neuroanatomy Flashcards
what is the coronal view?
‘face-on’ view
what is the sagittal view?
‘side-on’ view, divided down the centre
what is the axial or transverse view?
‘top down’ view
what does cranial mean?
‘towards’ the head
what does caudal mean?
‘towards’ the tail
what does rostral mean?
towards the ‘beak’
what are the primary embryological divisions of the brain?
prosencephalon (forebrain), mesencephalon (midbrain) and rhombencephalon (hindbrain)
what are the subdivisions of the prosencephalon (forebrain) and their modern terms?
telencephalon (cerebrum), and diencephalon (diencephalon)
what is the subdivision of the mesencephalon (midbrain) and its modern term?
midbrain (midbrain)
what is the subdivision of the rhombencephalon (hindbrain) and its modern term?
metencephalon (pons and cerebellum) and myelencephalon (medulla oblongata)
what is white matter, and why does it appear white?
nerve cell axons. they appear white due to the presence of myelin sheaths wrapped around the axons which speed up conduction
what is grey matter, and why does it appear white?
primarily nerve cell bodies, including their nuclei, but also consists of other nervous system cells including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes or unmyelinated axons
where is white and grey matter located on the cerebrum and spinal chord?
most of the grey matter of the cerebrum is located on its outer surface, and the deeper parts are mostly white matter. in the spinal cord, the grey matter forms a H-shape at the centre of the cord, and the outer parts are tracts of white matter
where is the cortex and what does it consist of?
the outer part of the cerebrum and cerebellum. mainly grey matter
what are nuclei and what do they look like?
groups of functionally similar or anatomically related nerve cells are collectively called a nucleus. large groups of nuclei deep within the brain will appear grey, so some grey matter is found deep in the brain, not just on its outer surface
what is a tract?
a pathway of nerve fibres
what is a fossa?
an indentation or shallow depression
what is a foramen?
an opening, hole or passage
what are the four main parts of the brain?
cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon and brainstem
what is the cerebrum?
the largest part covering the superior and lateral aspects of the brain, covered in folds of tissue. it is made up of two hemispheres each divided into four lobes
what is the cerebellum?
the smaller, bulbous structure underneath the posterior part of the
cerebrum. cerebellum means ‘little brain’
what is the diencephalon?
this area is deep within the brain, beneath the cerebrum but above the brainstem
what is the brainstem?
this part connects the cerebrum and diencephalon the spinal cord
what does the frontal lobe contain and its function?
contains the primary motor cortex which is involved in planning and executing conscious movement, and the prefrontal cortex which is involved in behaviour,
personality and decision making
what does the temporal lobe contain and what is its function?
contains the primary auditory cortex which is responsible for processing auditory information and the hippocampus which is involved in the formation
of memories
what do the parietal lobes contain and what is its function?
contains the primary somatosensory cortex which is involved in processing sensory information
what does the occipital lobe contain and what is its function?
contains the primary visual cortex which is responsible for processing visual information
what does the cerebellum contain and what is its function?
helps maintain posture and balance, and corrects fine movements
what does the brainstem contain and what is its function?
connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord. it contains the nuclei of the cranial nerves and contains vital centres for regulating breathing and cardiovascular
function
what are the gyri and what is its function? where are they found?
this term means a ‘fold’ or ‘ridge’. found on the exterior aspect of the brain is
made up of numerous folds of tissue. these folds are called gyri (singular: gyrus). some have a specific name and a specific function
what are the sulci and what is its function? where are they found?
this term means ‘furrow’. the sulci (singular: sulcus) are the furrows, or grooves, in between the gyri
what is the central sulcus?
this is a large sulcus running in the coronal plane that separates the frontal and parietal lobes. there is a central sulcus on both hemisphere
what is the lateral sulcus?
this is another large sulcus that runs in the transverse plane. it separates the temporal lobe (below) from the frontal and parietal lobes (above). there is a lateral sulcus on both hemispheres. it is also sometimes called the ‘Sylvian fissure’
what is revealed when the lateral sulcus is teased apart?
this is a part of the cerebral cortex that can only be seen by opening the lateral sulcus in this way. in some resources, it is considered to be a fifth lobe
what is the opercula?
this term means ‘lid’ or ‘cover’. it refers to the parts of the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes that cover the insula like lips around a mouth.
where is the longitudinal fissure?
this large groove separates the two hemispheres
what happens when the longitudinal fissure is separated?
corpus callosum is revealed, which is a large e bundle of white matter (axons) that connects the two
hemispheres
how can bundles of fibres be classified?
