Neuroscience T1 Flashcards
What is the relationship between neuroscience and speech-language pathology?
Neuronal organization of the brain is essential for language acquisition and cognitive functioning. * Impairments in speech and language can indicate structural or physiological brain issues.*
-Wernicke’s Area is associated with speech comprehension problems
-Broca’s area allows awareness of speech but lacks control over it.
What functions does the brain regulate despite being only 2% of body weight?
regulates consciousness cognition, symbolic communication, learning, knowledge, personality, emotions, thoughts, creativity, imagination, and sensory-motor functions.
Why is understanding neuroscience important for speech-language pathologists (SLPs)?
It helps identify mechanisms the brain uses for higher mental functions and skilled actions
enables SLPs to detect structural and functional abnormalities in patients.
What is neurology?
The study of the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the nervous system.
Define neuroanatomy.
The study of neurological structures.
What does neurophysiology study?
The study of neurological function, specifically how neurons work.
What is neuroembryology?
The growth of the nervous system during embryonic development.
What is neuropathology?
The study of disease processes affecting neuroanatomy and neuropathology, such as ALS.
What is the nervous system?
A series of organs facilitating communication between the body and the brain, consisting of the CNS (brain and spinal cord) and the PNS (cranial and spinal nerves).
What does a neurologist do?
They take clinical histories and examine sensory and motor functions to determine the nature and cause of pathology, and use assessments of higher mental function for diagnosis.
What is the role of a speech-language pathologist (SLP)?
SLPs comprehensively assess language, speech, memory, attention, and other aspects of cognition.
What are vascular disorders?
Conditions related to blood flow, including ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.
What is an ischemic stroke?
A localized clot that blocks a cerebral blood vessel, often caused by an embolism (blood clot blocking a smaller artery).
What is a hemorrhagic stroke?
The bursting of a blood vessel that spills blood into brain tissue or surrounding meningeal layers.
Define neoplastic conditions.
Pathologic growth of tissue, which can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (noncancerous).
What are degenerative conditions?
Conditions like ALS and multiple sclerosis that cause progressive weakness and impairments in movement.
ALS (degenerative)
motor neuron disease, a progressive weakness that ends up with no movement at all because the neuron withers
Multiple Sclerosis(degenerative)
demyelinating disease (interruption of speed when info crosses a neuron) creates muscle weakness
Pick’s disease (degenerative)
a type of dementia
Alzheimer’s (degenerative)
memory problems, disorientation, disordered language, and cognition
What are motor disorders?
Conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s chorea that affect movement.
Parkinson’s Disease (motor)
movement disorder of the basal ganglia characterized by tremors or excessive movement and sometimes interruptive movement
Huntington’s chorea (motor)
rhythmic involuntary movement
What is Wernicke’s Korsakoff (deficiency) syndrome?
A deficiency disorder caused by thiamine deficiency, often related to alcoholism.
What are bacterial and viral infections affecting the brain?
Conditions like meningitis (inflammation of the meningeal layers) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) Polio (affects lower motor neurons).
Polio
the disease of the lower motor neurons
What are epileptic disorders?
Conditions characterized by seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
What does ‘superior’ mean in terms of brain terminology?
Above the midline.
What does ‘inferior’ mean in brain terminology?
Below the midline.
What does ‘anterior’ refer to?
Forward towards the nose.
What does ‘posterior’ refer to?
Behind towards the back.
What does ‘ventral’ mean?
More towards the front.
What does ‘dorsal’ mean?
Towards the back.
What does ‘proximal’ mean?
Closer to the midline.
What does ‘distal’ mean?
Further away
What is the definition of ‘medial’?
Closer to
What is the definition of ‘lateral’?
Further away from the midline.
What does ‘peripheral’ refer to?
Related to the outer regions of the body.
What does ‘central’ refer to?
Related to the center of the body.
What does ‘contralateral’ mean?
Opposite side of the body.
What does ‘ipsilateral’ mean?
Same side of the body.
What does ‘afferent’ refer to?
Sensory pathways carrying information from the body to the CNS.
What does ‘efferent’ refer to?
