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
Wernickes Area
Located in the left temporal-parietal lobe; governs a persons understanding of speech as well as the ability to make sense of the thoughts that are spoken.
Epidural Hematoma
Hematoma on the surface of the meninges but inside the skull, displacing the brain
Subdural Hematoma
bleeding into the space between the dura mater & arachnoid layers of the meninges
Neuroprotective Compound or Strategy
one that limits neuronal death following injury &/or enhances recovery
Neuroplasticity
ability of the nervous system to change itself to form new connections & create new neurons in order to compensate for injury or adapt to changes in the environment
Synaptic Sprouting (synaptogenesis)
development of new synapses
Excitotoxicity
when a neuron cannot maintain its resting potential, resulting in its repeated firing creating toxic levels of sodium & calcium ions, leading to cell death.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimualtion (TMS)
non-invasive method of stimulating the brain using electromagnetic induction. is its used as a treatment modality for depression, stroke, migranes, dystonia, tinnitus & Parkinson’s disease.
