Module 2 Flashcards
Rostral (Anterior)
Toward the nose
Caudal (posterior)
Toward the tail (or rear)
Dorsal (superficial)
Toward the back
Ventral (inferior)
Toward the belly
Medial
Toward the midline
Lateral
Toward the side
What makes up the central nervous system?
Consists of the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem and spinal cord
What are the two divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
1) Somatic (voluntary)
2) Visceral (autonomic)
Which is the dorsal side of the brain?
The top
Dura Mater
“Hard mother”
The leathery membrane encasing the brain and spinal cord. On the exterior it is anchored to the cranium and interior to the pia.
Pia mater
“Soft mother”
A film of connective tissue supplied with capillaries that nourish the brain.
Arachnoid
“Spidery”
A network between the dura and pia that is richly vascularized. It is attached to the dura on one side and the pia on the other. Contains the sub arachnoid space. This area acts like a shock absorber to protect the brain from mechanical damage.
Sub Arachnoid Space
The space between the pia mater and archnoid filled with cerebro-spinal fluid that adds to the shock absorbind effect of the arachnoid layer.
Ventricles
Brain spaces filled with cerebral spinal fluid.
Four major divisions of the central nervous system
1) Prosencephalon Forebrain
2) Mesencephalon Midbrain
3) Rhombencephalon Hindbrain
4) Spinal cord
Prosencephalon Forebrain division(s)
1) Telencephalon
2) Diencephalon
Telencephalon
Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, etc.
Diencephalon
Thalamus, hypothalamus, etc.
Mesencephalon Midbrain division(s)
1) Mesencephalon
Mesencephalon
Tectum, etc.
Rhombencephalon Hindbrain division(s)
1) Metencephalon
2) Myelencephalon
Metencephalon
Cerebellum, pons, etc.
Myelencephalon
Medulla oblongata, etc.
Hemisphere
Half a sphere.
- In cerebral cortex there is a right and left hemisphere
Cortex
Rind, usually cortical structures are organized into layers.
-Ex: Cerebral cortex and cerebellar cortex
Lobe
A chunk of cortex separated from the next chunk by a deep groove.
Gyrus
A ridge in the brain
Sulcus
A groove
Fissure
A deep sulcus - sometimes used interchangeably with sulcus.
Piriform Cortex (paleocortex)
Smooth cortex that makes up the olfactory bulbs. We think this is where the other cortex came from.
Put the three types of cortex in order from oldest (1) to newest (3)
1) Paleocortex
2) Archicortex
3) Neocortex
Grey matter
Matter in the nervous system made up of cell bodies
White matter
Matter in the nervous system made up of myelinated axons (fibers)
Nuclei
Roughly circumscribed groups of cell bodies
Fascicles
Bundles of fibers
Peduncles
Thick bundles of fibers that connect big parts of the brain to other big parts of the brain.
Coronal
A slice of the brain taken like a crown across the top of the head.
Horizontal
A slice of the brain that cuts horizontally across the head.
Sagittal
A slice of the brain taken in a plane that goes straight into your nose (where you might put a plane of symmetry on the face)
Victor Horsley
Horsley designed a machine that used landmarks on the skull (bony ridges and hollows) as reference points to create a coordiante system to navigate the brain so that each point in the brain had its own unique set of coordinates.
Key words: stereotaxic apparatus
Talairach coordinate system
The mostly commonly used coordinate system for navigating the brain today.
- Conceptually similar to Stereotaxic system
- Reference point is a structure inside the head which can be visualized using MRI
Phrenology
A completley wrong view that used to be held that we could see localization of faculties based on the features of the skull
Phineas Gage
When Phineas Gage suffered a severe wound through the front of his brain, it completely changed his personality and ability to maintain social interactions and normality. This showed the localization of executive function to the prefrontal lobes.
Broca’s area
A region in the left inferior frontal lobe which deals with the ability to speak.
Wernicke’s area
An area in the superior temporal lobe that is correlated with the ability to recognize words.
Wilder Penfield
Discovered the motor homunculus by stimulating the brains of patients during surgery.
Motor homonculus
A map of the body laid out over a specific region of the brain.
HM
Shows localization of functions that form memories.
- Had his hippocampus removed and he couldn’t remember anything new but retained all old memories
Pituitary Gland
Gland that secretes hormones and is regulated by the hypothalamus.
Hypothalamus
Many nuclei involved in motivated behaviors and more
Thalamus
Many thalmic nuclei relay informaiotn about the senses to the cortex.