Motor pathways carrying information from the CNS to the body.
What is a section in terms of brain terminology?
A cut made through the body or a part of the body.
What are the three types of planes in brain terminology?
Sagittal Plane (left and right portions), Coronal Plane (front and back portions), Horizontal Plane (top and bottom portions).
What is the principle of interconnectivity in the brain? Principle 1
All functionally specific motor and sensory regions in the cerebrum are connected by association and commissural fibers. The two hemispheres are connected through the interhemispheric commissural fibers. This connective network allows constant interaction among the functional circuits within and between the two hemispheres. This also explains how a message through one source can trigger multiple responses through multiple regions and how messages are rapidly integrated.
What is the centrality of the central nervous system? Principle 2
The CNS integrates all incoming and outgoing information and generates appropriate responses. Because of this, no two body parts can directly communicate with each other.
What is the hierarchy of neuraxial organization? Principle 3
The neuraxis is developed along a hierarchy. The complexity of the function determines the level of this hierarchy.
The hierarchy of neuraxial organization :
- Cerebral cortex: the highest level and is responsible for complex sensory-motor integration and higher mental functions
- The brainstem and diencephalon (cord of the brain): responsible for homeostasis
- The spinal cord: serves simple sensory-motor functions in the form of reflexes
What is the laterality of brain organization (Bilateral, Unilateral, and Contralateral)? Principle 4
The concept that the two cerebral hemispheres have bilateral symmetry but develop unilateral functional differences.
Bilateral anatomic symmetry
the two cerebral hemispheres are almost identical anatomically. (Symmetry)
Unilateral functional difference
immediately after birth the two spheres have the ability to develop all linguistic and nonlinguistic skills. Around the age of two each hemisphere develops different specialized functions.
Left- 84% of pop. more for language
Right- emotion, musical skills, and humor
Contralateral sensorimotor control
All sensory fibers of the motor muscles in the nervous system are contralaterally organized so that the descending and ascending fibers cross (decussate) the body’s midline. Most of these fibers cross at the level of the medulla. However, some cross at multiple points in the spinal cord, and the auditory pathways cross and recross in the brainstem.
What is functional specialized networking? Principle 5
Sensory and motor systems have specialized nerve cells that function as a part of a specialized network. They respond to specific stimuli. These specialized functions account for their ability to adapt, speed, processing, and to make detail of finer analysis of signals.
What is topographical organization in the brain? Principle 6
The body is topographically represented in the brain through maps of pathways.
What is plasticity in the brain? Principle 7
The brain’s ability to change and adapt due to experience and pathologies.
What does ‘culturally neutral brain’ mean? Principle 8
The brain’s basic functioning is straightforward. The brain’s basic functioning is not influenced by a person’s gender, color, or culture.
What is the function of the medulla oblongata?
Lies in the base of the skull and is directly connected to the spinal cord. It Regulates respiration, phonation, heartbeat, and blood pressure.
What is the function of the pons?
Above the medulla, and has a center responisble for controlling the rhythm of respiration and regulates facial movements.
What is the function of the midbrain?
Mediates auditory and visual reflexes and regulates cortical arousal (allows the brain to wake up).
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Participates in the coordination of movement and regulation of equilibrium.
What is the diencephalon?
Above the brainstem and below the cerebral hemispheres. The center/core of the brain, divided into 4 sections with the two largest sections including the thalamus and hypothalamus.
What are the cerebral hemispheres responsible for?
Serves higher mental functions such as cognition, language, and memory, regulates sensory-motor integration, and relate perceptions and experiences. They are covered in gray matter and it is called the cerebral cortex.
What are the parts of a neuron?
Soma (cell body), axon (nerve fiber), and dendrite (shorter processes).
Axons (nerve fibers) are called ______ if they are in the CNS and called ______ if they are in the PNS. They are also known as ______ ________.
nerve tracts; nerves; white matter
Dendrites (shorter processes) and cell bodies (ganglia, nuclei, and cortices (cortex)) are also called ______ _______.
white matter
The neuron in the PNS is called ______ and in the CNS it’s called __________.
ganglion; nucleus
What is a synapse?
