Neuroanatomy Lab (Week 4)

Question 1

Layers from cortex down to lateral ventricle (top to bottom)

Answer 1

Cererbal cortex

Cingulate sulcus (also has marginal branch posterior and perpendicular)

Cingulate gyrus

Cingulum

Corpus callosum (genu, rostral, splenium)

Lateral ventricle

Question 2

Cingulum

Answer 2

Large cortical association tract going from frontal to temporal lobe and sending fibers to cingulate gyrus along its course

Question 3

What can you see if you look into the lateral ventricle from the top?

Answer 3

Fornix

Caudate

Choroid plexus of 3rd and lateral ventricles

Thalamus

Septum pellucidum (medially)

Question 4

Commissures that connect similar regions of the brain on each side

Answer 4

Corpus callosum

Anterior commissure

Optic chiasm (decussation bc connects diff regions on 2 sides of the brain)

Interthalamic adhesion (nuclear structure that contains neuron cell bodies, dendrites and axons)

Question 5

Lamina terminalis

Answer 5

Rostral wall of 3rd ventricle

Right next to anterior commissure?

Question 6

What runs between the caudate and the thalamus?

Answer 6

Stria terminalis (from amygdaloid complex to hypothalamus; lateral to columns of fornix)

Thalamostriate (terminal) vein

Question 7

Veins of cerebral cortex

Answer 7

Terminal (thalamostriate), septal and choroidal veins join together to form internal cerebral vein

Internal cerebral vein runs posteriorly to reach great cerebral vein of Galen

Question 8

Hypothalamus

Answer 8

Part of diencephalon

Contains mammillary body

Regions of hypothalamus are suprachiasmatic, infundibular, and supramammillary based on what’s around it

Question 9

2 structures just caudal to mesodiencephalic junction

Answer 9

Red nucleus

Substantia nigra

Question 10

Tectum

Answer 10

Region dorsal to level of cerebral aqueduct (aqueduct of Sylvius)

Made up of superior and inferior colliculi

Question 11

What do the brachium of the superior colliculus and brachium of inferior colliculus connect?

Answer 11

Brachium of the superior colliculus connects superior colliculus to lateral geniculate nucleus

Brachium of the inferior colliculus connects inferior colliculus to medial geniculate nucleus

Question 12

Going from lateral to medial, layers under insular cortex

Answer 12

Insular cortex

Extreme capsule (white matter)

Claustrum (gray matter)

External capsule (white matter)

Putamen (thick, gray)

Globus pallidus

Internal capsule

Thalamus

Question 13

Where is the basal forebrain?

Answer 13

Ventral to anterior commissure (under, on coronal section)

Remember, this includes the basal nucleus with ACh containing cells

Question 14

C-shaped structures in the brain

Answer 14

1) Caudate
2) Corpus callosum
3) Fornix

Question 15

At rostral levels, what is the caudate continuous with?

Answer 15

Nucleus accumbens (ventral to caudate)

Putamen (lateral to caudate)

Question 16

Internal capsule

Answer 16

White matter; major portion of cortical output passes through (both descending and ascending fibers)

Many fibers of internal capsule continue descending into cerebral peduncle

Rostrally (anterior limb) divides caudate and lenticular nucleus (GP and putamen)

Caudally (posterior limb) divides thalamus and lenticular nucleus (GP and putamen)

Question 17

What are the descending and ascending fibers of the internal capsule?

Answer 17

Descending: from precentral cortex (primary motor cortex) to corticospinal or pyramidal tract

Ascending: somatosensory and visual areas of thalamus to appropriate cortical areas

Question 18

Blood supply to the brain

Answer 18

From internal carotid: lenticulostriate arteries, middle cerebral artery

From vertebrobasilar circulation: anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA), posterior cerebral artery, thalamoperforate branches, superior cerebellar artery