Quiz 1 - Neuroanatomy Flashcards

To ace QUIZ 1!

1
Q

How many neurons and glia are there in the brain (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and spinal cord)?

A
~ 80 billion neurons
- Thousands of synapses each
- Total synapses: 0.06 - 4 quadrillion
- Loose 85,000 cortical neurons/day. 
- Cerebral cortex and associated areas: 12 to 15 billion neurons
- Cerebellum: 70 billion neurons
- Spinal cord: 1 billion neurons. 
~ 80 billion glia
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2
Q

How do we go about the examination of the brain?

A

Anatomy: Neuron Doctrine
Physiology: Neurons are electrical
Pharmacology: Different drugs affect different parts of nervous system
Psychology: Study behaviors of animals.

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3
Q

What has been the purpose of language areas in brain study?

A

After phrenology, language has been used to determine functional localization.

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4
Q

What did Brodmann come up with?

A
  • Cytoarchitectonic map = cell-structure = map of cell structures.
  • Based on size and organization of cells.
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5
Q

What is the modern view of localization?

A

Parallel (multiple things at once) and Serial (one after the other, steps) processing.

  • All processes functionally localized: Language, Emotion, Motor Control.
  • Brain processes discreet chunks of the world and puts it back together for us.
  • Consciousness is distributed across brain
    • Split-brain patients sometimes have 2.
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6
Q

What is PDP?

A
  • Parallel Distributed Processing is when the brain breaks down information into chunks and then puts it back together at an unconscious level.
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7
Q

What happens in the brain to generate a single action?

A
  1. Sensory Input
  2. Social/Emotional evaluation
  3. Motor planning
  4. Motor execution
  5. Sensorimotor feedback/error correction
  6. Homeostasis
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8
Q

What is serial processing?

A

Information passed to “relay” stations
- Each station integrates more complex information
- Information process as it ascends.
Do this, then that, and then that.

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9
Q

What is parallel processing?

A

Different types of information processed separately
- Vision
- Motor Control
- Sensory
Occurs at same time of serial processing.

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10
Q

What is topographic organization?

A

Consistent relationship between the outside world and where it is mapped inside the brain.

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11
Q

What are contralateral projections?

A

Ipsilateral: same side of the body
Contralateral: One side of brain to the opposite side
Decussation: crossing in the shape of an “X”

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12
Q

Outside brain function and structure:

A

Gyrus (plural. gyri): the bump on outer surface
- Hill
Sulcus (pl. sulci): the groove
- Indentation
Fissure: deep grooves
- Deep sulcus: longitudinal fissure, lateral fissure (slyvian fissure), and Calcerin fissure on the back by occipital lobe

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13
Q

Describe the Cerebral cortex.

A

Four lobes

  • Subcortical areas: Limbic system, Basal Ganglia, and Hippocampus
  • Protection: Meninges (Fibers and connective tissues), Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and Blood Brain barrier.
  • Outer most portion of brain
  • Six layers
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14
Q

What are the six cortical layers?

A
I. Acellular, axons and dendrites
II. Small, spherical granule cells
III. Pyramidal cells
IV. Sensory input from thalamus
V. Output from CNS
VI. Blends with white matter
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15
Q

What is the subcortical nuclei?

A

A collection of cells (gray matter cells not at the level of the cortex).

  • Limbic System: Motivational behaviors
  • Basal Ganglia: Motor control
  • Hippocampus: Memory and navigation
  • Nuclei not homogeneous: clusters of gray matter.
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16
Q

Describe the Limbic System.

A

The motivational system: Emotional and behavioral drives.

  • Amygdaloid body: Associated with emotions mainly with fear.
  • Cingulate gyrus: Important for decision making, planning
  • Parahippocampal gyrus: Associated with memory function, communicates with the hippocampus. Damage here leads to memory impairment.
  • Hippocampus: Memory consolidation and navigation.
  • Fornix: Connects hippocampus to rest of brain.
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17
Q

Describe the Basal Ganglia.

