ambient
Posterior CSF cistern of midbrain that contains CN4
Quadrigeminal plate