Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Name and describe the major divisions of the nervous system:
CNS, PNS, Autonomic Nervous System, Somatic Nervous System
CNS (brain and spinal cord)
PNS (sensory and motor communication)
—>autonomic (involuntary, regulates internal organs)
—> sympathetic (fight or flight)
—> parasympathetic (rest and regenerate)
—>somatic (voluntary, hot plate hand withdraw)
Name the two components of the autonomic nervous system and describe some of the responses each one creates, e.g., sympathetic nervous system mobilizes energy and prepares the body to react in times of potential threat (“fight-or-flight response”, doing
things like increasing heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure; slowing digestion; etc.
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Understand all of the directional signposts in the brain and be able to identify them on a
diagram
e.g., ventral, dorsal, rostral, caudal, anterior, posterior, superior, inferior, lateral, medial, sagittal, midsagittal, axial/horizontal, coronal
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ventral
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dorsal
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rostral
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caudal
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anterior
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posterior
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superior
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inferior
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lateral
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medial
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sagittal
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midsagittal
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axial/horizontal
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coronal
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Identify the names and be able to point out on a diagram all of the layers of protection for the brain: skull, dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater
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Describe the functions of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain and broadly identify where the ventricular system is in the brain
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Describe the blood brain barrier and the function it serves
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Identify on a diagram: cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem and constituent areas (midbrain, pons, medulla), spinal cord, thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, frontal
lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, central sulcus, precentral gyrus (primary motor cortex), postcentral gyrus (primary somatosensory cortex), corpus callosum
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Broadly describe how the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex are organized (don’t need specifics here – just getting at the idea that there are different regions dedicated to different areas of the body and they’re mapped out in a specific way and larger areas of the brain are devoted to areas where we need more sensitivity or motor control, e.g., hands and fingers, mouth)
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Describe some functions of the basal ganglia
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Describe the limbic system, particularly some of its key components, especially the hippocampus, amygdala (be able to describe some of the functions of both of those structures)
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Define and identify gyri and sulci and broadly describe why the brain is folded this way
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Know which transmitter the dorsal raphe nuclei is the main source of
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Know which transmitter the substantia nigra is the main source of
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Describe a role of the periaqueductal gray matter
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Describe some functions of the cerebellum
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Describe some functions of the hypothalamus
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Define homeostasis, endocrine glands, hormones (you do not need to know the individual names of hormones!)
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Identify on a diagram and describe the role of the corpus callosum and what it consists of
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Explain how cerebrospinal fluid can be used diagnostically to tell us important things
about the health and functioning of the brain
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Describe how human brains differ from, say, mouse brains and why
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Reason through what happened in that Radiolab episode when the student took a dopamine antagonist to relieve nausea: What did she experience? What do her symptoms tell us about what area was affected and why?
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Describe what we mean when we say the hypothalamus generates an alarm signal.
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Describe the relationship between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
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Describe what happened with Mary Lou Jepsen after she had to have surgery to remove a tumor, which left her without a functioning pituitary gland
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Describe what happens in sleep paralysis
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Describe in detail what we think of as the first endocrinology experiment: What were
the methods and findings? What is the significance of these findings?
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Explain why the thalamus might be thought of as a switchboard operator – but also why
that analogy may undersell its role a little bit
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Describe what happens in the case of “split brain,” i.e., when the corpus callosum is severed
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Explain what Nancy Kanwisher means when she likens the brain to a Swiss Army knife. What does this describe about the organization of the brain and the relationship
between structure and function
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CNS
central nervous system- brain and spinal cord
PNS
peripheral nervous system- the receptors and nerves that are found throughout the body, outside the brain and spinal cord
Autonomic nervous system:
directs the activity of internal, or visceral, organs; part of PNS
somatic nervous system
detects information about the external world and uses it to guide the body’s movements via the body’s musculature
layers of protection for the brain
dura mater (attached to skull), arachnoid mater (spongy spider webby middle layer), pia mater (like saran wrap on the brain)
functions of cerebrospinal fluid
keeps the brain buoyant
Absorbs shock
Delivers nutrients
Clears waste
Spinal taps can be used to assess the health of the brain
Where is the ventricular system in the brain?
Four ventricles
• Lateral ventricles: at the center of each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, inside the white matter
• Third ventricle: along the midline of the brain between the left and right thalamus
• Fourth ventricle: a small triangular structure tucked between the brainstem and the cerebellum
basal ganglia
facilitate motor control
Simple movements, complex movements, eye movements
hippocampus
key area for learning and memory. But also: spatial navigation, prospection, etc.
dorsal raphe nuclei
main source of serotonin
substantia nigra
main source of dopamine
periaqueductal gray matter
important in pain moderation
hypothalamus
Very important in maintaining homeostasis
Describe the relationship between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
The hypothalamus tells the pituitary gland what hormones it should release, then the pituitary gland physically does it
forward inference
(Nancy Kanwisher’s study example)
o Assign an activity and then look at what “lights up” to see what is involved in the process
o Problems: correlation based; not
o “Have two or more conditions that differ in some hypothesized mental process that you’re interested in. Compare them and find regions showing difference in activation between those conditions. Infer that these regions are involved in that mental process.”
What’s wrong with love your iPhone article?
o Reasoning backwards from brain activity
o fMRI: “it reasons backwards from the presence of brain activation to the engagement of a particular cognitive function.”
o it’s only really appropriate to use with big data
