Neuroanatomy Review Flashcards
List the 3 types of macroglial cells
- Oligodendrocytes (in CNS)
- Schwann cells in PNS
- Astrocytes
- Ependymal cells
describe the role of each macroglial cell
- Oligodendrocytes/Schwann Cells
- create and maintain myelin
- Astrocytes
- support cells
- waste removal
- regulate intracellular Ca2+ levels
- Ependymal cells
- line ventricle walls
- produce CSF
which macroglial cell is essential in maintaining the blood brain barrier
Astrocytes
what is the role of microglial?
macrophages of the CNS
remove foreign bodies
what 3 factors help determine the singal conduction of an AP?
- Fiber diameter
- presence of myelin
- thickness of myelin
list the subsections of the peripheral nervous system and their roles
- Somatic nervous system → communicates with sense organs and voluntary muscle
- spinal and cranial nerves
- sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent)
- Autonomic nervous system → communicates with internal organs and glands
- SNS and PNS
describe spinal nerve root structures
define motor unit
- a motor neuron and the skeletal muscle fibers innervated by that motor neuron’s axonal terminal
- most mature skeletal muscle fibers are innervated by a single alpha motor neuron, the collection of muscle fibers innervated by one neuron is referred to as a Motor Unit
- NM is Acetylcholine
List some functions of the sympathetic nervous system
- pupil dilation
- Increase HR and BP
- Blood vessel constriction to non-essential organs
- Blood vessel dilation to essential organs
- Stimulate liver glyconeogenolysis and adipose lipolysis
- Inhibit nonessential body functions
List some functions of the parasympathetic nervous system
- pupil constriction
- Increase salivation, lacrimation, urination, digestion, and defecation
- decrease HR and BP
- decrease airway diameter
what is the difference between a monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflex?
- Monosynaptic → provides rapid feedback and motor control. No neuron between sensory and effector neuron
- Polysnaptic → have interneurons to pass signals from sensory to motor neurons
List the protective layers of CNS (meninges) in order of superficial to deep
- Epidural space
- Dura mater
- Subdural space (contains bridging veins, and ISF)
- Arachnoid mater
- Subarachnoid space (CSF here)
- Pia mater
List arteries included in the anterior blood supply for the brain
- Internal Carotid branches
- Opthalamic arteries
- Posterior communicating artery
- Anterior Cerebral arteries
- anterior communicating artery
- recurrent artery of Heubner
- Middle Cerebral arteries
- lenticulostriate arteries
List arteries included in the posterior blood supply to the brain
- Vertebral artery branches
- anterior spinal arteries
- posterior inferior cerebellar arteries
- posterior spinal arteries
- Basilar artery branches
- anterior inferior cerebellar arteries
- labyrinthine arteries
- pontine arteries
- superior cerebellar arteries
- posterior cerebellar arteries
what 4 arteries make up the Circle of Willis?
- Anterior communicating artery
- Anterior cerebral artery
- Posterior communicating artery
- Posterior cerebral artery
Describe the course of the ACA
Longitudinal fissure above corpus callosum → medial aspect of frontal and parietal lobes
deeper branches to basal nucleus and limbic regions
list areas of the brain supplied by the MCA
- lateral frontal lobe
- lateral parietal lobe
- lateral occipital lobe
- medial and lateral temporal lobe
- insula
- subcortical structures:
- basal ganglia
- internal capsule
- limbic structures
list areas of the brain supplied by the PCA
- cortex
- medial and inferior occipital lobe
- inferior temporal lobe
- Subcortical structures
- midbrain
- subthalamus
- thalamus
List functions of the frontal lobe
- Higher executive functions including:
- emotional regulation
- planning
- reasoning
- attention
- problem solving
- Primary and supplementary motor regions
- Supplementary speech regions (dominant)
List functions of the parietal lobe
- Primary and Supplementary Somatosensory Regions
- Perceptual integration (non-dominant)
- Visual processing regions (“where?”)
- Supplementary Speech Regions (dominant)
List functions of the temporal lobe
- Primary auditory center
- Visual processing regions (“What?”)
