Neuroanatomy / Neuroimaging Flashcards
Cerebrospinal fluid
clear liquid in brain and spine
produced in ventricles
ventricles in brain
produce CSF and are a series of reservoirs in brain center
store, produce, circulate CSF
meninges
layers of tissue separating skull from brain
3 layers:
Pia, arachnoid, dura
Dura Mater
outer layer of meninges
Heavy cabbage like cover
subdural hematoma
bleed below dura matter in the subdural space
arachnoid layer
2nd layer of meninges
consistency similar to spider web
subarachnoid hematoma
bleed in the space below arachnoid layer
pia mater
3rd layer of meninges
molds around the sulci and gyri of the brain
neurons
communicating cells in brain
glial cells
non communicating cells in brains - nourishing cells
support and maintain neurons
Synapses
neurons communicate via synapses
synapse = junction where electrochemical transmission between axon of 1 neuron to dendrite of another neuron
synaptic stimulation
release of glutamate from the axon in the synaptic cleft
glutamate binds to AMPA and NMDA receptors
this allows next neuron to stimulate if there is enough signal
influx of Na and Ca in post synaptic neuron
if allowed entry with enough signal - stimulates a cascade of biological reactions
end result of influx of na and ca in post synapse
now there is a stronger connection and increased response to given stimulus
3 parts to brain stem
medulla, pons, midbrain
midbrain
smallest part of brainstem
elementary forms of vision/ hearing
arousal!
pons
round structure btw midbrain and medulla
connects cerebellum and cerebral cortex
essential for facial movements, face sensation, hearing/ vision, eye movements
medulla
merges with spinal cord creating base of brain stem
control center for involuntary reflexes (e.g. breathing, heart rate, BP, swallowing, vomiting, sneezing)
involved in many life functions - injury here is life threatening
diencepathalon thalamus
sensory input passes here to higher levels of brain sits at top of brainstem below cortex many nuclei all senses except smell relay here injury causes wide range of symptoms
limbic system
deep brain structure
controls all internal and external responses / actions
includes: hippocampus and amygdala
Hippocampus
within limbic system and located in temporal lobe
controls memory
injury causes impaired memory
Amygdala
part of limbic system located near hippocampus
evaluates material for emotional content
flight/ fight response
basal ganglia
input from cerebral cortex - process info and send it back
- keeps us alert
- regulates motor activity (PD, is errors)
- Injury causes slowness with voluntary motor neurons, loss of movement, tremor, muscular rigidity
cerebellum
lower back section of the brain
- coordinates/ modulates all body movements
- controls direction/ rate/ force/ steadiness movement
- injury causes problems with fine motor movements/ trajectory of movement, balance, proprioception
cerebral cortex
2 hemispheres, 4 lobes, interconnected
cerebral cortex - gyri, sulci, fissures
gyri= elevated ridges winding around brain sulci= small grooves dividing brain fissures= deep grooves dividing large regions/ lobes of brains
frontal lobe function / damage
functions: plan, organize, problem solve, judge, impulse control, decision making, working memory
damage: change in personality, poor self awareness, decreased motivation/ goal directed behaviors, impaired attn/ STM, etc.
primary motor cortex
part of frontal lobe
curves over top of the head
in charge of voluntary movement
damage - weakness or paralysis on opposite side of body
prefrontal cortex
front part of frontal lobes, evaluates options, outcomes, decides best course of action - learn from consequences
injury= difficulty making decisions, organizing, prioritizing
damage for kids leads to decreased control, not immediately obvious
temporal lobe
function= memory, language, hearing impairment= auditory processing, new learning, understanding, storing information
broca’s area
Left frontal temporal lobe
Wernicke’s area
Left temporal parietal lobe - speech comprehension
- damage= impaired language comprehension
occipital lobe
function: visual processing, interpret visual info, recognize size, color, light, motion, dimensions
impairment: cortical blindness, agraphia, field cuts, visual movements/ agonsia, agraphica, agnosia
parietal lobe
2 cortexes:
primary sensory
somatosensory
somatosensory cortex
part of parietal lobe
function: sensory input integration, spatial awareness/ perception (body in space)
impairments: difficulty ID’ing sensation, location/ type (temp, pain, movement)
primary sensory cortex
part of parietal lobe
functions: sensation/ perception and response to touch/ temp / pain (process sensory information)
impairments: difficulty identifying sensation - location/ type (temp, pain, movement)
