Neuroanatomy Flashcards
Huntington’s disease characterized by loss of neurons producing which NT
GABA
Neural plasticity is largely mediated through the capacity to rapidly change in number and
morphology of what?
dendritic spines
The clinical syndrome associated with occlusion of the cortical branch of the posterior
cerebral artery would result in which of the following?
HOMONYMOUS HEMIANOPIA WITH ALEXIA
WITHOUT AGRAPHIA
32 y/o pt 1-month hx of worsening headaches, episodic mood swings and occasional
hallucinations with visual, tactile and auditory content. CT head reveals tumor where:
temporal lobe
Region of brain connected with the anterior medial frontal cortex during recognition of
affective behavior by mirror neuron system.
insula
Which part of cortical-striatal-pallidal-thalamic cortical circuit evaluates painful stimuli
lateral orbitofrontal
Ability to temporarily store and manipulate information such as in mental arithmetic:
working memory
Loss of ability to execute previously learned motor activities (which is not the result of
demonstrable weakness, ataxia or sensory loss) is associated with lesions of?
left parietal cortex
Bilateral lower extremity weakness, abulia, mutism, urinary incontinence are most likely to
result from occlusion of which of the following arteries?
ACA
62yo progressive personality changes, has dull emotions, lack of initiative, and apathy. An
autopsy is likely to show atrophy of …?
frontal lobe
Brain area activated by subliminal presentations of emotional faces
amygdala
65 y/o pt has a stroke which causes him to fall. On exam, weakness of the right leg, with only
minor weakness of the right hand, no weakness of the face, no sensory deficit. Speech is not
affected, but pt seems unusually quiet and passive. The stroke most likely involves the:
Left Ant. Cerebral Art.
60 y/o right-handed M, getting lost, only writes on right half of paper. Left-sided hemineglect. Where is the lesion?
right parietal lobe
Implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes is an effective tx for Parkinson’s. Optimal
location for electrodes?
subthalamic nucleus
Deep brain stimulation in which brain structure is a useful treatment for primary generalized
dystonia?
globus pallidus
Neural pathway mediating reactive aggression?
AMYGDALA-HYPOTHALAMUSPERIAQUEDUCTAL GRAY
Aphasia w/ effortful fragmented, non-fluent, telegraphic speech, is seen in a lesion where?
posterior frontal lobe
Conduction aphasia often occurs as a result of damage to which structure?
arcuate fasciculus
Unconsciousness can be induced by a small area of damage where?
reticular formation
So dopamine neurons in what system is primarily implicated in tasks related to cognitive
processing?
mesocortical
What sensation is transmitted through the spinothalamic tract?
pain
Unilateral hearing loss, vertigo, unsteadiness, falls, headaches, mild facial weakness and
ipsilateral limb ataxia is most commonly associated with tumors in what locations?
cerebellopontine angle
Akinetic mutism can result from bilateral infarctions of which of the following structures:
anterior cingulate gyrus
Exposure to light effects which brain structure?
suprachiasmatic nucleus
Ninety-five percent of right-handed people develop left hemispheric dominance for
language. What percentage of left handed people develop left hemispheric dominance for
language?
75%
28 y/o cocaine user complains of LBP, numbness in both legs and feet, thighs, buttocks,
abdomen, and says R leg is weak and clumsy, L leg is tired. Has urinary incontinence and
difficulty walking. Decreased light touch, pinprick, and temperature. Normal vibration and
proprioception. DTR is hard to elicit. Muscle tone is normal. Decreased strength in B/L LE but
worse on right. Diagnosis?
ant spinal art infarct
78 y/o pt had an ischemic stroke that left him with a residual mild hemiplegia. Pt appeared
to be unaware that there was a problem of weakness on one side of this body. When asked
to raise the weak arm, the patient raised his normal arm. When the failure to raise the
paralyzed arm was pointed out to pt, he admitted that the arm was slightly weak. He also
neglects the side of the body when dressing and grooming. Pt did not shave one side of his
face, had difficulty putting a shirt on when it was turned inside out. Area of brain likely
affected by stroke? (4x)
right parietal lobe
The dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex, striatum and ____ are part of a loop circuit that produces
worry and obsessive symptoms
thalamus
26 y.o. w/HA and R-hand clumsiness for weeks. Exam shows difficulty w/rapid alternating
movements of hand, overt intention tremor on finger-to-nose, and mildly dysmetric finger
tamping. CNS intact and no papilledema. Where will damage show on MRI? (5x)
cerebellum
Area of brain responsible for face recognition
fusiform gyrus
Syndrome characterized by fluent speech, preserved comprehension, inability to repeat, w/o
associated signs. Location of lesion in the brain?
SUPRAMARGINAL GYRUS OR INSULA
Area of frontal cortex activated in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test during shifting of cognitive
sets?
dorsolateral
Why does the brain rapidly increase in size from birth to two years old?
SYNAPTOGENESIS OF NEURONS
Normal Romberg w/ eyes open but loses balance with eyes closed. Where is the
abnormality?
cerebellar vermis
Lesions in mammillary bodies will produce what symptoms?
AMNESIA, CONFABULATION, LACK OF INSIGHT
Neural circuit that connects anterolateral orbitofrontal cortex, anterior part of the putamen,
and the thalamus is involved in what cognitive function?
affective processing
Drug abuse activates these neuro circuits, generating signals in the ventral tegmental area to
where?
