Neuroanatomy Flashcards
The organization of the brain serves what purpose?
Create synapses in a structured way
Dorsal
top
Ventral
bottom
Rostral
towards face
caudal
back of head
Coronal section
from top to bottom
Transverse section
rostral to caudal
sagittal section
divides body into left and right sections
List the terms for relative position
anterior, posterior
superior, inferior
What are the two main divisions of the nervous system and their components?
central nervous system - brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system - nerves that carry sensory and motor info to organs, skin, muscles
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Part of the PNS, controls organs that serve life functions (breathing, heart rate, adrenal glands)
Define afferent
Towards CNS
Define efferent
away from CNs
What is the corpus callosum?
medial structure that is the major fiber pathway that connects the left and right hemispheres
What is the thalamus?
relay station that carries sensory info from the senses into the cortex
What is the function of the amygdala?
controls fear processing
What is the function of the hippocampus?
controls memory
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
considered a master land that controls hormones throughout the body
What are the pieces of the limbic system?
corpus callosum, thalamus and hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, cingulate gyrus, and frontal lobe
What is the primary function of the limbic system?
related to emotional processing
__ and __ allow the brain to have high surface area in a small space
gyri; sulci
Define sulci
valleys
Define fissures
deep valleys (big sulci)
Define gyri
ridges
What allows humans to have higher order processing than other species?
Invaginations of the brain/ sulci and gyrus allow for more space
Where is the longitudinal fissure?
separates the left and right hemisphere
Where is the Sylvian fissure?
separates the parietal lobe from the temporal and frontal lobes
Where is the central sulcus?
separates the precentral gyrus from the postcentral gyrus
Describe the information of the precentral gyrus
motor processes
Describe the information of the postcentral gyrus
somatosensory processess
What is the function of the frontal lobe?
motor function
What is the function of the prefrontal cortex?
abstract thinking, cognitive control, and goal directed behavior
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
manages language (in the left hemisphere) helps manage memory
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
visual processing
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
sensory integration
