Neuro 3 INCOMPLETE Flashcards
What are the two parts of the midbrain? What position are they in?
Tectum- located dorsal to the cerebral aqueduct
Tegmentum - located ventral to the cerebral aqueduct
What is in the tectum?
Superior colliculi - visual
Inferior colliculi - auditory
What is the function of the superior colliculi?
Regulating eye movements
And reflexes involving visual stimuli
E.g. turning head quickly when something enters field of vision
What is the function of the inferior colliculi?
Involved in sound location
Pitch discrimination
Reflexes associated with auditory stimuli
E.g. turning the head quickly when hearing a loud noise
What is in the tegmentum?
Substantia nigra
Cerebral peduncles (most ventral surface)
Red nuclei
(also periaqueductal grey matter)
Function of the substantia nigra?
Important in motor control by producing dopamine
What are the cerebral peduncles?
On the most ventral surface of the tegmentum
Large white matter bundles that connect the midbrain to the thalami
What is the function of the red nuclei?
Involved in supporting motor control of the limbs
Which prominent nuclei are in the midbrain?
Oculomotor (CN III)
Trochlear (CN IV)
Edinger-Westphal nuclei (pupillary light reflex)
What is on the dorsal surface of the pons?
Middle cerebellar peduncles
- large white matter connections to the cerebellum
What is on the ventral surface?
Basilar artery
Where is the fourth ventricle?
Situated dorsal to the pons, between the two middle cerebellar peduncles
What nuclei does the pons contain?
Trigeminal (CN V)
Abducens (CN VI)
Facial (CN VII)
Vestibulocochlear (CN VIII)
Also pneumotaxic and apneustic centres - involved in regulation of breathing
What structures are associated with the pons?
Basilar artery
Pons
Middle cerebellar peduncle
Fourth ventricle
Nuclei - CN V, CN VI, CN VII, CN VIII
Pneumotaxic and apneustic centres
What does the medulla oblongata connect?
The pons to the spinal cord
What is the name of the groove on the ventral surface of the medulla oblongata?
Anterior median fissure
Separates the two medullary pyramids
What is on the ventral surface of the medulla?
The two medullary pyramids, separated by the anterior median fissure
Medullary olives are immediately lateral to these
What runs inside the medullary pyramids?
Motor tracts
Such as corticospinal tracts
Where are the medullary olives?
On the ventral surface of the medulla, immediately lateral to medullary pyramids
What sensory pathway of nerves runs in the dorsal part of the medulla?
The dorsal column medial lemniscus (DCML) pathway
Runs within two pairs of nerve bundles
What two nerve bundles does the DCML pathway run in?
Fasciculus gracilis
Fasciculus cuneatus
What nuclei does the medulla contain?
Glossopharyngeal (CN IX)
Vagus (CN X)
Accessory (CN XI)
Hypoglossal nerve (CN XII)
Vital centres for regulating respiration, heart rate and blood pressure, initiating vomiting
What is bulbar palsy?
Dysfunction of the cranial nerves that arise from the medulla (9 to 12)
Symptoms include difficulty speaking, swallowing, excessive saliva production, wasting and fasciculations of the tongue, absent gag reflex
Causes include diseases that affect PNS
Why are the cranial nerves named as such?
They originate directly from the brain and not the spinal cord like other nerves
Which is the only cranial nerve that leaves the CNS posteriorly?
The trochlear nerves (CN IV)
For CN I what is the…
Name?
Nerve fibre type?
CNS origin?
Skull base foramen?
- Olfactory nerve
- Sensory nerve
- Cerebrum - olfactory cortex - temporal
- Cribriform plate
What is the function of the olfactory nerve?
What does dysfunction present as?
Smell
Detect odour molecules
Convey information superiorly to the olfactory bulbs
Altered/loss of smell - coffee, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon
What path does the olfactory nerve take through the brain?
Roof of nasal cavity
Through cribriform plate to olfactory bulbs, either side of the crista galli
Olfactory tracts carry smell info posteriorly under frontal lobes towards olfactory cortices in temporal lobes
For CN II what is the…
Name?
Nerve fibre type?
CNS origin?
Skull base foramen?
- Optic nerve
- Sensory only
- Final destination is visual cortex - occipital lobe
- Optic canal - sphenoid bone
What is the function of the optic nerve? How is it tested for dysfunction?
Provides sense of sight
Altered/ Loss of vision
Visual acuity tested by Snellen chart(letters)
Also visual fields, accoomodation to near and far objects, colour vision, pupillary light reflex test function(Edinger-Westphal nucleus)