Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Simple Dissection of the Peripheral Nervous System?
Somatic nervous system - voluntary
- afferent nerves (input to CNS)
- Efferent nerves (output from CNS)
Autonomic Nervous system - involuntary
- sympathetic (fight or flight
- parasympathetic (rest or digest)
Tracts Vs. Nerves
Tracts
- bundles of axons in the CNS (white matter)
Nerves
- bundles of axons in the PNS
what are the different planes of view?
Horizontal
Sagittal - front/back
Coronal - left/right
difference between SULCUS and GYRUS
Sulcus = fold or crease in the cortex (plural - sulci)
Gyrus = bits that stick out in the cortex (plural - gyri)
directional terms of the brain
dorsal = toward stop of skull
ventral = towards bottom of brain
superior = upper or above
inferior = lower or beneath
anterior/rostral = forwards
posterior/caudal = backwards
views of the brain
lateral = from /towards outside surface
medial = towards centre of brain (also called mid-sagittal view
divisions of the brain
THE FOREBRAIN
subdivided into the TELENCEPHALON and DIENCEPHALON
TELENCEPHALON contains
- cerebral cortex
- limbic system
- basal ganglia
DIENCEPHALON contains
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
divisions of the brain
THE MIDBRAIN
contain 2 pairs of colliculi
- superior colliculi
- inferior colliculi
divisions of the brain
THE HINDBRAIN
contains
- medula
- pons
- cerebellum
- reticular formation
hindbrain functions
Medula
- controls vital survival functions
- heart rate, blood pressure, respiration
Pons
- connects brain stem to cerebellum
- contains several nuclei clusters including reticular formation
Reticular formation
- influences consciousness and alertness
Cerebellum
- latin “little brain”
- located behind brain stem
- critical to coordination of movement and balance
midbrain functions
Superior colliculi
- relay visual info
- eye movement and visual attention
Inferior colliculi
- relay auditory info
- auditory attention
appear as small bumps on back of brain stem
Forebrain functions (DIENCAPHALON)
thalamus
- relay station of all sensory info (excepts smell)
sensory neuron > thalamus > cerebral cortex
- filters and begins to organise sensory input
Hypothalamus
- located below thalamus (hence “hypo”)
- regulate basic biological drives - hunger, thirst
- controls autonomic nervous system
- regulates body temp
- controls pituitary gland (releases hormones and controls other glands
Forebrain functions (TELECEPHALON)
Basal ganglia
- planning and movement production
Limbic System
- learning, memory, expression of emotion
- includes hippocampus (memory, consolidation of new memories
- and amygdala, processing emotional info, learning of fear responses
cerebral cortex
- outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres (2-6 mm thickI)
- sulci and gyri
occipital lobe
back of brain
includes primary visual cortex
concerned with many aspects of vision
parietal lobe
located behind central sulcus
concerned with
touch, pressure, temperature, pain
temporal lobe
located below the lateral fissure
concerned with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli and memory
fontal lobe
located in front of central sulcus
reasoning, planning, parts of speech, and movement (motor cortex), emotions and problem solving
what are cortical association areas?
areas called association cortexes analyse the info received from the primary sensory cortical areas
regions closely by the PSA receive info only from the PSA
Regions further away reviece info from more than one sensory area making it possible to integrate info from more than one sensory system
brain support systems: the cerebral ventricles (ventricular system)
the ventricular system is a series of chambers filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) - circulates through the ventricular system
functions
- mechanical shock absorber
brain “floats” in the CSF to protect it form sudden movements that would other wise cause contact with skull - materials (ie. nutrients) are exchanged between brain tissue and blood vessels through CSF
Brain support systems:
Th meninges
protective sheaths around the brain and spinal chord
consist of three layers
- dura matter
- arachnoid membrane
- pia mater
between pia mater and arachnoid membrane is a gap called the subarachnoid space (filled with CSF)
Brain support systems:
the Vascular System
brain so depends on its blood supply to provide basic metabolic fuels (glucose, oxygen)
brain capillaries have tigher junction between their cell walls meaning larger molecules can’t pass as easily as in capillaries in the rest of the body
“blood-brain barrier” may be to protect the brain from infections and blood borne toxins - also makes drug delivery to brain more difficult
