Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Frontal lobe
motor function, executive function (emotions, judgement, reasoning), not too developed in kids
Parietal lobe
AKA somatosensory lobe, controls touch/taste/smell
Occipital lobe
visual processing
Temporal lobe
auditory processes, memory, learning
What makes up the forebrain?
thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary and other glands, hippocampus, amygdala
What is the midbrain responsible for?
Pain and sensory info
What makes up the hindbrain?
Cerebellum, pons, medulla and reticular formation
Cerebellum
controls involuntary, rapid motor movement, involved in some cognitive and emotional tasks
Pons
involved in sleep, dreaming, L/R coordination, arousal
Medulla
controls life-sustaining functions (breathing, swallowing, heart rate)
Hippocampus
controls (short-term) memory, damage means any new memories won’t be saved
Amygdala
emotion center
Thalamus
“sensory-relay station”, where all sensory-related info first goes
Hypothalamus
controls survival behaviors (ex: if we’re thristy its the hypothalamus encouraging us to drink water)
Pituitary gland
growth and development, controls all other endocrine glands
Corpus callosum
“bridge b/w both hemispheres allowing them to communicate
Wernicke’s area
language comprehension. if damaged, person can say words but their sentences dont make sense
Broca’s area
speech production, damaged area causes non-fluent pattern of speaking (ex: stuttering)
Somatosensory cortex
receives and processes sensory information from across the body
Motor cortex
control and execution of voluntary movements
Major neurotransmitters discussed in class
Dopamine, GABA, serotonin, acetylcholine, endorphins, norepinephrine, glutamate
Dopamine
rewards fulfilling survival behaviors (released when thirst is quenched)
Serotonin
pleasure hormone, high levels result in a euphoric feeling (fulfilling food/water needs sees 25% increase, meth use sees 1250% increase)
Acetylcholine
muscle contraction control, attention, memory, and arousal (if all acetylcholine was blocked, our skeletal muscles would stop working, some dead neurons can lead to Alzheimer’s)
Endorphins
AKA opioids, decrease pain response (released on a runners high, when bitten by a lion and need to keep running)
Norepinephrine
involved in arousal and mood, release makes us very alert (waking up in a panic, fight or flight)
GABA
involved in sleep and inhibiting movement, “off switch”, (GABA drugs used to help insomnia, alcohol OD completely shuts the brain off bc it affects GABA levels)
Glutamate
learning, memory and NS development
What can x-rays see?
Bone
What can a CT see?
Brain tissue
What can an MRI see?
Brain tissue
Compare a CT to an MRI
CT more readily available, MRI higher resolution
What’s a PET scan and what can it see?
CT with some extra components, radio-labeled glucose injected into femoral artery, cells can’t metabolize it so it can accumulate in high activity areas. Sees brain function
What does an fMRI measure and see?
measures blood flow, sees brain function
What’s an EEG measure?
Brain wave activity
What’s transcranial magnetic stimulation?
TMS is magnetic pulses that can stimulate certain areas of the brain… FDA approved, can treat depression, OCD, smoking addiction, etc… no side effects
