Nervous System Flashcards
What are the characteristics of the Frontal association cortex?
- Intelligence
- Personality
- Behaviour
- Mood
- Cognitive Function
What are the characteristics of the Parietal association cortex?
- Spatial skills
- 3D recognition (shapes, faces, concepts, abstract perception)
What are the characteristics of the Temporal association cortex?
- Intelligence
- Memory
- Mood
- Agression
What does the non-dominant hemisphere (right) account for?
- Non-verbal language (e.g. body language)
- Emotional expression (tone of language)
- Spatial skills (3D)
- Conceptual understanding
- Artistic/ Musical skills
What are the effects of injury?
- Loss of non-verbal language
- Speech lacks emotion
- Spatial disorientation
- Inability to recognise familiar objects
- Loss of musical appreciation
Where is the primary motor cortex located?
Precentral gyrus
Where is the primary sensory cortex located?
Postcentral gyrus
Where is the primary auditory cortex located?
Temporal lobe, surrounded by Wernicke’s area
Where is the primary visual cortex located?
Occipital lobe
What lesion is caused by dysfunction in Broca’s area?
Non-fluent or Motor Aphasia = difficulty with language.
What lesion is caused by dysfunction in Wernicke’s area?
Fluent or Sensory Aphasia = can’t interpret spoken word.
What lesion is caused by dysfunction in the Arcuate Fasiculus?
Connectional Aphasia = can interpret correctly (good listening) & can speak (good vocalisation) but no connection between the two.
What is the dominant side of the brain and what areas are only present there?
- Left side
- Broca’s, Wernicke’s, Supramarginal & Angular Gyrus
What does the lateral fissure primarily separate?
The frontal lobe from the temporal lobe
What does the lateral fissure partially separate?
The parietal lobe from the temporal lobe
What is the function of the arcuate fasciculus?
To align speech recognition/comprehension with speech production (connects Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas).
What is the order of nerves from the skull downwards the spinal cord?
Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar, Sacral, Coccygeal
How many Cervical Nerve levels are there?
8
How many Thoracic Nerve levels are there?
12
How many Lumbar Nerve levels are there?
5
How many Sacral Nerves are there?
5
Where does Cervical Enlargement occur?
Around cervical nerve six or seven
Where does Thoracolumbar Enlargement occur?
Around thoracic nerve 11/ 12 down to lumbar nerve 1
What are the string like individual neurons called?
Cauda Equima
What anchors the spinal cord?
Filum Terminale Externum
How many paired nerves are there overall?
31
What is a receptor?
The way of housing the end of a neuron.
What neuron types are located in the spinal nerve?
Sensory fibres, Motor fibres, and Autonomic fibres.
Where do sensory nerves go?
They fan out into rootlets.
What type of information is in the dorsal rootlets?
Sensory information.
What type of information is in the ventral rootlets?
Motor information.
What are the layerings (outside to inside) that protect the spinal cord?
The Dura Mater, Arachnoid Mater, and the Pia Mater.
What is the receptor for touch?
Meissner’s Corpusle.
What is the receptor for pressure?
Paccinian Corpusle.
What is the purpose of myelin/ myelination?
It helps the speed of conduction and helps the efficiency so they can fire firings fast.
What are the characteristics of a pseudounipolar neuron?
- Encapsulated.
- Heavily myelinated.
- Fast firing (50 m/s).
- Touch and pressure.
What is ganglia/ ganglion?
A bundle of neurons (gang of neurons).
What is convergence?
The joining of neurons before going to the brain so that it isn’t too big of a structure.
What are the characteristics of a free nerve ending neuron?
- Unencapsulated.
- Unmyelinated.
- Slow firing (1 m/s).
- Pain & temperature information.
What does dorsal mean?
Back.
What does ventral mean?
Front.
Where is grey matter in a spinal segmental level?
Everything contained inside the butterfly lines.
What does grey matter contain?
Cell bodies.
What are the two regions of the dorsal funiculus?
The gracile fasciculus, and the cuneate fasciclus.
Which is closer to the midline, the gracile or cuneate fasciculus?
The gracile fasciculus.
What type of information does the dorsal funiculus carry?
Discriminative sensation information.
Where do the motor columns/ lateral funiculus carry information?
Purpose is to carry information from the brain down to the spinal cord.
What information does the ventral funiculus carry?
Pain and temperature.
What are the three categories of information that we want to be carried to/ from brain?
- Discriminative sensation information.
- Motor information.
- Pain and temperature information.
What are the different structures within the grey matter?
Substantia gelatinosa, nucleus proprius, intermediate area, lower motor neuron pool.
What does the lower motor neuron pool do?
Motor columns talks to it and then it sends a fibre out through the ventral root and activates muscle.
What is special about free nerve ending fibres? And what is the point?
They have opioid receptors on them. It blocks the pain and temperature activity of these fibres here in the spinal cord.
What is Brown’s Acquired Syndrome?
You end up with damage on one side of the spinal cord but not the other.
What is associative sensory loss?
When both pain and temperature AND discriminative sensation information is lost.
What is dissociative sensory loss?
When you lose pressure and touch (discriminative sensation information) BUT NOT pain and temperature information.
What is associative versus dissociative sensory loss?
When the person’s pain and temperature would be lost on the other side even though the lesion was on the other side.
What is the myotactic reflex?
Brings about very fast muscle movements, HOW?
What are the five structures that make up the basal ganglia?
- Caudate nucleus.
- Putamen.
- Globus pallidus.
- Subthalamic nucleus.
- Substantia nigra.
What is a polysnaptic reflex?
It is a withdrawal reflex when we experience pain.