- Memory
List the primary function of the occipital lobe
- Primary visual center
what are unimodal association cortices?
modality specific corticies
receives its predominant input from the primary sensory cortex of a specific sensory modality and performs higher-order sensory processes for that modality
what are heteromodal cortices?
higher-order mental functions
have BIDIRECTIONAL CONNECTIONS with BOTH motor and sensory association cortices for all modalities
list some significant structures in the midbrain
- superior and inferior colliculi
- Red nucleus
- Raphe nucleus
- Ventral tegmentum area
List some significant structures in the Pons
- major cerebellar relay station
- Superior, Middle, Inferior Cerebellar peduncles
- Floor of the 4th ventricle
list some significant structures in the medulla
- Nucleus of the solitary tract
- Nucleus ambiguous
- Pyramidal decussation
- Nuclues Cuneatus and Gracilis
what is the purpose of the reticular formation?
- maintains an alert conscious state in forebrain
- works w/cranial nerve nuclei and spinal cord to modulate important motor, reflex, and autonomic functions
List the major asending tracts
- Dorsal Column/Medial Lemniscus
- gracile → LE
- cuneate → UE
- Trigeminothalamic → face
- Anterolateral
- Spinothalamic tract
- trigeminothalamic tract
- Spinoreticular tract
- Spinomesencephalic tract
what type of info if primarily carried in the dorsal column/medial lemniscus and trigeminothalamic tracts?
- light touch
- discrimination
- proprioception
- kinesthesia
- vibration
what type of into is primarily carried in the anterolateral system?
- Pain
- Temperature
- crude touch
What are the 4 motor subsystems?
- Segmental circuits
- spinal cord
- brainstem
- Descending Pathways
- Cortex
- Brainstem
- Basal ganglia
- Cerebellum
List the major descending tracts
- Corticospinal tracts
- lateral corticospinal tract
- anteiror corticospinal tract
- Rubrospinal tract
- Vestibulospinal tract
- Tectospinal tract
- Reticulospinal tract
what structures make up the basal ganglia?
- striatum (caudate + putamen)
- globus pallidus
- substantia nigra
- subthalamic nucleus
what are the roles of the basal ganglia?
- regulation of upper motor neuronal circuits
- facilitation of movement
- initation and execution of movement
- prevention of unwanted movement
- goal-directed behavior loop
- social behavior loop
- emotion loop
List the sections of the cerebellum
- anterior lobe/spinocerebellum
- posterior lobe/cerebrocerebellum
- flocculonodular lobe/vestibulocerebellum
List some of the roles of the cerebellum
- coordination
- limb, trunk, occulomotor
- movement planning, control and feedback
- Motor learning
- postural control/balance
- VOR suppression
- muscle tone
List the function and key structure that performs it in the limbic system
- homeostasis → hypothalamus
- olfaction → olfactory cortex
- memory → hippocampal formation
- emotions and drive → amygdala
List the functions of the hypothalamus
- Homeostasis
- Endocrine control via pituitary gland
- Autonomic Control
- Limbic mechanisms
What structures make up the visual system?
- Optic nerve → conveys visual info to cortex
- lateral geniculate nucleus → visual cortex
- Pupillary response to light reflex (CN II and III)
- Extra-occular movements
- CN III → up, down, medially, eyelid elevation
- CN IV → down and in
- CN VI → laterally
what are the functions of the peripheral vestibular system?
- stabilize visual images on the fovea of the retina during head movement to allow for clear vision
- maintain postural stability, especially during movement of head
- provide info for spatial orientation
What key 3 reflexes are the vestibular nuclei part of?
- Vestibulo-ocular (VOR)
- Vestibulospinal (VSR)
- Vestibulocollic (VCR)
List structures that make up the central vestibular system
- Vestibular nuclei
- Vestibular tracts
- Vestibulocerebellum
- Vestibular cortex
what 3 regions make up the vestibular cortex? What are their functions?
- Parieto-insular vestibular cortex (PIVC)
- recieves input from cerebellum and labyrinth, vestibular nuclei via the thalamus
- Medial superior temporal region
- visuo-vestibular integration
- self-motion perception
- Ventral intraparietal region
- multisensory spatial coding
- proprioceptive, auditory, visual, tactile
