Lecture 2: Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Why should we study neuroanatomy?
it’s a gateway to understanding brain functions and disorders
knowing which brain structures are affected by disease is essential for diagnosis and treatment of disorders
What is the integration of motor and sensory functions of the brain?
it’s not just a simple motor command to play the violin
auditory feedback is used to fine-tune motor performance (violin playing)
multiple brain regions are recruited
What is plasticity?
the brain can adapt after injury
following a stroke a part of one hemisphere is injured, with loss of function
over time, part of the opposite hemisphere can take over the lost function
plasticity is better in younger brains
What is superior positioning in the brain?
above, top, upper portion
What is inferior positioning in the brain?
below, underside
What is anterior positioning in the brain?
in front of
What is posterior positioning in the brain?
behind
What is dorsal positioning in the brain?
above the longitudinal axis of the forebrain and the longitudinal axis of the brainstem and spinal cord
What is ventral positioning in the brain?
below the longitudinal axis of the forebrain and the longitudinal axis of the brainstem and spinal cord
What is rostral positioning in the brain?
in front of the longitudinal axis of the forebrain
What is caudal positioning in the brain?
on the backside of the longitudinal axis of the forebrain and the longitudinal axis of the brainstem and spinal cord
What is the view from a coronal cut?
frontal
What is the view from a sagittal cut?
medial
What is the view from a horizontal cut?
dorsal
What are the sulci?
grooves, folds
What are the gyri?
crests, bumps
What is located at the precentral gyrus?
primary motor cortex
movement
What is located at the postcentral gyrus?
primary somatosensory cortex (sensation)
What are the functions of the frontal lobe?
what makes humans different than domestic animals very evolved structure
short-term memory
behavioral organization and planning
memory retrieval
distinguishing reality vs. falsity
shaping personality
What is the case of Phineas Gage?
Phineas Gage was a construction foreman who was tamping dynamite with an iron rod
when the dynamite exploded, the rod was blown through his head
as a result of destruction of his frontal lobes, Gage’s personality was altered, he became profane, irritable, and erratic in his interactions with co-workers
hi skull and the iron rod are on display at the Warren Anatomical Museum in Boston
this case played a major role in developing our understanding of the localization of brain functions
What are the functions of the parietal lobe?
somatosensation
visuomotor guidance of behavior (e.g. recognition of object location/orientation)
attention
body awareness, knowing where you are in space
What are the two major pathways for visual processing?
visual signals from the eyes reach V1 in the occipital cortex
from there, the signals are sent to two pathways; one dorsal, the other ventral
What is the dorsal stream of visual processing?
vision for action (orientating grasps and reaches in the environment)
damage disrupts visuomotor tasks involving actions linked to object location (e.g. reaching)
optic ataxia is a disorder in translating vision into action
How is the activation of posterior parietal cortex by attention and action in monkeys?
a spot of light elicits only a few action potentials in a cell when the animal’s gaze is directed away from the stimulus
the same cell’s firing increases when the animal’s eyes move to the stimulus
the cell’s firing increases even more when the monkey touches the spot without moving his eyes
