Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Where on the Neuroaxis is the dorsal part of the brain in regards to the dorsal part of the body?
90 degrees
neuroaxis
an imaginary line that runs the length of the spinal cord through the brain
the 4 anaotomical directions and their 2 names of eachother
- Rostral/anterior structures are located toward the head
-
Caudal/posterior structures are located toward the tail.
- EX: dogs hips and caudal to its shoulders
- Dorsal/superior structures are located toward the back.
- Ventral/inferior structures are located toward the belly
- Brain is different directions
- Superior- towards the top
- Inferior- towards the feet
- Anterior- towards the front
- Posterior- towards the rear
draw the brain and body and label the 4 directions of each
Planes of section in the brain
- Coronal (frontal) sections divide the brain from front to back (parallel to the face).
- Horizontal (axial) sections divide the brain from top to bottom.
- Sagittal sections are parallel to the midline (between the ears) and give us a “side” view of the brain.
- Midsagittal – sagittal section dividing the brain along the midline, creating 2 approximately equal halves
Protection of the Brain
- Bone
- Meninges
- CSF
- BBB
Meninges
- Three layers in the central nervous system (CNS):
- Dura mater
- Arachnoid
- Pia mater
- Only two layers in the peripheral nervous system (PNS): dura and pia
Dura Mater
- Out most layer of the meninges
- Kind of a mother swaddling baby, so it’s the blanket that swaddles the brain
- Leather like
- CNS & PNS
Arachnoid Membrane
- Spider-weblike
- Only CNS
Pia Matter
- Clear membrane that wraps around the brain
- CNS & PNS
Ventricles of the brain
Produces and distributes CSF
- Lateral- lateral from midline
- Central canal- continuation for 4th ventricle
- Cerebral aqueduct- connects 3rd and 4th ventricle
choroid plexus
clusters of capillary blood versicles which line the ventricles and secretes the cerebrospinal fluid
CSF
- Created by choroid plexus
- Acts as a cushion
- Passes through:
- 2 lateral ventricles (one in each hemisphere)
- 3rd ventricle
-
4th ventricle
- Both in brainstem
- 4th is continuous with the Central canal of the spinal cord
- allows CSF to enter the subarachnoid space
- Leaves through the subarachnoid space/4th ventricle
- CNS and not PNS
- contained in the cerebral aqueduct
Hydrocephalus
- Found in babies
- Too much water on head instead of brain matter caused by a blockage
- Prevents growth of brain
The Brain’s Blood Supply
- No connected with fluid at all
- Vertebral artery- comes from back of the skull
- Ceratoid artery- oxygen blood vesicles up sides of neck to supply the brain
Blood Brain Barrier
- Prevents toxins that are in the blood from getting in the brain
- No gaps between cells creating capillary in the brain
- astrocytes
The Central Nervous System
includes the brain and the spinal cord
The Peripheral Nervous System
the nerves exiting the brain and spinal cord that serve sensory and motor functions for the rest of the body
1.
What’s the difference, recovery wise, if the CNS or PNS gets damaged?
The CNS can’t recover,
The PNS and damaged nerves can regenerate and recover function
What does the Spinal cord consist of?
- Vertebrael Column
- Central Canal
- Spinal Nerves
Vertebral column
the bones of the spinal column that protect and enclose the spinal cord
Central canal
- in the center of the spinal cord
- Sensory enters through here with dorsal horns
- Filled with CSF
Spinal nerves
- exit between the bones of the vertebral column
- Motor nerves exit through the ventral horns
- considered a mixed nerve
5 Nerve types in spine
- Cervical nerves- 8 of them that serve the area of the head neck and arms
- Thoracic nerves-12, serve most of the torso
- Lumbar nerves- 5, serve the lower back and legs
- Sacral nerves-5 serve the back of the legs and genitals
- Coccygeal Nerve-
How many segments and nerve types are there in the spine?
