Neuroanatomy & Neuroplasticity

Question 1

Central Nervous System

Answer 1

brain & spinal cord make up the CNS; enabling a person to move & act

Question 2

Brainstem

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Answer 3

collection of nerve fibers & nuclei within the brainstem; responsible for modulating/changing arousal, alertness, concentration & basic biological rhythms (sleep-wake cycle)

Question 4

Medulla

Answer 4

contains reflex centers which control many involuntary functions such as breathing, heart rate & blood pressure, swallowing, vomiting & sneezing.

Question 5

Pons

Answer 5

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).

Question 6

Midbrain

Answer 6

involved in elementary forms of seeing & hearing; pivotal role in alertness & arousal

Question 7

Diencephalon

Answer 7

made up of thalamus & hypothalamus; master relay center for forwarding info, sensations & movement.

at times, considered part of the limbic system

Question 8

Thalumus

Answer 8

major relay station for incoming & outgoing sensory info (except smell)

Question 9

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.

Answer 9

Thalamus

Question 10

Hypothalamus

Answer 10

control center for hunger, thirst, sexual response, endocrine levels & temperature regulation; also involved in fight or flight reactions, anger, fatigue, memory & calmness.

Question 11

Limbic System

Answer 11

involved in emotions & basic feelings

Question 12

two major structures usually associated /c the Limbic System

Answer 12

hippocampus & amygdala (directly tied to /c olfactory fibers - smell)

Question 13

hippocampus

Answer 13

memory functioning; susceptible to loss of oxygen

Question 14

Amygdala

Answer 14

tied to emotional memories & reactions, including aggressive reactions & the fight or flight response

Question 15

Basal Ganglia

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Neurons here respond when someone loses balance by sending a signal to the muscles to resore lost equilibrium

Answer 16

Basal Ganglia

Question 17

Cerebellum

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 18

divided into 2 hemispheres (right & left); each divided into 4 lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal & occipital lobe.

Question 19

Primary Motor Cortex

Answer 19

sends signals down to the muscles of the body, controlling voluntary movement

Question 20

Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

Parietal Lobes

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

Occipital Lobes

Answer 22

primary visual center of the brain; connected to the eyes via optic nerves.

Question 23

Temporal Lobes

Answer 23

Centers for languange & hearing along /c memory

Question 24

Broca’s Area

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Wernickes Area

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Epidural Hematoma

Answer 26

Hematoma on the surface of the meninges but inside the skull, displacing the brain

Question 27

Subdural Hematoma

Answer 27

bleeding into the space between the dura mater & arachnoid layers of the meninges

Question 28

Neuroprotective Compound or Strategy

Answer 28

one that limits neuronal death following injury &/or enhances recovery

Question 29

Neuroplasticity

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Synaptic Sprouting (synaptogenesis)

Answer 30

development of new synapses

Question 31

Excitotoxicity

Answer 31

when a neuron cannot maintain its resting potential, resulting in its repeated firing creating toxic levels of sodium & calcium ions, leading to cell death.

Question 32

Transcranial Magnetic Stimualtion (TMS)

Answer 32

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.