Neuroanatomy Flashcards
What are the parts of the CNS?
Brain
Spinal cord
What is meant by dorsal when referring to the brain?
Superior part of the brain
What is meant by ventral when referring to the brain?
Inferior part of the brain
What is meant by rostral when referring to the brain?
Anterior part of the brain
What is meant by caudal when referring to the brain?
Posterior part of the brain
What is a sulcus when referring to the brain?
Groove in brain separating adjacent gyri
What is a gyrus when referring to the brain?
Fold in brain
What is a fissure when referring to the brain?
Large split between adjacent large areas of brain
What are the parts of the brain?
Cerebrum
Brainstem
Cerebellum
What is the cerebrum made up of?
Right cerebral hemisphere
Left cerebral hemisphere
What separates the right and left cerebral hemispheres?
Great longitudinal fissure
Falx cerebri
What is each cerebral hemisphere made up of?
Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Temporal lobe
Occipital lobe
How are the lobes of the cerebral hemispheres named?
Based on the bone that overlies them
What separates the frontal and parietal lobes?
Central sulcus
Where does the central sulcus run from?
Midline
To the temporal lobe
What part of the frontal lobe is immediately anterior to the central sulcus?
Pre-central gyrus
What does the precentral gyrus contain?
Primary motor cortex
What part of the parietal lobe is immediately posterior to the central sulcus?
Post-central gyrus
What does the post-central gyrus contain?
Primary somatosensory cortex
What separates the frontal/parietal and temporal lobes?
Lateral sulcus
What separates the parietal/temporal lobe from the occipital lobe?
Parieto-occipital sulcus
What separates the occipital lobe from the cerebellum?
Tentorium cerebelli
What parts of the cranial floor does the cerebrum sit in?
Anterior cranial fossa
Middle cranial fossa
What part of the cerebrum sits in the anterior cranial fossa?
Frontal lobes
What part of the cerebrum sits in the middle cranial fossa?
Temporal lobes
What is the most medial part of the temporal lobe?
Uncus
What is the clinical significance of the uncus?
Can herniate
compressing the midbrain of the brainstem and the CN3 oculomotor nerve
What are the functions of the frontal lobe?
Motor functions
Higher cognition
Speech
What are the functions of the parietal lobe?
Sensation
Spatial awareness
What does the temporal lobe contain?
Primary auditory cortex
Primary olfactory cortex
What does the occipital lobe contain?
Primary visual cortex
Where does the calcarine sulcus run in the occipital lobe?
From the occipital pole
To the parietal-occipital sulcus
What are the functions of the occipital lobe?
Vision
What are the functions of the temporal lobe?
Memory as part of limbic system
Smell
Hearing and its interpretation
Where does decussation occur?
After the medullary pyramids
What is meant by decussation?
Fibres from one cerebral hemisphere cross over to the other side of the CNS
How many parts of the brainstem are there?
Three
What are the parts of the brainstem?
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla
Where is the primary visual cortex located in the occipital lobe?
Around the calcarine sulcus
What are the functions of the pons?
Feeding
Sleep
What are the functions of the midbrain?
Eye movements
Reflex eye movements to sound and vision
What are the functions of the medulla?
Cardiovascular control centre
Respiratory control centre
Descending motor fibres from primary motor cortex to spinal cord
What contains the descending motor fibres from the primary motor cortex in the medulla of the brainstem?
Medullary pyramids
What parts of the cranial floor does the brainstem sit in?
Posterior cranial fossa
What are the functions of the cerebellum?
Co-ordination
Motor learning
What part of the cranial floor does the cerebellum sit in?
Posterior cranial fossa
What is the corpus callosum?
Fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres
What is the function of thalamus?
Sensory relay station projecting to sensory cortex
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Homeostasis
Where is the thalamus located?
Wall of third ventricle
Where is the hypothalamus located?
Beneath the thalamus
What structures can be compressed in the foramen magnum?
Tonsils of cerebellum can herniate into foramen magnum with raised intracranial pressure
Brainstem too
What are the signs and symptoms of cerebellar dysfunction?
Inability to perform fast repetitive movements
Unable to judge distances
Ataxia
Nystagmus
Intention tremor
Hypotonia
Which parts of the body are affected with damage to the cerebellum?
Ipsilateral part of body
Vermis - trunk of body
What does the brainstem pass through?
Foramen magnum
What is the continuation of the brainstem?
Spinal cord
What do the cerebral peduncles contain?
Motor and sensory nerve axons
passing between cerebral hemispheres and rest of body
Where in the occipital lobe is the primary visual cortex located?
Occipital pole
around the calcarine sulcus
What does damage to the occipital lobe result in?
Visual loss
type depends on which part of pathway is damaged
What does the pons contain?
Cranial nerves 5-8 nuclei
What is the function of the colliculi of the midbrain?
Visual and auditory reflexes
moving body away from seen or heard danger
What are the effects of compressing the brainstem?
Loss of cardio-respiratory functions
Where is the primary olfactory cortex located in the temporal lobe?
Near the uncus
What are the functions of the limbic system?
Memory
Emotion
Behaviour
What are the signs/symptoms of damage to the temporal lobe?
Disturbances in smell
Difficulty with words
Visual loss
Why can damage to the temporal lobe cause visual loss?
Part of visual pathway runs through temporal lobe
