Practical 3 - station 5 - brain neurotransmitters

Question 1

What are the 4 planes that the brain can be cut into?

Answer 1

Sagittal, parasagittal, horizontal, coronal

Question 2

Define rostral and caudal

Answer 2

Rostral - towards front of brain, anterior

Caudal - towards back of brain, posterior

Question 3

What is the corpus collosum? What plane is it seen?

Answer 3

Coronal section

Major highway connecting 2 hemispheres

Question 4

What is below the corpus collosum on a coronal section?

Answer 4

Lateral ventircles

Question 5

What separates the 2 lateral ventricles?

Answer 5

Septum pellucidum

Question 6

What are the caudate nuclei?

Answer 6

Grey matter masses forming lateral walls of lateral ventricles
Part of basal ganglia - involved in control of routine motor movements

Question 7

What is the caudate nuclei joined to?

Answer 7

The putamen nuclei by threads

Question 8

What is the putamen?

Answer 8

Part of basal ganglia - involved in control of routine motor movements
Nucleus

Question 9

What is the internal capsule?

Answer 9

Divides the caudate and putamen nuclei

Band of axons

Question 10

Where are the caudate and putamen nuclei continuous?

Answer 10

At their bases by the nucleus accumbens

Question 11

What is the nucleus accumbens

Answer 11

Involved in reward and addiction behaviour

At the base of the nucleus caudate and putamen allowing them to be continuous with each other

Question 12

As you move posteriorly in a coronal section what nuceli appear and where?

Answer 12

Medial to the putamen - another set of basal ganglia nuclei - globus pallidus, external and internal parts

Question 13

As you move even further posteriorly in a coronal section what is seen and where?

Answer 13

Thalamus - lateral to 3rd ventricle

Question 14

As you move further even more (D) posteriorly in a coronal section what disappears and what appears?

Answer 14

Globus pallidus, putamen disappear
thalamus increases in size
Hippocampus appears

Question 15

Where is the hippocampus?

Answer 15

Medial side of lower part of lateral ventricle

Question 16

What does the hippocampus do?

Answer 16

Involved in memory

Looks like a swiss roll or seahorse

Question 17

As you move the furthest posteriorly (E) in a coronal section where are you positioned?

Answer 17

At the junction of the brainstem, cortex and midbrain

Question 18

What do you identify the midbrain by?

Answer 18

Cerebral aqueduct

Question 19

What is the cerebral aqueduct?

Answer 19

Narrow channel between 3rd and 4th ventricles

Question 20

What is below the midbrain and how do we identify this?

Answer 20

Pons - by 2 middle cerebellar peduncles

Question 21

What are the 2 cerebral peduncles?

Answer 21

Tracts of white matter connecting pons to cortex

Question 22

What sections are most often used clinically?

Answer 22

Horizontal sections

Question 23

What is seen on a horizontal section?

Answer 23

Caudate nuclei
Putamen
Internal capsule between 2 nuclei
3rd ventricle
Thalamus on each side of 3rd ventricle

Question 24

What is seen more inferiorly on a horizontal section?

Answer 24

Globus pallidus - internal and external

Question 25

What does the diencephalon comprise?

Answer 25

Thalamus
Hypothalamus
basal ganglia

Question 26

What isn’t visible in midsagittal section but is in parasagittal sections and why?

Answer 26

Basal ganglia as it is more lateral

Question 27

What is seen in a sagittal section?

Answer 27

Central sulcus
Precentral and postcentral gyrus
corpus callosum
cingulate gyrus

Question 28

What and where is the cingulate gyrus

Answer 28

Superior to the corpus callosum in sagittal section

Involved in memory

Question 29

What is the largest part of the hindbrain?

Answer 29

Cerebellum

Question 30

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 30

Coordination of movements