Module 0 ( Pre-Course Revision/Neuroanatomy Activities ) Flashcards
Identify & List:
What are the four orientations for describing brain regions depicted in the image below?
Used with sagital/side-on view of brain
- Superior (Dorsal)
- Inferior (Ventral)
- Rostral (Anterior)
- Caudal (Posterior)
These also apply as general anatomy terms for different bodily regions, or when viewing an organism overall
Identify & List:
What are the two orientations for describing brain regions depicted in the image below?
Used with topical view of brain
Structures located closer to the sagital plane/midline of the brain are medial .
Structures located closer to the peripheral regions of the brain are lateral.
The sagital plane separates the left and right hemispheres
Describe:
A horizontal slice and what kind of view it gives of the brain
A horizontal slice separates dorsal/ventral regions and allows a topical view of both hemispheres of the brain
Typically this allows you to view and/or to contrast the medial/lateral nature of certain subcortical structures
Define & Describe:
What is a coronal slice and what kind of view does it give of the brain?
A coronal slice separates anterior/posterior regions and allows a view from in-front or behind of both hemispheres of the brain
Typically this allows you to view and/or to contrast the medial/lateral nature of certain subcortical structures
Define & Describe:
What is a sagittall slice and what kind of view does it give of the brain?
A sagittall slice separates the left and right hemispheres and allows a side-on view of one half at a time
This allows a more detailed/closer view of certain subcortical structures in either hemisphere
Identify:
Ridges formed by the complex folding of the cerebral cortex are called ______
Gyri (plural)
Gyrus (singular)
Identify:
Grooves formed by the complex folding of the cerebral cortex are called ______
Sulci (plural)
Sulcus (singular)
Describe:
What is the advantage of a convoluted cortex?
An increase in surface area per volume
This allows greater surface area for biochemical processes/reactions as well as enabling a ‘larger’ organ to fit into a smaller skull
Describe:
The three major functions associated with the frontal lobe
- Voluntary Movement
- Expressive Language
- Higher-Cognitive Skills
(e.g. Executive Functioning)
Disturbances are often seen in many psychiatric patients (such as those with depression, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia
Describe:
The THREE major functions of the parietal lobe.
- Processing & Interpretting Somatosensory Input
- Sensory Input Integration
- Construction of Spatial Representations
Defecits in the parietal cortex are seen in patients such as those with autism spectrum disorders
Describe:
The occipital lobe is associated with which major functions?
- Processing Visual Information
- Perception
(Of colour, form, motion, etc.)
Describe:
The FOUR major functions associated with the temporal lobe
- Processing Auditory Information
- Encoding Memory
- Processing Affect & Emotions
- Involved in Language and Visual Perception (some parts)
Defecits in the temporal lobe are characteristic/observed in patients with schizophrenia
Define & Describe:
The THREE major functions the cerebellum is associated with.
- Coordination of Voluntary (Fine) Motor Control
- Balance & Equilibrium
- Involved in Cognitive Functioning
(more recent evidence suggesting this)
Disturbances in this region have been found associated with schizophrenia and ADHD
Fill-in-the-Blank(s):
Structure A is the ____, while structure B is the ____.
Structure C refers to the ____ and structure D points at the ____.
(using image provided)
- cingulate cortex
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- amygdala
Fill-in-the-Blank(s):
Structure A is the ____, while structure B is the ____.
Structure C refers to a ____ and structure D points at the ____.
(using image provided)
- Putamen
- Globus Pallidus
- Subthalamic Nucleus
- Substantia Nigra
Fill-in-the-Blank(s):
____ is mainly involved in executive functioning, while ____ is mediated by the cerebellum.
(Cortical Regions)
- The frontal cortex
- (fine) motor coordination
Fill-in-the-Blank(s):
Heightened dopamine release plays a crucial role in ____, while ____ are associated with changes in serotonin.
(Mental Afflictions)
- drug addiction
- mood disorders
Fill-in-the-Blank(s):
Reductions in dopamine in the ____ are found in patients with ____, while an overactivity of glutamate is found in ____.
