Sept 26: Brain, Cerebral Cortex, Cranial Nerves, Brain Stem, Cerebellum Flashcards
composition of brain
- 60% fat
- 40% water, protein, carbs and salt
3 parts of the brain
forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
Names of the 3 meninges?
from outer to inner:
- dura mater
- arachnoid
- pia mater
Purpose of the meninges
- protection
- nourishment
- allowing entrance/exit of things into brain
Gray matter: inner or outer part of brain?
- outer part of brain (cerebral cortex)
- continues to develop into mid 20s
White matter: inner or outer part of brain?
- inner part of brain
- continues to develop into middle age
- includes corpus callosum which helps communicate btwn two halves of brain
4 major lobes of the brain
-frontal
-parietal
-temporal
-occipital
Broca’s area: location? function?
- in FRONTAL lobe, close to temporal lobe
- on dominant side of body
- motor / speech planning area
Broca’s aphasia
“expressive aphasia”
- individual knows what they want to say but has difficult time actually speaking (coming up with the correct words and forming full sentences)
Wernicke’s area: location? function?
- in TEMPORAL lobe, on dominant side of brain for body (usually L for R dominant)
- has motor neurons involved in comprehension of speech
Wernicke’s aphasia
- “receptive aphasia”
- they understand what they hear, plan out what they’re going to say, but the brain doesn’t fact check before the words come out
- handwriting and typing is usually okay
Trick to differentiating Broca’s vs Wernicke’s aphasia?
B close to E: Broca’s = expressive
W close to R: Wernicke’s = receptive
hypothalamus function
- wake / sleep centre
- helps regulate adrenaline/emotional regulation
thalamus function
switchboard of the brain, helps process some information going to different areas of the brain
hippocampus function
primary memory center
brain stem: location, consists of?
- connects cerebrum to spinal cord
- consists of: midbrain, pons, medulla
midbrain function?
- has substantia nigra which has many dopamine neurons = helps coordinate movement
medulla function?
- where brain meets spinal cord, helps regulate heart rate, breathing, blood flow, oxygen levels, etc
acetylcholine
excitatory NT, makes cells more likely to respond to a signal - responsible for muscle contraction
GABA
inhibitory NT - helps control muscle activity by inhibiting signals
dopamine
inhibitory NT, responsible for mood regulation
