Lecture 1: Anatomy of the Nervous System

Question 1

Cerebrum

Answer 1

• Largest part of the brain
• Evolutionary youngest part
• Performs high cognitive function

Question 2

Cerebellum

Answer 2

• Located under the cerebrum
• Coordinates muscle movement
• Maintains posture and balance

Question 3

Brain stem

Answer 3

• Connects to spinal cord
• Autonomic functions

Question 4

Corpus callosum

Answer 4

• Strong white matter tract
• Connects both hemispheres

Question 5

Left hemisphere

Answer 5

• Speech and comprehension
• Writing and calculation

Question 6

Right hemisphere

Answer 6

• Spatial abilites, musical skills
• Not “creativity” in general

Question 7

Cortex

Answer 7

• Surface of the cerebrum
• Contains abt 16b neurons
• Neurons are mainly situated on the outside (Gray matter), organized in 6 layers
• Beneath the coetex: axons of cortical neurons and oligodendrocytes (white matter)

Question 8

Brain hemispheres

Answer 8

• Gyrencephalic structure in higher mammals (gyri and suici)
• Lissencephalic in rodents

Question 9

Frontal lobe functions

Answer 9

• Planning, problem solving
• Concentration, self-awareness
• Body movement (precentral gyrus)
• Personality, behaviour
• Broca’s area: speaking and writing
• Personality n judgement

Question 10

What area is often associated w strokes?

Answer 10

Cerebral artery thus why stroke victims have problems swallong and develop infections

Question 11

CASE STUDY: Phineas Gage

Answer 11

• Rod propelled thru frontal left side -> suffered from head n brain injuries
• Result: damage to prefrontal cortex n left eye
• No motor n sensory impairment, normal perception
• Personality change

Question 12

What could explain Phineas Gage’s motor and sensory impairment was unimpaired?

Answer 12

The precentral gyrus, which is associated w controling movement, was spared

Question 13

Parietal lobe functions

Answer 13

• Wernicke’s area: understanding language
• Postcentral gyrus: sensory function
• Signal interpretation from vision and hearing
• Spatial and visual perception

Question 14

Occipital lobe functions

Answer 14

Vision (colour, light, movement)

Question 15

Temporal lobe functions

Answer 15

• Memory and hearing
• Sequencing and organization
• Wernicke’s area: understanding language

Question 16

Aphasia

Answer 16

Disturbance of language

Question 17

Broca aphasia

Answer 17

• Difficulties moving tongue n facial muscles
• Speech production impaired
• Patient can read n understands language
• Patient can’t speak or write

Question 19

Wernicke’s aphasia

Answer 19

• Patient can speak but sentences are wordy n don’t make sense
• Difficulties understanding speech

Question 20

Basal ganglia

Answer 20

• Caudate, putamen n globus pallidus
• Works w cerebellum, motor coordination

Question 21

Thalamus

Answer 21

• Relay station for signals from/to cortex
• Pain sensation, attention, alertness

Question 22

Hypothalamus

Answer 22

• Controls autonomic functions
• Thirst, hunger, sleep, sexual response
• Controls hormone secretion from pituitarry
• Circadian rhythms

Question 23

Limbic system n memory

Answer 23

• Forms “double ring” around basal gnaglia
• Composed of phylogenetic old parts of the cortex n subcortical structures
• Contains cingulate gyri, hypotahamlus, amygdala, hippocampus, olfactory bulb
• Emotions n memory

Question 24

CASE STUDY 2: Kluver-Bucy syndrome

Answer 24

• Bilateral lesions of the amygdala, damage to the limbic system
• After temporal lobectomy (epilepsy surgery) -> Herpes simplex encephalitis
• Early-stage AD, CO poisoning

remake later

Question 25

Short term memory formation

Answer 25

• Frontal cortex
• Stores up to 7 items for a minute
• Examples: reading

Question 26

Long-term memory

Answer 26

• Processed in hippocampus n temporal lobe
• Unlimited content n capacity

Question 27

Skill memory

Answer 27

• Processed in cerebellum
• Cerebellum relays information to basal ganglia
• Stores learnt, autonomic memories

Question 28

CSF function

Answer 28

• Protection: fluid buffer
• Homeostasis: distribution of factors
• Buoyancy: effective brain mass reduction
• Metabolic waste clearance

Question 29

CSF production n flow

Answer 29

• Produced in choroid plexus (lateral ventricles, fourth vesicle)
• Unidirectional flow until 4th ventricle
• Multidirectional flow in subarachnoid space
• Resorption in arachnoid villi

Question 30

**CASE STUDY 3: ** hydrocephalus

Answer 30

Misbalance: CSF production vs resorption

Question 32

CASE STUDY 4: neurogenic areas in adult human CNS

Answer 32

*

Question 33

Brain stem

Answer 33

• Control of autonomic functions: heart rate, BP, body temp, sleep cycles, sneezing
• Main parts: midbrain, pons n medulla oblongata
• Cranial nerves: relay to other parts of the body, primarily head n neck
• Special senses (vision, hearing, taste, smell)

Question 34

Meninges

Dura matter

Answer 34

• Closely covers CNS
• 2 layers (periosteal, meningeal)
• Layers form sinuses (veins)
• Falx (b/w hemispheres)
• Tentorium (b/w cerebrum n cerebellum)

Question 35

Meninges

Arachnoid matter

Answer 35

• Thin, spider-web like membrane
• Elastic tissue

Question 37

Meninges

Pia mater

Answer 37

• Directly on brain surface
• Blood vessels penetrating the brain