Neurological Sciences Flashcards
What is rostal and caudal?
- rostral: towards the nose
- causdal: towards the tail
When talking about the brain, dorsal and ventral mean?
superior and inferior
What is axial radiographic?
subjects feet are coming out at you
What is axial anatomic?
subjects head is coming up at you
What are afferent neurons?
towards the brain/CNS
What are efferent neurons?
away from the brain/CNS
What are the 3 divisions of the brain?
- isocortex (neocortex)
- mesocortex
- allocortex
What are the characteristics of the isocortex?
- 6 layers
- 90% of cerebral hemisphere
- sensor, motor, association
What are the characteristics of the mesocortex?
- 3-6 layers
- majority of limbic lobe
What are the characteristics of the allocortex?
- 3 layers
- hippocampal formation
- primary olfactory areas
A single genetic mutation can cause what?
- microcephaly (no migration of neurons)
- Huntington’s disease
- neurofibromatosis
What are dendrites?
branches that receive info. and transmit it to the cell body
What are synapses?
- gap between cells
- chemicals cross the gap to convey info. by binding to receptors on the dendrites
What’s the part of the neuron that conducts info. along the neuron?
axon
The myelin sheath is formed by what?
- Schwann cell in PNS
- oligodendrocyte in CNS
How many synapses are in the human brain?
100 trillion
100 billion neurons
What happens to a neuron when there is an AP?
inside of the neuron becomes more positive
What are the 2 types of synapses?
- chemical (most) and electrical
- chemical -> adaptability
- electrical -> speed
What is the role of astrocytes?
- protect the environment
- glutamate/ATP
- glial scarring
What are microglial cells?
- immune cells
- phagocytosis
- inflammation
What are radial cells?
progenitors and migration scaffolding
What are ependymal cells?
forms permeable barrier
Few amount of dendrites allows for what?
specificity
Many dendrites allow for what?
intensity or integration
What is the neocortex?
highly evolved and responsible for decision making, personality
What is the mesocortex?
limbic system responsible for emotion and memory function
What is the allocortex?
critical for creating new memories
What is the function of the frontal lobe?
- movement (motor cortex - post. portion of frontal lobe)
- complex behaviors: planning, changing strategies, self awareness
- production of speech (Broca’s area)
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
- somatosensory perception
- some visually and acoustically related functions
- perception of space and in monitoring the body’s position in space
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
- hearing
- some functions in vision, memory, factors of personality and social behavior
- comprehending spoken words (Wernicke’s area)
Where do all the sense go before being processed?
thalamus
What are the subcortical structures?
thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, basal ganglia
What is the function of the thalamus?
information “relay station”
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
maintain homeostasis via hormones
What is the function of the limbic system?
- emotion and memory
- hippocampus and amygdala
What is the function of the basal ganglia?
decide whether to initiate movement or not
What is the function of the cerebellum?
motor control and coordination
What are the cranial nerves in the cerebrum?
- CN 1 (olfactory)
- CN 2 (optic)
What are the cranial nerves in the midbrain?
- CN 3 (oculomotor)
- CN 4 (trochlear)
What are the cranial nerves in the pons?
- CN 5 (trigeminal)
- CN 6 (abducens)
- CN 7 (facial)
- CN 8 (vestibulocochlear)
What are the cranial nerves in the medulla oblongata?
- CN 9 (glossopharyngeal)
- CN 10 (vagus)
- CN 11 (accessory)
- CN 12 (hypoglossal)
What is the function of the red nucleus in the midbrain?
upper ext. flexion
What is the function of the tectospinal tract in the midbrain, medulla, and pons?
head turn
What is the function of the central tegmental tract in the midbrain?
arousal
What is the function of the raphe nuclei in the midbrain, medulla, and pons?
serotonin: psychotropic medications
What is the function of the reticular formation in the midbrain, medulla and pons?
wakefulness
What is the function of the inferior colliculus in the midbrain?
auditory function
What is the function of the superior colliculus in the midbrain?
vision
What is the function of the rubrospinal tract in the pons?
upper ext. flexion
What is the function of the locus coeruleus in the pons?
noradrenaline
What is the function of the lateral lemniscus and superior olivary complex in the pons?
auditory
What part of the brain is the floor of 4th ventricle?
pons (has cerebellar peduncles)
What is the function of the inferior olive in the medulla?
climbing fibers
What is the function of the cunate nucleus in the medulla?
upper body
What is the function of the gracile nucleus in the medulla?
lower body
What is the function of the area postrema in the medulla?
vomiting
What parts of the medulla are known as pyramidal and lemniscal decussations
Sensory (afferent) tracts from …..
nerve endings to the CNS
Motor (efferent) tracts ….
from CNS to effector muscles/organs
What receives sensory information?
dorsal root ganglia
What sends out motor information?
ventral horn
What are upper neurons?
- originate in motor cortex/brainstem
- control signal output
What are lower motor neurons?
- spinal and cranial nerves
- signal output
What are the protective layers?
- BBB: astrocytes + endothelial cells
- meninges: dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater
- cerebrospinal fluid: cushion/buoyancy, maintains intracranial pressure, waste clearance
What are the characteristics of CT scans?
- 360 X-ray
- hypodense (dark): edma/infarction
- hyperdense (bright): calcifications, hemorrhage, bone trauma
What does an EEG show?
brain waves from an electrode array
What does an fMRI show?
oxygenated blood flow activity
What does a PET scan show?
radioactive molecules are fused with substance of interest
What technique is better than fMRI, PET, and SPECT?
MEG: direct measure of brain function
What does an MRI show?
tissue and fluid
