Neurological Flashcards
hemi-
half
esthesi
sensation
mento
mind
rhizo
nerve root
-cele
hernia
=genic
producing/orginating
-ictal
seizure/attack
Polyneuropathy
poly/neur/o/pathy
disease of multiple peripheral nerves at the same time
Hyperesthesia
Sensitive to stimuli
Psychosis
a severe mental disorder in which a person loses the ability to recognize reality or relate to others
Polyneuritis
inflammation of several peripheral nerves at the same time
Poliomyelitis
poli/o/myel/itis
acute infection by the poliovirus, especially of the motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem
hemorrhagic stroke
hem/o/rrhagic stroke
disruption of blood flow to the brain caused by bleeding within the cranial vault
Cerebral Angiography
cerebr/al angi/o/graphy
process of recording the blood vessels of the cerebrum
Meningocele
protrusion of the meninges
meningomyelocele
mening/o/myel/o/cele
protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord
meningomyelocele
mening/o/myel/o/cele
protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord
Paresthesia
abnormal sensation in the extremities
Meningioma
meningi/oma
tumor of the meninges
Hydrocephalus
hydr/o/cephal/us
abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles of the brain
CNS
Brain and spinal cord
PNS
Everything beyond the brain and spinal cord
What do Neurons do?
Computation and communication. Electrically active and release chemical signals to target cells.
What do glial cells/glia do?
Neuron supporters, might be signalers. Neurons need these to work.
Soma
cell body
Axon
the fiber that connects a neuron to its target (branches off the axon soma)
Dendrite
Branches off the soma, responsible for receiving input from neurons
Gray Matter
Cell bodies and dendrites
White Matter
Axons
Four major regions of the brain
Cerebrum, Diencephalon, Brain Stem, and Cerebellum
Cerebral Cortex
The outer wrinkled portion of the brain, grey matter
Gyrus is the ridge of the wrinkle, and a sulcus is in between Gyri
Cerebrum is divided into two halves. What is the divider, and what are the halves called?
Divider is the longitudinal fissure. There is a right and left cerebral hemisphere
Corpus Callosum
Major pathway for communication between the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex
What part of the brain controls memory, emotion, and consciousness
Cerebrum
Diencephalon
thalamus, hypothalamus, epithamulus (contains pineal gland), and subthalamus (contains basal nuclei)
Thalamus
a collection of nuclei that relay information between the cerebral cortex and the periphery, spinal cord, or brainstem. All sensory information, except for the sense of smell, passes through the thalamus before processing by the cortex.
The primary output of the basal nuclei is to the thalamus, which relays that output to the cerebral cortex. The cortex also sends information to the thalamus that will then influence the effects of the basal nuclei.
Hypothalamus
the executive region in charge of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system through its regulation of the anterior pituitary gland. Other parts of the hypothalamus are involved in memory and emotion as part of the limbic system.
What are the parts of the brainstem?
Midbrain, Pons, Hindbrain, and Medulla
What do the midbrain and hindbrain do?
coordinates sensory representations of the visual, auditory, and somatosensory perceptual spaces. The pons is the main connection with the cerebellum. The pons and the medulla regulate several crucial functions, including the cardiovascular and respiratory systems and rates.
Cerebellum (little brain)
The cerebellum is largely responsible for comparing information from the cerebrum with sensory feedback from the periphery through the spinal cord. It accounts for approximately 10% of the mass of the brain.
Cerebellum (little brain)
The cerebellum is largely responsible for comparing information from the cerebrum with sensory feedback from the periphery through the spinal cord. It accounts for approximately 10% of the mass of the brain.
Cauda Equina
Bundle of nerves that run through the intervertebral foramina
Neurons
responsible for the electrical signals that communicate information about sensations, and that produce movements in response to those stimuli, along with inducing thought processes within the brain.
Explain how a neuron works
the main part of a neuron is the cell body, which is also known as the soma (soma = “body”). The cell body contains the nucleus and most of the major organelles. What makes neurons special is that they have many extensions of their cell membranes, which are generally referred to as processes. Neurons are usually described as having one, and only one, axon—a fiber that emerges from the cell body and projects to target cells. That single axon can branch repeatedly to communicate with many target cells. It is the axon that propagates the nerve impulse, which is communicated to one or more cells. The other processes of the neuron are dendrites, which receive information from other neurons at specialized areas of contact called synapses. The dendrites are usually highly branched processes, providing locations for other neurons to communicate with the cell body. Information flows through a neuron from the dendrites, across the cell body, and down the axon. This gives the neuron a polarity—meaning that information flows in this one direction.
Three different types of neurons
Unipolar, Bipolar, and Multipolar
Unipolar Neurons
only one process emerging from the cell. True unipolar cells are only found in invertebrate animals, so the unipolar cells in humans are more appropriately called “pseudo-unipolar” cells. Invertebrate unipolar cells do not have dendrites.
Bipolar Neurons
two processes, which extend from each end of the cell body, opposite to each other. One is the axon and one the dendrite. Bipolar cells are not very common. They are found mainly in the olfactory epithelium (where smell stimuli are sensed), and as part of the retina.
