Module 1 - Introduction to the Central Nervous System Flashcards
What are the 3 primary germ layers in the early embryo?
- ectoderm (develops into neural structures and the epidermis) 2. mesoderm (develops into skin, bone and muscles) 3. endoderm (develops into internal organs)
What kind of brain cut is this?
Coronal
What kind of brain cut is this?
Horizontal
What kind of brain cut is this?
Sagittal
What is the longitudinal fissure?
Located along the midsagittal plane, it separates the two hemispheres
What is the largest lobe?
The frontal lobe
What separates the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe?
The central sulcus
Where is the precentral gyrus? What is it’s function?
In front of (anterior to) the central sulcus, and contains the primary motor areas
Describe the prefrontal association areas
They are concerned with functions such as emotion, motivation, personality, initiative, judgement, ability to concentrate, and social inhibitions.
What is the function of the cingulate gyrus (on the medial surface of the frontal lobe)?
Modulating emotional aspects of behavior
What does the parietal lobe do? (broadly)
Important in regulating somatosensory, language, and spatial oreintation functions
Where is the postcentral gyrus located? What is it’s function?
Behind the central sulcus, in the parietal lobe.
It is the primary somatosensory area of the cortex
What is the primary function of the temporal lobe?
Processing autory information, language, and certain complex functions.
What is the limbic lobe associated with?
Processing complex aspects of learning, memory and emotion
What are the “deep structures” of the brain?
- The basal ganglia
- limbic structures
- white matter
What are the basal ganglia? Where are they broadly located?
The basal ganglia are a group of interconnected, interacting nuclei within the forebrain, diencephalon, and midbrain.
Together, the basal ganglia play a critical role in the initiation and control of voluntary movements
What are the components of the basal ganglia?
forbrain: caudate and lenticular (putamen and globus pallidus) nuclei
diencephalon: subthalamic nucleus
midbrain: substantia nigra
Of what is the forebrain comprised?
Telencephalon and Diencephalon
Of what components is the telencephalon comprised?
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Deep structures
- Thalamus
Of what components is the diencephalon comprised?
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
- subthalamus
What structure is shown in the below image?
subthalamus
What do “projection fibers” do?
project to and from the cortex
What do “commissural fibers” do?
Connec the hemispheres
What do “association fibers” do?
Connect areas within one hemisphere









