Introduction to Neuroanatomy Flashcards
what does the vertebral column protect
spinal cord
what does cranial mean
‘head end’
what does caudal mean
tail end
what does rostral mean
towards the face
what does the CNS comprise of
the brain and spinal cord
what does the peripheral nervous system comprise of
all nervous tissue outside the CNS - primarily nerves
what are cranial nerves
nerves arising from the brain
what are spinal nerves
nerves arising from the spinal cord
what is the somatic nervous system
controls voluntary activities under conscious control
what is the autonomic nervous system
controls involuntary activities - not under conscious control
what is the cerebrum
largest part of brain - has left and right hemispheres (connected)
what is the surface of the cerebrum called
cerebral cortex - has a grey appearance
where is information processed
grey matter
what are the folds in the cerebral cortex called
gyri (singular gyrus)
what are the grooves in between the gyri called
sulci (singular sulcus)
what happens in the white matter
information is transmitted through bundles of fibres
what is a nucleus in the CNS
a collection of cell bodies
what are the 4 lobes of each cerebral hemisphere called
frontal (at the front), parietal (inbetween the occipital and frontal), occipital (at the back) and temporal (underneath)- named after the bones of the skull that over lie them
what part of the brain lies inferior to the posterior (occipital) part of the brain
cerebellum
what is the cerebellum composed of
a left and right hemisphere, highly folded cortex, contains white matter and nuclei
what is the role of the cerebellum
balance, coordination and movement
what is the role of the brain stem
relays info between cerebrum, spinal cord and cerebellum
- it gives rise to most of the cranial nerves
- contains centres that regulate breathing and consciousness
where is the spinal cord
it is continuous with the medulla of the brainstem - it is protected by the vertebral column - it is much shorter than the vertebral column and ends around L1 - L2
how many pairs of spinal nerves are attached to the spinal cord
31 - they carry info between the cord (CNS) and the periphery (e.g.skin, muscles). Each pair corresponds to a spinal cord segment
what kind of matter is in the spinal cord
grey matter made up of neuronal cell bodies, this is surrounded by white matter which contains tracts - bundles of axons that connect different parts of the CNS to each other
what are the cavities in the brain called
ventricles (there are 4), they are continuous with each other and filled with cerebrospinal fluid
what does the cerebrospinal fluid do
it surrounds the brain and spinal cord
- it provides nutrients to the brain
- it cushions the brain against trauma
- prevents delicate nerves and vessels from being compressed between the brain and then internal surface of the skull
what are the 3 meningeal layers
- dura mater
- arachnoid mater
- pia mater
what does the dura mater do
lines inner surface of the skull and vertebral column - thick and strong
what does the arachnoid mater do
lies deep into the dura, thin and loosely encloses the brain and spinal cord