Lecture 1 & 2 Flashcards
Structurally, the brain is divided into: (x2)
Functionally, the brain is divided into: (x2)
- The CNS (brain and spinal cord) and PNS (nerves: SNS - motor efferent; sensory afferent, ANS - symp. parasymp.)
- Somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary/visceral) nervous systems
what are the two main cell types in the brain?
- Nerve cells (neurons)
- Glial Cells (neuroglia, glia)
Multipolar, unipolar, pseudounipolar and bipolar neurons are mostly what type of neurons respectively?
Multipolar - motor neurons in spinal chord (myelinated by schwann cells)
unipolar - exocrine glands and smooth muscle
pseudo-unipolar - sensory neurons found in dorsal root ganglia (may/may not be myelinated)
bipolar - specialised sensory neurons found in cortex (unmyelinated)
What are the 3 main types of Neuroglia found in the CNS and what are their functions?
- Microglia (phagocytosis of foreign substances),
- oligodendrocytes (myelination of CNS neurons),
- astrocytes (structural support and nutrients to CNS neurons)
What are the main neurons found in the PNS?
- Schwann cells (form myelin sheaths around PNS neuron axons)
- Satellite Cells (support ganglia in dorsal root and ANS)
What are the components of the neurocranium?
- roof = cranial vault
- floor = cranial base
- anterior/middle/posterior cranial fossa
What is an eminence?
a prominent protrusion
What is a cisterna?
cavity (mostly enlarged space between pia & arachnoid)
Motor neurons are part of the PNS but their cell bodies lie in the:
CNS
What is the difference between a Nucleus and a Ganglion?
Nucleus is a cluster of FUNCTIONALLY related nerve cell bodies but a ganglion is just a cluster of nerve cell bodies.
The human brain has a prominent flexure at the level of the :
Midbrain
Leptomeninges consist of…
Arachnoid mater and Pia mater, between which CSF circulates
what are the major divisions of the brain and related components? (x3)
- Forebrain (Prosencephalon - telencephalon/cerebrum + diencephalon/interbrain)
- Midbrain (mesencephalon)
- Hindbrain (Rhombencephalon - myelencephalon/medulla oblongata + metencephalon/pons + cerebellum)
The brain stem consists of:
Midbrain, Pons and Medulla
What are the key functions of the Cerebrum? (x3)
- conscious perception (awareness)
- memory
- executive functions
What are the key functions of the Diencephalon/interbrain? (x3)
- Gateway to cortex (thalamus)
- regulation of hormone secretion (hypothalamus)
- autonomic nervous system (hypothalamus)
What are the key functions of the Cerebellum? (x3)
- optimal control of movement (Cerebellar loop)
- posture adjustment
- maintaining balance
What are the key functions of the brainstem? (x4)
- sensation of the head and neck (cranial nerves)
- respiratory centres and control of blood pressure (medulla)
- consciousness (reticular formation)
- supraspinal reflexes
What are the components of the Lateral ventricles?
- Anterior Horn, body, posterior horn, inferior horn
What are the main ventricles and respective areas to which they supply CSF? (x5)
- Lateral ventricles (cortex + basal nuclei)
- Third ventricle (diencephalon)
- cerebral aquaduct (midbrain)
- fourth ventricle (pons + cerebellum + medulla)
- central canal (spinal cord)
What are the major foramina? (x3)
- Interventricular foramen (connects lateral and third ventricles)
- Foramen of Magendie (medial aperture)
- Foramina of Luschka (lateral apertures)
What is the difference between the cerebrum and spinal cord, in terms of gray matter/white matter position?
Cerebrum = gray matter (surface), white matter (more internal)
Spinal cord = gray matter (centre), white matter (surface)
What are the major lobes of the cerebrum and respective functions? (x4)
- Frontal (planning, movement control)
- Parietal (tactile sensation)
- Occipital (vision)
- Temporal (hearing, aspects of learning, memory and emotion)
What are the Hechl’s gyri?
primary auditory cortex (transverse temporal gyri)
What are the three types of white matter fibres?
- commissural (connecting hemispheres)
- association (connecting gyri on same hemisphere)
- projection (connecting cortex with basal ganglia, brainstem and spinal cord)
What are the types of commissural fibres? (x2)
- corpus callosum (connects the two frontal, parietal and occipital lobes)
- anterior commissure (connects two temporal lobes)
What are the types of association fibres? (x 2)
- arcuate fibres (short: connect neighboring gyri; long: connects distant gyri)
- Longitudinal fasciculi (connects different lobes of the same hemisphere)
What are the different types of longitudinal fasciculi? (x5)
- superior longitudinal fascicle (connects frontal and occiptal lobes)
- inf. occipitotemporal fascicle (connects temporal and occipital lobes)
- cingulum (connects frontal and temporal limbic cortices)
- uncinate fascicle (connects orbital and temporal limbic cortices)
- arcuate fasciculus (connects Broca and Wernicke’s areas)
What are the major parts of the Diencephalon? (x4)
- Epithalamus (pineal gland - day/night cycles)
- Thalamus (gateway to cortex for motor and limbic systems)
- Hypothalamus (hormone regulation, ANS)
- Subthalamus (part of basal ganglia)
