Lec 15 Flashcards

1
Q

What part of the brain connects the cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord?

A

The brain stem.

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2
Q

What are the three pieces of the brain stem?

A

The midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.

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3
Q

What are the three main characteristics of the brain stem?

A
  1. It deals with rigidly programmed automatic behaviors necessary for survival.
  2. It is the pathway between higher and lower neural centers.
  3. It is associated with 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
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4
Q

What ventricular system runs through the midbrain?

A

The cerebral aqueduct does.

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5
Q

What structures at the top of the midbrain contain large pyramidal tracts? What are these tracts called?

A

The cerebral peduncles contain motor/corticospinal tracts.

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6
Q

What substance in the midbrain is involved in pain supression?

A

Periaqueductal grey matter.

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7
Q

What section of the midbrain consists of four parts? What are the four parts and their functions?

A

The Corpora Quadrigemina consists of two superior colliculi (visual reflex centers), and two inferior colliculi (auditory relay/startle).

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8
Q

In a cross section of the midbrain, what two nucleus are visible?

A

The substantia nigra and the red nucleus.

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9
Q

Why is the substantia nigra dark? What other part of the brain is it linked to?

A

It contains a lot of melanin, and is linked to the basal nuclei.

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10
Q

Why is the red nucleus called that? What does it do?

A

It has a rich vascular supply with iron pigment, and contains relaying nuclei for pathways influencing limb flexion.

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11
Q

What is the pons mostly made of?

A

Conduction tracts either vertically to connect the spinal cord with brain centers, or transversely to communicate with the cerebellum.

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12
Q

What three cranial nerves come from the pons? What structure on a pons cross section are they a part of?

A

Cranial nerves 5, 6, and 7 are part of the reticular formation.

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13
Q

What structure connects the pons to the spinal cord?

A

The medulla oblongata.

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14
Q

Which brain ventricle is contained within the medulla oblongata?

A

The fourth ventricle

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15
Q

What is a pyramid in the medulla oblongata? What is the significance of their organization?

A

Pyramids are large motor tracts that are decussated, meaning they cross over and are responsible for contralateral regulation.

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16
Q

What are the worm looking structures on the anterior side of the cross section of the medulla oblongata? What do they do?

A

The inferior olivary nuclei relay sensory info about muscles and joints to the cerebellum.

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17
Q

What nerves run through the medulla?

A

Cranial nerves 8, 9, 10, and 12.

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18
Q

What are the three structures within the medulla oblongata?

A
  1. The cardiovascular center
  2. The respiratory centers
  3. Other centers (hiccupping/swallowing/vomiting)
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19
Q

What is the main role of the medulla oblongata?

A

It is the reflex center for homeostasis.

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20
Q

What part of the brain works closely with the medulla oblongata? What is the relationship between them?

A

The medulla oblongata and hypothalamus work together to maintain homeostasis. The hypothalamus relays instructions through the medullary center which carries them out.

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21
Q

What is the purpose of the cerebellum?

A

The cerebellum processes input from the cerebral motor cortex, brainstem nuclei, and sensory receptors. It monitors the timing and patterns of skeletal muscle for smooth daily movements. “muscle memory”

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22
Q

What structure connects the two hemispheres of the cerebellum?

A

The vermis

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23
Q

What are the transverse fissures of the cerebellum called?

A

folia

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24
Q

What are the three divisions of a cerebellar hemisphere?

A

The anterior, posterior, and flocculonodular lobes.

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25
Q

What types of maps do the anterior and posterior lobes both have?

A

Sensory and motor maps of the body.

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26
Q

Does a part of the cerebellum that corresponds to a body part control the input of information or the output of information?

A

Both

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27
Q

What processes can be carried out due to the presence of multiple muscle maps in the cerebellum?

A

Coordination of proprioceptive information, planning information, and instructions to the motor cortex via the thalamus.

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28
Q

How do the cerebellar lobe muscle maps differ?

A

The anterior lobe has a full map of the body, and the posterior map has a split map of both arms and legs.

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29
Q

What part of the cerebellum is responsible for the trunk and girdle?

A

The medial portion.

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30
Q

What part of the cerebellum is responsible for the extremities and skilled movements?

A

The intermediate portion.

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31
Q

What part of the cerebellum is responsible for input from association areas and planning?

A

The lateral portions.

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32
Q

What are the flocculonodular lobes for?