The area where information passes from one neuron to another. When a nerve impulse comes to the end of an axon it causes a neurotransmitter to be released at the synapse. Axon>telodendrion>axon terminal.
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemicals that either excite or inhibit the next neuron. If the neurotransmitter excites the nerve cells proficiently, nerve impulses are then propagated down the axon.
What are motor neurons?
Neurons that cause muscles to contract or glands to secrete. Causes movement. Motor neurons are EFFERENT.
What are sensory neurons?
Neurons that carry sensory information from the periphery to the CNS. These are AFFERENT.
What are interneurons?
The majority of the neurons fo the CNS are interneurons. They are neurons that connect sensory and motor neurons within the CNS. They process information carried by sensory and motor neurons.
What is the spinal cord?
The spinal cord is the final portion of the CNS and can be thought of as the information superhighway of the human body. A wired cable structure that transmits motor commands to various body parts. All of the sensory information coming in from the periphery is transmitted to the brain to the spinal cord.
The spinal cord is densely packed with……
motor and sensory fibers (nerve tracts)
What is the primary function of the spinal cord?
It transmits motor commands to various body parts and relays sensory information from the periphery to the brain.
How is sensory input processed in the spinal cord?
Some sensory input is initially processed in the spinal cord for regulation of reflexive motor activity.
How is the spinal cord structured?
The spinal cord is housed in a bony vertebral column and is segmented into 32-34 bony segments.
What happens if the spinal cord is damaged?
Damage to the spinal cord can result in weakness or paralysis in different parts of the body depending on the level and severity of the damage.
What are the meningeal layers?
The CNS is covered by a 3-layer membrane called the meninges: dura mater (outer), arachnoid membrane (middle), and pia mater (innermost). These surround and protect the cerebral hemisphere and the spinal cord.
What is the function of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and where is it located?
CSF acts as a shock-absorbing cushion between the innermost layers of the meninges and is located in the arachnoid space between the two innermost layers.
What is the anatomical organization of the nervous system?
The nervous system is organized into the CNS and PNS, which contains 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves.
What is the role of cranial nerves?
Except for cranial nerve 1 or 2, cranial nerves transfer motor, sensory, special sensory, and parasympathetic information between the brain and structures in the head and neck.
What is the motor function of cranial nerves?
Motor function involves information flowing from the brain to the muscles to create movement (Efferent).
What is the sensory function of cranial nerves?
Sensory function involves information like temperature and touch flowing from the body to the brain (Afferent).
What do special sensory functions involve?
Special sensory functions involve special sense organs such as vision, hearing, taste, and smell.
What are parasympathetic functions?
Parasympathetic functions involve the regulation of organs and glands, such as salivary and lacrimal glands.
What are spinal nerves?
Spinal nerves begin at the spinal cord and course out through the body. They send motor information from the brain to the body and sensory information from the body to the brain.
How are spinal nerves organized?
Spinal nerves are organized into segments: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal.
What is the sensory system?
The sensory system (afferent) involves the somatosensory and visceral sensory systems.
What does the somatosensory system involve?
It involves general sense information such as touch, pain, pressure, vibration, temperature, and proprioception (awareness of where soemthing is in space). Also involves special senses and equilibrium.
What does the visceral sensory system involve?
It involves general sensory information like stretch, pain, temperature, and irritation in internal organs.
What is the motor system?
The motor system (efferent) includes the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the somatic nervous system.
What is the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?
The ANS involves automatic body functions that happen without conscious control.
What are the three divisions of the ANS?
The three divisions are the sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system.
What does the sympathetic nervous system do?
It controls the fight or flight response, increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline.
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
It conserves energy by lowering heart rate and blood pressure, known as the rest and digest system.
What is the enteric nervous system?
It manages the gastrointestinal system and can operate independently of the brain.
What is the somatic nervous system?
The somatic nervous system coordinates voluntary movements of skeletal muscles This system includes these interneurons that paly an inhibitory role and influence the function of motor neurons. It includes cranial and spinal nerves.