A

Controls muscle tone and coordinates learned movement patterns

  • Globus pallidus: output of the basal ganglia
  • Caudate and Putamen: input to basal ganglia (take signals from brain and send the information to globes pallidus).
  • Substantia nigra: projects upwards to the basal ganglia
  • Subthalamic nucleus: input
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18
Q

Describe the Hippocampus.

A

Between the thalamus and cerebral cortex

  • Critical for storing certain types of memory.
  • Navigation
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19
Q

Describe the meninges.

A
Fibrous layers surround and protect CNS
- Dura mater: tough outer membrane
- Arachnoid membrane: weblike
- Pia mater: adheres to CNS surface
Continuous with meninges of spinal cord
- Protection from both chemical and physical things.
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20
Q

Describe the purpose of CSF.

A

Cerebrospinal Fluid

  • Cushions delicate neural structures
  • Supports brain
  • Transports nutrients, chemical messengers and waste products
21
Q

What is the pathway of CSF?

A
  1. Produced at choroid plexus.
  2. Travels through lateral and medial apertures to subarachnoid space.
  3. Diffuses across arachnoid granulations into superior sagittal sinus.
22
Q

Describe the blood brain barrier.

A
  • Endothelial cells of blood vessels tightly packed in CNS to isolate brain from general circulation.
  • Astrocytes regulate permeability of cerebral blood vessels (secrete chemicals).
  • Molecules actively transported across barrier.
  • Incomplete in parts of hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland and choroid plexus. (These areas need instant access to blood levels for proper regulation.)
23
Q

What parts arise from the diencephalon?

A
  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Optic Chiasm
  • Mammillary bodies
24
Q

Describe the thalamus.

A

Sensory information enters thalamus

  • Thalamus processes and “relays” information to cortex
  • Subdivided into 50 _ nuclei, each with different functions.
  • Somatotopic organization maintained.
25
Q

Describe the Thalamic Projections.

A

Almost all nuclei receive reciprocal connections from the cortical areas they project to.
Anterior Nuclei
- Input: Hypothalamus, Hippocampus
- Function: Emotion, memory
Medial Nuclei
- Input: Basal Ganglia, Amygdala, Midbrain
- Function: Memory
Ventrolateral Nuclei
- Motor and somatosensory relay
Posterior Nuclei
- Special senses relay
Nonspecific or Modulatory Nuclei
- Mediate cortical arousal and integrate sensory modalities
- Reticular nucleus uses GABA to inhibit thalamic output based on thalamic activity

26
Q

Describe the hypothalamus.

A

Coordinates activities of endocrine and nervous systems

  • Controls autonomic function
  • Produces emotions and behavioral drives
  • Regulates body temperature
  • Circadian rhythm
27
Q

What is the HPA Axis?

A

The pathway: Hypothalamic to pituitary to adrenal axis.

  • Part of neuroendocrine system
  • Stress reaction (cortisol): Stress UP, cortisol UP
  • Influences systemic endocrine functions, including digestion, immune response, mood and energy.
28
Q

Describe the tectum.

A

Midbrain - Dorsal surface

  • Inferior colliculi - audition
  • Superior colliculi - Vision
29
Q

Describe the tegmentum.

A

Midbrain - Ventral

  • Periaqueductal gray - analgesia (pain neurotransmission)
  • Substantia nigra - sensorimotor (PD): part of the basal ganglia loop
  • Red nucleus - sensorimotor: voluntary motor control
30
Q

Describe the cerebellum.

A

Derived from Rhombencephalon

  • Located in hindbrain
  • Has many deep folds to allow ~ 70 billion neurons
  • Helps regulate motor movement, balance and coordination (real time error correction)
  • Important for shifting attention
  • More recently found to be important in cognition
  • Size increases with physical speed and dexterity of species.
31
Q

Describe the Pons

A

Superior to medulla

  • Reticular formation
  • Increases arousal and readiness.
32
Q

Describe the medulla.