31 segments and five nerve types
White matter
- made up of nerve fibers known as axons, the parts of neurons that carry signals to other neurons
- Outside
- The white look is from the mylein
- Axons from sensory neurons carry sensory information up the dorsal parts of the spinal cord
- axons from motor neurons carry movement and travel information in the ventral parts of the spinal cord
grey matter
- consists of areas primarily made up of cell bodies
- Inside
- Butterfly/H shaped
- the neurons found in the dorsal horns of the H receive sensory input
- neurons in the ventral horns of the H pass motor information onto the muscles
ventral horn cells
participate in either voluntary movement or spinal reflexes
Reflexes
- an involuntary action or response
- Help us sit and stand and not fall
- patellar reflex
- withdrawal reflex
patellar reflex
- the knee jerk reflex.
- managed by two neurons:
- one neuron processes sensory information coming into the cord from the muscle receptors
- this neuron communicates with a spinal motor neuron that responds to input by contracting the muscle causing your foot to kick
withdrawal reflex
a spinal reflex that pulls body part away from a source of pain. Produces a very rapid movement
Plegia
- damage to the spinal cord results in a loss of sensation and a loss of voluntary movement in parts of the body served by nerves located below the damaged area
- EX: loss of bladder and bowel control due to loss of innervation of sphincter muscles.
- Paraplegic- legs
- Quadriplegic- legs and arms
Brain Divisions
- Hindbrain
- Midbrain
- Forebrain
Hindbrain
the most caudal division of the brain including the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
Contains:
- Medulla/Myelencephalon
- Reticular formation
- Metencephalon/Pons
- Cerebellum
Midbrain/Mesencephalon
- Mesencephalon
- Tectum
- Tegmentum
- Cerebral aqueduct
- periaqueductal grey
- Motor Nuclei
- Colicoli’s
Forebrain
- Diencephalon:
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- pituitary
- Telencephalon:
- Left and right cerebral hemispheres
- limbic system
- cerebrum
Medulla/Myelencephalon
The gradual swelling of tissue above the cervical spinal cord marks the most caudal portion of the brain
- The vast majority of all information passing to and from higher structures of the brain passes through the medulla
- Contains a lot of nuclei or collections of cell bodies with a shared function
- damage to the medulla is fatal
- mostly white matter of spinal nerves.
- Also: Cranial nerve nuclei and nuclei of autonomic functions: breathing heart rate, blood pressure – so damage to this area is fatal
reticular formation
- a collection of brainstem nuclei located near the midline from rostral
- Reticular formation (because if you see the whole structure it look like a net – reticulum in Latin) – sleep and arousal.
- Form many connections with the thalamus
Pons
- in the Metencephalon
- rostral to the medulla
- Forms connections between the medulla and higher brain centers
- Breathing and sensory control center
- contain nuclei
- cochlear nucleus
- vestibular nucleus
- Raphe nuclei and locus coeruleus
- cochlear nucleus- receives information about sound from the inner ear
-
vestibular nucleus- Cell bodies that receive input about the location and movement of head from sensory neurons in the inner ear
- balance
- Raphe nuclei and locus coeruleus- influence mood, arousal, and sleep and project widely to the rest of the brain
ALL WITHIN PONS
Cerebellum
- Little brain
- contains more neurons than the rest of the brain combined
- resembles a tree as white matter axons form trunk and branches and grey matter or neural cell bodies form leaves
- voluntary movements, muscle tone, regulating balance
- Executive functions an emotional processing
Cerebellum traditionally associated with movement, but increasing understanding of its involvement in a wide range of cognitive functions
Tectum
- roof, dorsal top-half
- Tectum – “roof”
- auditory and visual reflexes
- In humans, this is comprised of
- The superior colliculus
- The inferior colliculus
The superior colliculus
The inferior colliculus
Dorsal Surface of Midbrain 4 bumps:
1. 1+2 The superior colliculus is involved in preliminary visual processing and control of eye movements – not conscious seeing
2. 3+4 The inferior colliculus is involved in auditory processing – location of sounds. It receives input from various brain stem nuclei and projects to the medial geniculate nucleus of the thalamus, which relays auditory information to the primary auditory cortex
Tegmentum
- covering, ventral bottom half
- a motor center that relays inhibitory signals to the thalamus and basal nuclei preventing unwanted body movement.