DOPAMINE INTO THE NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS
What are the cortical columns?
FUNCTIONAL UNITS FOR INFORMATION
PROCESSING
Adult neurogenesis in which area of the brain? (x2)
hippocampus
66 y/o with HTN develops vertigo, diplopia, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, L face numbness,
nystagmus, hoarseness, ataxia of limbs, staggering gait, and tendency to fall to the left. Dx?
(8x)
lateral medullary stroke
Orexin is made in what part of the brain?
HYPothalamus
Development of brain grey-matter volume peaks at what stage
late childhood
Region of the brain most closely associated with cortical processing of faces
left parietal
Pure sensory deficit extending to midline and involving face, arm, trunk, and leg, caused by a
lacunar infarct where?
lateral thalamus
Pt reports headaches and peripheral visual loss. Visual field defects involving the temporal
fields of both eyes are detected. An MRI scan is likely to reveal?
a mass in the sella turcica
20 y/o with 1-year h/o bitemporal headaches, polydipsia, polyuria, and bulimia plus 2-month
h/o emotional outbursts, aggression, and transient confusion. Neuro exam normal. What will
MRI of brain show?
hypothalamic tumor
CNS region containing dopaminergic neurons projecting to caudate and putamen
substantia nigra
17y/o is evaluated for binge eating associated with a 60 lb weight gain over the past four
months. CT shows a craniopharyngioma that likely disrupts what structure?
VENTROMEDIAL HYPOTHALAMUS
Blocking R PCA (posterior cerebral artery) causes which visual disturbance?
left homonymous hemianopsia
MRI scan of head reveals an infarct in distribution of left anterior cerebral artery. Pt most
likely exhibits:
weakness of contralateral foot and leg
A pituitary tumor that protrudes through the diaphragmatic sella is most likely to cause?
bitemporal heminanopsia
What does the cerebellum do in the human adult brain?
DIVERSE ROLES IN MOVEMENT, BEHAVIOR, AND
LEARNING
Threatening objects produce startle response prior to person becoming consciously aware.
Connection of thalamus to what?
amygdala
In a pt with hippocampus damage, what allows them to still learn new skills like playing
tennis?
basal ganglia
Right-side palsy with equal involvement of the face, arm and leg combined with third nerve
palsy is most likely due to occlusion of a branch of which artery?
Post. cerebral
In addiction, dopaminergic neurons project to nucleus accumbens. Cell bodies of these
neurons reside in which area of the brain?
Ventral tegmental area
The blood brain barrier is made up of what kind of cells?
endothelial
Area of brain to remember a number to make a phone call
dorsolateral pfc
The most likely reason that adults are superior to adolescents in abstract thinking. The brain
undergoes:
synaptic pruning
bipolar has decreased connectivity in these regions
amygdala and pfc
Rapid onset of right facial weakness, left limb weakness, diplopia: (2x)
brain stem infarction
Neurogenesis in adult brain is restricted to what region of the brain?
dentate gyrus
Corticotropin-releasing hormone is release from which brain region during stress?
paraventricular nucleus
The uncinated fasciculus connects which of the following brain areas?
ANTERIOR TEMPORAL AND VENTRAL PREFRONTAL
REGIONS
Dorsal-lateral-pre-frontal cortex plays an important role in what activity?
working memory
Hemisensory loss followed by pain and hyperpathia involving all modalities and reaching the
midline of the trunk and head is most consistent with ischemia in the distribution of which of
the following arteries?
posterior cerebral
Which lesion causes bilateral coarse nystagmus worsening with visual fixation and present
with horizontal and vertical gaze?
brainstem
Wear in the brain are circadian rhythms related to sleep behavior set and maintained?
suprachiasmatic nucleus
What type of glial cells form myelin sheaths in the PNS?
schwann
Biogenic amine made in Locus Coeruleus
NE
Abnormal emotional expressions such as pathological laughter or crying caused by lesions
affecting cortical subcortical circuits linking frontal cortex, pons and what?
cerebellum
After middle age, what region of the brain has decreasing sleep spindle density?
frontal and occ. lobes
What is an accurate statement about the brain’s default mode network?
IS INVOLVED IN REPROCESSING PREVIOUSLY
EXPERIENCED STIMUL
Acute onset of hemiballismus of LUE & LLE. MRI is most likely to show lesion located where?
subthalamic nucleus
When does synaptogenesis peak?
by 4yo
This hypothalamic nuclei is key to integration of neural and nutrient signals with hormonal
signals from the small intestine, pancreas, liver, adipose tissue and brainstem
arcuate nucleus
Where does the neuron morphology in the brain change the most?
PFC
What neurodevelopmental process predominately occurs during adolescence and young
adulthood?
synaptic pruning
Mesolimbic DA pathway includes which structure?
ventral striatum
Which dopaminergic pathway includes the nucleus accumbens and mediates addiction and
associated behavior
mesolimbic
Motor speech paradigm activation task on fMRI – hyperactivity in right temporal lobe.
Damage is where?
calcarine fossa
34 y/o M is referred for psychiatric evaluation 5 years after sustaining a head injury at work.
Prior to the accident, he was a stable, happily married man. Since the accident, he has been
described as overly talkative and restless. His wife divorced him because he was acting
irresponsibly, which also resulted in termination from his job. Psychometric testing reveals
that the man has average intelligence and no detectable memory deficits. Pt’s clinical
presentation is most consistent with damage to which to the following brain areas?
frontal lobe