A

Just above the spinal cord

  • Breathing, heart rate, vomiting, salivation, coughing, sneezing.
  • Several cranial nerves
33
Q

What do Cranial Nerves do?

A

Provide sensory and motor innervation to face.

- Topographic organization in brain stem in cranial nerve nuclei.

34
Q

What are the four segments of the spinal cord?

A

Cervical (8 nerves)
- Cervical enlargement (gray matter gets a little wider to help provide innervation to the arms)
Thoracic (12 nerves)
Lumbar (5 nerves)
- Lumbar enlargement (innervation to legs)
Sacral (5 nerves)

35
Q

Describe the gray matter in the spinal cord.

A

Deals with short range information.

  • Cell bodies, unmyelinated axons, glia
  • Dorsal horn: sensory
  • Lateral Column: sensorimotor
  • Ventral horn: motor
36
Q

Describe the white matter in the spinal cord.

A

Long range fibers going to or coming from the brain.

  • Mostly myelinated axons.
  • Relay information to and from the brain
37
Q

Describe the ratio of the grey matter to white in the spinal cord.

A

Ratio of grey matter to white matter varies.

- Higher towards the end of the spinal cord.

38
Q

Describe the sensation in the spinal cord.

A

Somatosensory neurons have cell bodies in dorsal root ganglia.

  • Input from periphery
  • Central projections to dorsal horn.
    • Can terminate in horn
    • Can project up to medulla
  • Somatotopic organization in horn and in tracts
    • Caudal regions represented medially in dorsal white matter
    • Rostral regions represented laterally.
39
Q

Spinal cord tracts (ascending)

A

Gracile and Cuneate Fasciculus
- Fine Sensation
Anterior and lateral spinothalamic tracts
- Coarse touch, pain
Most other tracts are for reflex activity.

40
Q

Spinal cord tracts (descending)

A

Corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts
- Fine motor control of periphery (voluntary movement: typing, writing, etc)
Remaining tracts
- Motor control of trunk, postural control
- Tectospinal and vestibulospinal tracts
Proprioceptive information carried by tracts surrounding gray matter (how extended or how flexed is a muscle)

41
Q

Sensory pathways in the spinal cord to brain.

A

Dorsal Column: fine touch, decussates at medulla.
Anterolateral: pain, temperature, deep pressure, decussates at entry to spinal cord.
Decussate: cross each other by form of an “X”

42
Q

Describe the sympathetic nervous system.

A
  1. Thoracolumbar
  2. Fight or flight
  3. Second stage neurons far from target neuron
  4. Neck to back
  5. Ganglia located close to CNS (short first branch allows faster reactions)
43
Q

Describe the parasympathetic nervous system.

A
  1. Craniosacral
  2. Rest and restore
  3. Second stage neurons near target organ.
  4. Cranial nerves to sacral
  5. Ganglia located close or in targets. (Long first branch, short second)
44
Q

What is the two-stage neural path?

A
  1. Neuron exiting CNS
  2. Synapses on second-stage neuron in ganglia before target organ.
    (Autonomic Nervous System)
45
Q

What percentage of motor fibers decussate at pyramids?

A

90% (pyramids = anterior surface of the medulla)

46
Q

What percentage of motor fibers decussate in the spinal cord?

A

10%

47
Q

Where do motor pathways start and end?

A

Corticospinal tract. (Start at the cortex and end at spinal)

48
Q

What are the sensory and motor homunculi?

A

Somatotopic mapping: mapping of the body on the surface of the brain.

  • Each area has a map of their function in relation to the brain.
  • Consistent mapping between the real world.
49
Q

What are the 3 Brodmann’s Areas (BA) functions?

A

BA 3b - Primary somatosensory processing
BA 1 - Higher order processing
BA 2 - Integration of tactile information with limb position. (Takes projections form area 1 and 3)
Project to higher sensory, motor and associational areas.