Cerebral aqueduct
small channel running along the midline of the brain that connects the 3rd and 4th ventricles. where CSF is contained
periaqueductal grey
Gray matter surrounding the cerebral aqueduct of the midbrain that is believed to play a role in the sensation of pain
- large number of receptors
- peri means around
- contains most rostral portion of the reticular formation and a number of nuclei associated with cranial nerves
Motor Nuclei
- red nucleus-a structure located within the reticular formation that communicates motor information between the spinal cord and the cerebellum
- substantia nigra-midbrain nuclei that communicate with the basil glinge area of the forebrain
Thalamus
- located in the Diencephalon
- Processes sensory information/sensory control center, contributes to states of arousal, and participate in learning and memory
- Reticular formation and cortex for many connections
- Damage results in a coma and seizures
- Location: Rostral end of brainstem
Hypothalamus
- Controls the hormone/endocrine system/ANS(gland area), Participates in the regulation of hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, and aggression.
- Part of limbic system
- Directly connected to the pituitary gland
- Hormones are released
- Fight or flight
Telencephalon
- The telencephalon is also known as the cerebrum, and it consists of the largest part of the brain (it makes up about 85% of the total weight of the brain). It contains the cerebral hemispheres, and thus includes the cerebral cortex and a number of other structures lying below it (subcortical structures), along with a variety of important fiber bundles like the corpus callosum
Peripheral Nervous System
- Cranial nerves
- Spinal Nerves
- Automatic Nervous system
Cranial Nerves
- Location: are the nerves that emerge directly from the brain (including the brainstem)
- Function: Cranial nerves relay information between the brain and parts of the body, primarily to and from regions of the head and neck.
- The cranial nerves are considered components of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
- 12 cranial nerves enter and exit the brain
- 10th cranial nerve is Vagus nerve and goes all the way into our stomach and important for intenal organs
Spinal Nerves
- Spinal nerves emerge sequentially from the spinal cord with the spinal nerve closest to the head emerging in the space above the first cervical vertebra
- 31 pairs of spinal nerves exit the spinal cord to provide sensory and motor pathways to the body
- only have 2/3 layers of meninges- dura and pia matter
- CSF doesn’t surround spinal nerves
-
2 Kinds: entering and exiting from head
- Sensory- entering (afferent) are outside spinal cord, dorsal
- Motor- exists (efferent) grey matter which are inside the spinal cord, ventral
dorsal root ganglion
a collection of cell bodies of sensory/afferent nerves located just outside the spinal cord
Mixed Nerve
- Mixed nerve- Spinal nerves, because it contains afferent and efferent or sensory and motor neurons
Autonomic Nervous System
- Provides sensory and motor innervation to glands, organs and smooth muscle
- Heart, lungs, digestive system, and other breathings are commanded by the ASN. as well as reflex if behaviors like sneezing coughing vomiting and more. AKA cruise control
- Three parts:
- Sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
- Enteric nervous system
Sympathetic Nervous System
- Copes with emergencies and sit back preparing the body for action, arousal
-
Fight or flight system
- Puts blood in and oxygen into the most necessary parts of the body. Puts salvation and digesting on standby
- should you be cut, you will not bleed very badly as blood vessels near the skin’s surface are constricted to large muscle groups
Sympathetic chain
- a string of cell bodies outside the spinal cord who is axons communicate/receive input from the sympathetic neurons in the CNS and that communicate with target organs
- The chaining provides coordination for concerted, coordinated efforts.
- Messages from spinal neurons arrive at the same time So the sympathetic chain arrives at all the target organs simultaneously
- Essential for survival
How does the body know whether a sympathetic or parasympathetic input is being received?