A

They receive input form equilibrium sensors and deal with balance and some eye movements.

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33
Q

What structures move information towards and away from the cerebellum?

A

The cerebral peduncles.

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34
Q

What does it mean that the cerebellar peduncles are ipsilateral?

A

They deal with input/output on the same side of the body.

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35
Q

What are the three types of cerebellar peduncle? What structures do they connect the cerebellum to?

A

The superior (midbrain), middle (pons), and inferior(medulla oblongata).

36
Q

In which direction and what kind of information do the cerebellar peduncles carry?

A
  1. Superior: Instructions are sent to the midbrain (via thalamus)
  2. Middle: Information is being received from the pons about voluntary motor activities.
  3. Inferior: Information is being received from the medulla (muscle proprioceptors for position and vestibular nuclei for balance)
37
Q

What are the 4 steps of cerebellar processing to fine-tune motor activity?

A
  1. The cortex frontal motor association area sends collaterals to the cerebellum to communicate an intent of action.
  2. The cerebellum mixes this information with proprioceptive information it gets from the visual and equilibrium pathways.
  3. The cerebellar cortex receives this info and determines the best way to coordinate force and muscle action.
  4. The cerebellum dispatches information through the superior peduncle towards the cerebral motor cortex, and then to the brain stem nuclei (red nucleus) and then that projects to motor neurons.
38
Q

What are the two functions of the cerebellum akin to the pilot analogy?

A

The cerebellum monitors and corrects movement.

39
Q

What is a functional brain system?

A

It is a network of neurons that spans a large distance and works together.

40
Q

Where is the limbic system found?

A

It is found encircling the upper brainstem.

41
Q

What are the 3 big structures of the limbic system and their associated functions?

A

The amygdala (anger/fear/danger), the hippocampus (emotions and memory), and the anterior cingulate gyrus (body language, conflict resolution).

42
Q

Where are the structures of the limbic system located?

A
43
Q

What system is the reticular formation a part of?

A

The reticular activating system

44
Q

What does reticular formation describe?

A

It describes that the central core of the brainstem neurons project to the rest of the brain (cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, spinal cord).

45
Q

What are two functions of the reticular activating system?

A

It allows enough information in the maintain arousal of the brain, and it filters so that the cerebral cortex can disregard more than 99 percent of incoming information.

46
Q

What part of the spine does the spinal cord span?

A

It spans from the foramen magnum to the first or second lumbar vertebrate.

47
Q

Where is the idea spot for a lumbar puncture?

A

Right under the lumbar 1/2.

48
Q

What are 3 functions of the spinal cord?

A
  1. It is a 2 way conduction system
  2. It is a major reflex center
  3. It initiates complex patterns of motor activity
49
Q

What two structures hold the spinal cord in place? Describe them.

A

The denticulate ligaments are pia mater connective tissue with little indentations to hold the cord in place. The filium terminale is a pia mater conus extension that anchors the spinal cord to the bottom of the coccyx.

50
Q

What is the cauda equina?

A

It is the “horse tail” like arrangement of nerves at the end of the spinal cord that move vertically before branching out.

51
Q

What kind of neurons are found in grey matter?

A

Multipolar neurons

52
Q

What is the shape of grey matter in cross sections of the spinal cord? What are the four parts of this shape and what are they connected by?

A

It is in a butterfly shape, with the larger wings (horns) on the posterior(dorsal) side of the disc and the smaller wings(horns) on the anterior (ventral) side. They are connected by grey commissure.

53
Q

On the spinal cord grey matter, what are the six types of horns? In which spinal sections will they be found?

A

Two ventral, two dorsal, and two lateral horns on the sides of the ventral horns. The lateral horns will only be found on thoracic and superior lumbar vertebrae.

54
Q

What are the anterior horns of spinal grey matter responsible for? Where are they the largest?

A

They are the nerve cell bodies of somatic motor neurons, and are the largest at cervical and lumbar enlargements for arms/legs.

55
Q

What are lateral horns of spinal grey matter responsible for?

A

They are the automatic ns motor neurons to visceral organs.

56
Q

What structure do axons exit through in the spinal cord?

A

Ventral roots

57
Q

What are dorsal root ganglion?

A

They are houses of cell bodies of associated sensory neurons entering the spinal cord.

58
Q

Why do sensory neurons enter the spinal cord?

