Neuroanatomy & Neuroplasticity Flashcards
Central Nervous System
brain & spinal cord make up the CNS; enabling a person to move & act
Brainstem
relays info into & out of brain; made up of three areas: medulla, pons & midbrain.
Brainstem also contains many of the centers for hearing, touch, taste & balance (does not affect sight & smell)
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
collection of nerve fibers & nuclei within the brainstem; responsible for modulating/changing arousal, alertness, concentration & basic biological rhythms (sleep-wake cycle)
Medulla
contains reflex centers which control many involuntary functions such as breathing, heart rate & blood pressure, swallowing, vomiting & sneezing.
Pons
essential for facial movements, facial sensation, hearing & coordinating eye movements; in addition, it also serves as a bridge of nerve fibers connecting the cerebral cortex & the cerebellum;
the pons enables the thinking part of brain (cerebral cortex) to work /c the movement part of the brain (cerebellum).
Midbrain
involved in elementary forms of seeing & hearing; pivotal role in alertness & arousal
Diencephalon
made up of thalamus & hypothalamus; master relay center for forwarding info, sensations & movement.
at times, considered part of the limbic system
Thalumus
major relay station for incoming & outgoing sensory info (except smell)
Injury to this area in the brain may result in severe attention & concentration problems, difficulty /c memory storage & retrieval, weakened mental stamina, decreased sensory info, difficulty reacting to stress, excessive or weakness emotional responses 7 disorders in eating, drinking, sleeping & sexual function.
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
control center for hunger, thirst, sexual response, endocrine levels & temperature regulation; also involved in fight or flight reactions, anger, fatigue, memory & calmness.
Limbic System
involved in emotions & basic feelings
two major structures usually associated /c the Limbic System
hippocampus & amygdala (directly tied to /c olfactory fibers - smell)
hippocampus
memory functioning; susceptible to loss of oxygen
Amygdala
tied to emotional memories & reactions, including aggressive reactions & the fight or flight response
Basal Ganglia
relays info from the cerebral cortex to the brain stem & cerebellum; when injured or diseased, voluntary motor nerves are affected (Parkinson’s Disease), resulting in slowness & loss of movement, muscle ridigity or tremor. can be focal or diffuse.
Neurons here respond when someone loses balance by sending a signal to the muscles to resore lost equilibrium
Basal Ganglia
Cerebellum
coordinates, modulates & stores all body movement; monitors impulses from motor & sensory centers ( brainstem, basal ganglia & sensorimotor cortex) to help control direction, rate, force & steadiness of a persons movements
Cerebral Cortex
divided into 2 hemispheres (right & left); each divided into 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal & occipital lobe.
Primary Motor Cortex
sends signals down to the muscles of the body, controlling voluntary movement
Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
Before a final decision is made about a motor action, the PFC reviews options, predicts likely outcomes & decides the best course of action for the body to take; when the damages, executive functions are severely compromised.
Parietal Lobes
primary sensory cortex (AKA somatosensory cortex); first part of brain to consciously register physical sensations; they respond to sensory info such as touch, heat, cold & pain & responsible for ones sense of body awareness.
Occipital Lobes
primary visual center of the brain; connected to the eyes via optic nerves.
Temporal Lobes
Centers for languange & hearing along /c memory
Broca’s Area
located in lower portion of motor cortext in the left frontal-temporal lobe; this area controls the muscles of the face/mouth enabling production of speech.
Dysarthric Speech is a result of damage to this area of the brain