- the chemical messengers is what identifies them:
- this system of my chemical messengers is critical for example if the heart is stimulated by ACH it will slow if it is stimulated by norephedrine it will speed up
Parasympathetic Nervous System
- Rest & Digest
- While you’re sympathetic nervous system is using the energy the stored energy is provided by the parasympathetic nervous system as its job is to provide rest, repair, and energy storage
- Location is above and below the lumbar and thoracic regions of the spinal cord, in the brain and sacral divisions of the spinal cord
- Because the timing is not important a sympathetic chain is not needed
- The hypothalamus controls the autonomic nervous system by way of connections in the midbrain tegmentum.
Enteric Nervous System
- Contains a lot of neurons. The number of neurons is almost equivalent to the spinal cord
- some of the functions contribute to conscious sensations like pain hunger and satisfaction. The rest of its work remains below the level of conscious awareness
- hormones at like serotonin are released through the N trick nervous system
- Neurons embedded in the lining of the gastro intestinal system
The Endocrine System
- The hypothalamus directly controls the release of hormones by the glands making up the endocrine system. Including the pinyol gland the pituitary gland the thyroid glands the adrenal glands and the ice let’s of languor hands in the pancreas
cerebral hemisphere
- Frontal – most anterior region
- Parietal – lies between the frontal and occipital lobes
- Occipital – posterior region, visual processing
- Temporal – lateral region, auditory processing
Boundaries between lobes
- Sylvian fissure – boundary of the temporal lobe
- Central sulcus – divides the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe
- Postcentral gyrus – a strip of cortex behind the central cortex, important for touch
- Precentral gyrus – in the frontal lobe, important for motor control
Strokes
Raphe nuclei and locus coeruleus
influence mood, arousal, and sleep and project widely to the rest of the brain
Other pontine (“in the pons”) nuclei contain cells that produce and deliver special neurotransmitters that affect general brain states – raphe nuclei for Serotonin and locus ceruleus for Norepinephrine
Basil ganglia/Corpus Striatum FUNCTION
- A collection of nuclei within the cerebral hemispheres that participate in the control of motor movements
- Enables the execution of motor programs stored by the cortex
degeneration occurs in Parkinson’s & Huntington’s and produces disorders of movement and Psych and ADHD and OCD
Ganglia
a general term for collection of cell bodies
Basal ganglia nuclei
- Caudate Nucleus
- Putamen
- globus pallidus
- subthalamic nucleus
- nucleus accumbens/ventral striatum (bc its ventral to the rest)
- called corpus striatum because they are striped
- Substantia nigra is closely connected so it’s considered a part
Limbic System
- Four structures that participate in emotional behavior, motivated behavior, and learning
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala
- Hypothalamus
- Cingulate cortex
Hippocampus
- Location: At the midline in the four brain and at temporal lobe
- Function: learning and memory
- Degradation: as a result of stress can have memory loss called anterograde amnesia- can’t learn NEW facts/language/personal experience
Amygdala
- Location: anterior end of hippocampus, rostral temporal lobes
- Function: emotion, fear, rage, aggression, and motivation
- Degradation: abnormal emotional calmness, and an inability to respond appropriately two dangerous situations. Autism
- The Amygdala interacts with the hippocampus during the encoding and storage of emotional memories.
Cingulate Cortex
- Location: dorsal to the corpus callosum, inner surface of the cerebral hemispheres
-
Function: fold of cortical tissue that contains nerve cells and have two types:
- Anterior CC- decision making, action, emotion, anticipation for reward, empathy
-
Posterior CC- eye movements, spatial orientation, and memory
- degradation: Alzheimer’s disease
Olfactory bulbs
- receive and process emotional information about smell
- Location: base of the forebrain
anterior commissure
small band of axons keeping two hemipsheres connected
The Cortex
- outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres, thin layer of gray matter, contain the cerebral hemispheres
Gyri
hills of the cortex
Sulci/fissures
valleys of the cortex (fissures are deep)
Fissure
- a large sulcus that are the boundries of the temporal lobe and frontal/parietal