A
  1. To travel to higher spinal cord/brain centers
  2. to synapse with interneurons in posterior horns to generate a reflex.
59
Q

What is a spinal nerve composed of?

A

A fused dorsal root and ventral root.

60
Q

Are the roots of the spinal cord considered the CNS or the PNS?

A

The PNS.

61
Q

Are sensory neurons unipolar or multipolar?

A

They are unipolar.

62
Q

What is white matter in the spinal cord composed of? What structures do they help communicate?

A

Some myelinated and some unmyelinated fibers that communicate within the cord or between the cord and the brain.

63
Q

What are the three directional classifications of white matter fibers in the spinal cord?

A

There are ascending fibers, descending fibers, and transverse or commissural fibers.

64
Q

What are the four general properties of spinal tracts?

A
  1. Most pathways cross over from one side of the spinal cord to the other.
  2. Most tracts consist of a chain of 2/3 neurons.
  3. Most exhibit somatotopy
  4. All pathways and tracts are paired.
65
Q

What 4 structures protect the CNS?

A
  1. Bones
  2. Meninges
  3. Cerebrospinal Fluid
  4. Blood-Brain Barriers
66
Q

What are the 4 functions of the meninges?

A
  1. They cover and protect the CNS
  2. They protect blood vessels and enclose venous sinuses
  3. They contains CSF
  4. They form partitions within the skull.
67
Q

What is the Dura Mater? What is it composed of?

A

It is a tough two layer membrane that surrounds the brain that is composed of an outer periosteal layer and and inner meningeal layer.

68
Q

What is the difference between the dura mater and the protective coating of the spinal cord?

A

The spinal cord only has a meningeal layer. No periosteal layer.

69
Q

Are the dura mater layers fused?

A

They are fused except at dural sinuses.

70
Q

What is a dural septa?

A

It is a fold in the dura mater that creates folds.

71
Q

What are the three important dura septa? What do they separate?

A

The falx cerebri (occipital lobes), the falx cerebelli (cerebellar lobes), and the tentorium cerebelli (cortex and cerebellum).

72
Q

What is the loose covering deep to the dura mater separated from it by the subdural space?

A

The arachnoid mater.

73
Q

What is the space under the arachnoid mater called? What does it house? What does it separate?

A

The Subarachnoid space contains CSF and blood vessels, and separates the arachnoid mater with the pia mater.

74
Q

What are little protrusions of the subarachnoid space into the dural sinuses called? What are their purpose?

A

They are called arachnoid granulations and CSF will go there and be reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

75
Q

What is the innermost protective layer of the brain? What is it composed of?

A

The pia mater is composed of delicate CT fibers and tiny blood vessels.

76
Q

What two conditions are associated with brain meninges?

A

Meningitis is the infection of the meninges, and encephalitis is infection of brain tissue.

77
Q

What are the three major roles of CSF?

A

giving buoyancy to CNS tissue, protective roles, nutritious roles.

78
Q

What are the differences between CSF and blood plasma?

A

CSF has more Vit C, Mg, Na, Cl, H and plasma has more ptn, K, Ca

79
Q

What are the clusters of permeable capillaries enclosed in a layer of ependymal cells called?

A

Choroid Plexuses

80
Q

What do ependymal cells do to blood plasma from capillaries?

A

It filters it into CSF

81
Q

How much CSF is in our bodies? How often is it replaced?

A

There are roughly 150mL of CSF that is replaced every 8 hours.

82
Q

What is hydrocephalus?

A

It is when more CSF is made than absorbed.

83
Q

What protective function of the brain stops unwanted neurotransmitters from affecting the brain?

A

The blood-brain barrier.

84
Q

What are the three layers of brain capillaries that constitutes the blood-brain barrier?

A
  1. There is a continuous layer of epithelium in the capillary wall.
  2. There is a very thick basal lamina that contains enzymes that can destroy epinephrine and norepinephrine .
  3. The feet of astrocytes and pericytes maintain epithelial cells and stimulate junction formation.
85
Q

What gets through the blood-brain barrier?

A

Fat soluble molecules, glucose, amino acids, oxygen, carbon

86
Q

What are the two areas where the blood-brain barrier are not completely uniform?

A
  1. At the choroid plexuses, the ependymal cells filter the blood.
  2. At vomiting centers and the hypothalamus, the blood is monitored for molecules/temp/pressure etc.