- association fibres: fibres that stay in one hemisphere
- commissural fibres: fibres that communicate across both hemisphere
- projection fibres: go up and down into the spinal chord
what is the corpus collesuim?
carries the most amount of fibres between the left and the right side of the brain
what is the cerebellum important for?
balance, posture and coordination
what is the function of the insula?
disgust, emotion, homeostasis, self-awareness and interpersonal experience
what divides the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe?
central sulcus
what does the frontal lobe do?
motor function, problem solving, memory, judgement, impulse control, higher cognitive function, language, executive function.
what does the temporal lobe do?
semantic processing (the meaning and identity of things), memory, language, primary auditory cortex.
what does the parietal lobe do?
somatosensory,
dominant (usually left) perception, language and mathematics
non dominant (usually right): visuospatial function
what does the occipital lobe do and what does it contain?
visual, contains stria of Gennari where visual input arrives to a myelinated sheath on the outer part of the occipital lobe
how many layers does the neocortex have and what do these layers do?
6, superficial layers receive input from other cortical areas, lower ones project to other cortical areas, more deep inputs to the thalamus and projects to the brainstem and more deep projects to the thalamus
what are the layers to the brain? (superficial to deep)
skin, bone (skull), dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater (goes down into sulci and wraps around blood vessels), cerebral cortex, blood vessels and white matter
dura and arachnoid mater
what are the olfactory tracts and where do they run?
these are nerve fibres carrying information about smell from the nasal
cavity. they run along the inferior surface of the frontal lobes on both sides.
what are the optic nerves and where do they run?
carry visual information from the retinas of the eyes. also seen on the inferior surface of the frontal lobe and pass posteriorly and medially, to
a point where they partly cross over each other (the optic chiasm)
what are the mamillary bodies and where do they run?
these rounded structures are found just behind the optic chiasm and pituitary gland. they are part of the diencephalon. they are found on the inferior surface of the hypothalamus
what is the hypothalamus and where does it run?
this is part of the diencephalon and is only just visible behind the optic
chiasm.
what is the crus cerebri and where is it found?
this term means ‘feet of the brain’. they are pillars of white matter next to
the mammillary bodies that connect the rest of the brain to the brainstem. they form
part of the cerebral peduncles which are part of the midbrain
what is the interpeduncular fossa?
s the name of the fossa between the cerebral peduncles. it may have a layer of arachnoid mater overlying it on some brain specimens
what are the components of the brainstem?
midbrain – the most superior part of the brainstem where the crus cerebri are
located.
pons – the large, bulbous, central part of the brainstem.
medulla oblongata – the most inferior part of the brainstem that tapers down to become the spinal cord inferiorly
what is located anteriorly to the central sulcus and what is its function?
primary motor cortex involved in execution of motor function (movement)
what is anterior to the primary motor cortex and what is its function?
preparation and planning of movements
where is Broca’s area found and what is its function?
found at the inferior frontal lobe of the dominant
hemisphere (normally the left) and is important for spoken language production
what is the anterior part of the frontal lobe called and what is it involved in?
prefrontal cortex involved in personality, behaviour, problem solving, impulse control and inhibition, and social and sexual behaviour
where does the parietal lobe extend from?
central sulcus (anteriorly) to the parietooccipital fissure
(posteriorly).
what is posterior to the central sulcus and its function?
the primary somatosensory cortex responsible for interpretation of sensory information
what is the function of the dominant parietal lobe?
dominant parietal lobe (normally theleft) is important for perception, and mathematical and language operations
what is the function of the non-dominant parietal lobe?
non-dominant parietal lobe (normally the right) is important for visuospatial functions
what is below the lateral sulcus and its function?
primary auditory cortex which is responsible for interpretation of auditory information
where is the hippocampus and what is its function?
inferiorly and medially in the temporal lobe. involved in the formation of memory
what is located deep within the temporal lobe and what is its function?
amygdala, role within the perception of fear
where is Wernicke’s area located and what is its function?
located in the most superior and posterior part of the dominant temporal
lobe. important in understanding and coordinating spoken language
what is contained within the occipital lobe and what is its function?
contains the primary visual
cortex which is responsible for interpreting visual information received via the optic nerves giving us the perception of sight
what is the limbic system?
a group of structures found in the medial margins of the hemispheres including the hippocampus, amygdala, various parts of the cortex. and parts of the diencephalon. involved in emotion, memory and behaviour as a group. has
influence over the endocrine functions of the body and parts of it are specifically related to the sensations of fear, pleasure and rewarding behaviours
