Lecture 1: Gross Brain, Brainstem, and Spinal Cord (Part 1, Dennis) Flashcards
What are the subdivisions of the brain?
- Forebrain
- Cerebral Hemispheres
- Diencephalon (thalamus structure)
- Cerebellum
- Brainstem
What areas contain gray matter in the brain?
Neuronal Cell Bodies (includes nucleus)
Dendrites
What areas compose the white matter in the brain?
What are important terms regarding white matter?
Axons (can be covered with myelin)
- Fasciculus
- Funiculus
- Lemniscus
- Peduncle
- Tract
What is a gyrus?
Ridge of cortical tissue
Results from folding
What is a fissure?
Particularly deep sulci
What is a sulcus?
Groove located between gyri
What is the importance of gyri and sulci?
Increases total crotical area and total number of cortical neurons
What does the central sulcus divide?
Frontal and Parietal Lobe
What does the lateral sulcus divide?
Frontal and Parietal Lobe from Temporal Lobe
What does the parietooccipital sulcus divide?
Parietal Lobe and Occipital Lobe
What does the cingulate sulcus divide?
Frontal and Parietal Lobe from Lingual Lobe (cingulate + parahippocampal gyrus)
What are the boundaries of the limbic lobe?
Strip of cortex that appears encircles the telencephalon-diencephalon junction
- Between the corpus callosum & frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes
- Curves around to occupy part of the medial surface of the temporal lobe
What gyri are found in the frontal lobe?
- Precentral Gyrus
- Superior Frontal Gyrus
- Middle Frontal Gyrus
- Inferior Frontal Gyrus
Where is the primary motor cortex contained in the brain?
Precentral frontal gyrus
Controls voluntary movement
What is the action of the premotor and supplementary motor areas of the frontal lobe?
Planning and initiating voluntary movements
What parts of the brain make up Broca’s Area?
Opercular and Triangular Parts of Inferior frontal gyrus
Which hemisphere contains Broca’s area?
Left (Usually)
What is the action of Broca’s area?
Motor aspects of written and spoken language
(speaking, handwriting, texting)
What is the action of the prefrontal cortex?
Executive Functions: personality, decision making, insight, foresight
Most anterior part of frontal lobe
What gyri are found in the parietal lobe?
- Postcentral Gyrus
- Superior Parietal Gyrus
- Inferior Parietal Gyrus
Where is the primary somatosensory cortex located?
Postcentral parietal gyrus
What is the primary somatosensory cortex responsible for?
Processing tactile and propioceptive information, sensory localization
What part of the parietal lobe is involved in language comprehension?
Inferior parietal lobule
Usually left hemisphere
What are some other jobs of the parietal lobe?
Spatial Orientation
Directing Attention
What is a homonculus?
- A somatotopic map in the postcentral gyrus that reflects the amount of innervation to a given body area
- Spatialy distorted
- Coronal cut
- Sensory and motor map
What gyri are found in the temporal lobe?
- Superior Temporal Gyrus
- Middle Temporal Gyrus
- Inferior Temporal Gyrus
Where is Wernicke’s area located?
Primary Auidtory Cortex: Superior temporal gyrus (posterior portion and some of inferior parietal lobule)
Supramarginal Gyrus + Angular Gyrus
Which hemisphere usually contains Wernicke’s area?
Left
What is the action of Wernicke’s area?
Language Comprehension
Where is the primary auditory cortex located?
Superior Temporal Gyrus
What does the medial part of the temporal lobe do?
Learning
Memory
What parts of brain mostly compose the limb lobe?
- Cingulate Gyrus
- Parahippocampal Gyrus: learning and memory
What is the bump at the anterior end of the parahippocampal gyrus called?
Uncus
What limbic structure is located beneath the uncus of the temporal lobe?
Amygdala
What actions/responses is the limbic lobe responsible for?
- Emotional response
- Drive-related behavior
- Memory
What part of the cerebral cortex is responsible for taste?
Insula
Where is the insula?
What outlines it?
- Buried in lateral sulcus
- Can be seen my removing opercula
- Outlined by the circular sulcus
What gyri are found in the occiptal lobe?
- Cuneus
- Lingual Gyrus
- Occipitotemporal Gyrus
- Lateral Occipital Gyrus
Where is the cuneus found?
Between parietooccipital sulcus and calcarine sulcus
Between what two sulci is the cuneus of the occipital lobe located between?
Parietooccipital sulcus
Calcarine sulcus
Where is the primary visual cortex?
Walls of the Calcarine Sulcus