(Structure and mental afflictions)
- basal ganglia
- parkinson’s disease
- epilepsy
Describe:
What is the purpose Tuberoinfundibular (Dopamine) Pathway?
And where is its location in the brain?
The release of dopamine from this pathway into the bloodstream inhibits the pituitary gland from releasing prolactin (hormone)
Its cell bodies are located in the arcuate nucleus, with axons leading to the median eminence (both are parts of the hypothalamus).
Describe:
Outline the location of neurons comprising the Mesolimbic (Dopamine) Pathway:
The mesolimbic pathway has its cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area. From here, the axons travel to the nucleus accumbens, also known as the ventral striatum.
Describe:
Outline the location of neurons comprising the Nigrostriatal (Dopamine) Pathway:
The nigrostriatal pathway has its cell bodies in the so-called Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNc) in the midbrain. From here axons run to the dorsal striatum (a part of the basal ganglia).
Describe:
Outline the location of neurons comprising the Mesocortical (Dopamine) Pathway:
The Mesocortical pathway has its cell bodies in the ventral tegmental area in the midbrain. From here the axons travel to the cortex, innervating mainly the prefrontal and cingulate cortex.
Describe:
Where are the dopaminergic cell bodies found?
The dopaminergic cell bodies are mainly located in the substantia nigra pars compacta (more lateral) and the ventral tegmental area (more medial).
Nigra means black, and it refers to the fact that the dopaminergic cells are considerably darker than the surrounding cells (due to the high concentration of neuromelanin in the cells)
Describe:
How does dopamine relate to Parkinson’s disease?
Deterioration of cell bodies in the substantia nigra leads to the reduction of dopamine transmission within the basal ganglia
In patients, this leads to very characteristic motor symptoms, such as rigidity (stiffness) of the muscles, tremor (shaking of the extremities, particularly during rest) and brdadykinesia (slowness of movement). in addition, patients often have a stooped posture and a slowness and inflexibility of thinking as well.
Describe
What is dopamine’s role in addiction?
- Addictive substances cause euphoria through activation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system
- Prolonged exposure leads to dampening/waning of initial euphoric feelings
- Compulsive use begins and an increase in the dopamine release from the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is seen
Define:
Raphe Nuclei
Clusters of sertonergic cell bodies located in the midbrain
The axons of these cell bodies project to essentially all other brain regions
Identify:
Where is the vast majority of serotonin present?
About 95% of serotonin
Outside of the CNS, mostly in the blood and gastrointestinal system
Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (and usually abbreviated as 5-HT), is one of the oldest neurotransmitters in the brain.
Serotonin can interact with 14 different receptors (belonging to seven different families). With the exception of the 5-HT3 receptors, all the other receptors belong to the metabotropic (G-protein coupled receptor) class.
Identify:
Which disorders are associated with disturbances in serotonin?
Note: Changes in serotonin (as well as other NTs) in psychiatric disorders are often very ‘dynamic’. This means is has been very difficult to unequivocally “prove” an association betwene disturbanced 5-HT functioning and psychiatric disorders.
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Autism Spectrum
Drugs that affect the serotoniergic system are known to improve symptoms in these disorders.
Identify:
The dysfucntioning of which neurotransmitter is associated with epilepsy and (potentially) schizophrenia?
Glutamate; a major excitatory neurotransmitter.
An overactive glutamatergic system would like contribute to increased activation of brain regions as is characteristic for epilepsy.
Identify:
Which three brain regions are key glutamate pathway locations?
- Basal ganglia
- Thalamus
- Corticofugal Pathways
- Glutamate is a prominent neurotransmitter connecting the subthalamic nucleus with the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra. Additionally, fibers from the cortex to the stritum use glutamate as their neurotransmitter.
- Both the fibers from the cortex to the thalamus, as well as those from the thalamus to the cortex use glutamate as a neurotransmitter
- Glutamate is the main neurotransmitter in cells that project from the cerebral cortex to other brain regions.
