Organization of Brain

Question 1

What do the meninges do?

Answer 1

• protect brain
• keep it anchored in the skull
• reabsorb CSF

Question 2

What are the three layers of the meninges?

Answer 2

• dura mater
• arachnoid mater
• pia mater

Question 3

What produces CSF?

Answer 3

Ependymal cells of the choroid plexuses of the ventricles.

Question 4

What are the three basic subdivisions of the brain?

Answer 4

• forebrain
• midbrain
• hindbrain

Question 5

What is the most primitive region of the brain?

Answer 5

the brainstem

Question 6

What does the forebrain consist of?

Answer 6

• cerebral cortex
• basal ganglia
• limbic system
• thalamus
• hypothalamus

Question 7

What does the midbrain consist of?

Answer 7

inferior and superior colliculi

Question 8

What does the hindbrain consist of?

Answer 8

• cerebellum
• medulla oblongata
• reticular formation

Question 9

What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 9

complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes

Question 10

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

Answer 10

movement

Question 11

What is the function of the limbic system?

Answer 11

emotion and memory

Question 12

What are the functions of the inferior and superior colliculi?

Answer 12

Inferior: receives sensory information from auditory system; auditory reflexes
Superior: receives visual sensory input; eyeball control; visual and vestibular reflexes

Question 13

What is another name for the hindbrain?

Answer 13

rhombencephalon

Question 14

What does the hindbrain control?

Answer 14

Vital functions necessary for survival:

• balance
• motor coordination
• breathing
• digestion
• general arousal processes (sleeping, walking)

Question 15

What does the rhombencephalon divide into during development?

Answer 15

• myelencephalon = medulla oblongata

- metencephalon = pons/cerebellum

Question 16

What functions does the medulla oblongata control?

Answer 16

Vital functions:

• breathing
• heart rate
• blood pressure

Question 17

What does the pons control?

Answer 17

• contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and the medulla
• helps regulate breathing
• acts as a relay center between the cerebrum and the cerebellum

Question 18

What does the cerebellum control?

Answer 18

• posture and balance
• coordinates body movements
• alcohol impairs the cerebellum = clumsiness, slurred speech, and loss of balance

Question 19

What is another name for the midbrain?

Answer 19

mesencephalon

Question 20

What does the midbrain do?

Answer 20

receives sensory and motor information from the rest of the body; associated with involuntary reflex responses triggered by visual or auditory stimuli; contains superior and inferior colliculi

Question 21

What is another name for the forebrain?

Answer 21

prosecephalon

Question 22

The forebrain is associated with which functions?

Answer 22

• complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes

- emotion and memory (has the greatest influence on human behavior)

Question 23

What is unique about the forebrain’s functions?

Answer 23

They are not absolutely necessary to survival, but are associated with intellectual and emotional capacities most characteristic of humans.

Question 24

What happens to the prosencephalon in development?

Answer 24

It divides into the telencephalon (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic system) and the diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, and pineal gland).

Question 25

What is the focus of neuropsychology?

Answer 25

study of functions and behaviors associated with specific regions of the brain

Question 26

What are some methods of mapping the brain?

Answer 26

• implanted electrodes
• electrical stimulation/recording activity
• EEG: using electrodes to record electrical activity in brain
• rCBF
• CT
• PET
• MRI
• fMRI

Question 27

What does EEG stand for?

Answer 27

electroencephalogram

Question 28

What is rCBF?

Answer 28

Region Cerebral Blood Flow:

• detects patters of neural activity based on increased blood flow to different parts of the brain
• patient inhales radioactive gas; a special device is used to detect radioactivity in the blood and correlate levels of radioactivity with regional cerebral blood flow
• noninvasive computer scanning

Question 29

What is CT?

Answer 29

Computed Tomography:
- multiple X-rays are taken at different angles and processed by a computer to cross-sectional slice images of the tissue

Question 30

What is PET?

Answer 30

Positron Emission Tomography:

- radioactive sugar is injected; dispersion and uptake through the target tissue is imaged

Question 31

What is MRI?

Answer 31

Magnetic Resonance Imaging:

- magnetic field used to interact with hydrogen and map out hydrogen dense regions of the body

Question 32

What is fMRI?

Answer 32

Function MRI:
- uses same basic technique as MRI, but specifically measures changes associated with blood flow; especially useful for monitoring neural activity (increased blood flow is typically coupled with neuronal activation)