Task 4 Flashcards
Subcortical fiber bundles
Subcortical fiber bundles = relay information to and from specific areas of the brain, depending on their classification as association, commissural, or projection fibers.
- Association fibers
These fibers interconnect areas of cortex within one hemisphere, with short ones connecting areas in adjacent gyri and longer ones (i.e. superior longitudinal fasciculi, cingulum, …) connecting more distant areas like different lobes.
Superior longitudinal fasciculus
= most compact in its midportion above the insula, spreads out to the anterior frontal lobe and the posterior parietal and occipital lobe, most dominant in areas responsible for language (connects all the lobes
Arcuate fasciculus
(subset of fibers) arches around the posterior end of the lateral fissure and enters the temporal lobe
Inferior occipitofrontal fasciculus
located below the insula, runs from the frontal through the temporal to the occipital lobe and therewith connects these areas.
Uncinate fasciculus
hooks around the lateral fissure to connect frontal and temporal lobe
Superior occipitofrontal fasciculus
runs adjacent and superior to the corpus callosum and interconnects the frontal, parietal and occipital lobe
Cingulum
located within the cingulate and parahippocampal gyri (limbic lobe of the limbic system) and connects areas of the limbic cortex
- Commissural fibers
These fibers connect areas from one hemisphere with their counterpart in the other hemisphere (similar functional areas) and to do that, most commissural fibers cross the midline and from the corpus callosum.
Corpus callosum
main commissural bundle that connects the two parietal lobes and the posterior parts of the frontal lobes with each other
Splenium
posterior part of the corpus callosum, interconnects the occipital lobes and the posterior temporal lobes
Genu
= anterior part, connects the frontal lobes with each other
When fibers from the corpus callosum enter the hemispheres, they
“fan out” (=radiation), which is called forceps minor (anterior) or forceps major (posterior)
Anterior commissure
small bundle of fibers that connects the anterior temporal lobes and the olfactory bulbs
Posterior commissures
located in the midbrain where it connects the two pretectal nuclei
Projection fibers
These fibers travel to or from the cortex (thalamus basal ganglia, brain stem, spinal cord). Projections come from all parts of the cortex (corona radiata) and converge into the internal capsule
Anatomy of the internal capsule
V shaped, can be divided into an anterior (between caudate and lenticular nucleus = globus pallidus and putamen) and posterior limb (between thalamus and lenticular nucleus), the place where the limbs meet is called genu (=”knee”)
Axoplasmic transport is
a process responsible for movement of organelles (mitochondria), lipids, proteins, synaptic vesicles, and other parts of the cell membranes to and from the soma down the axon to the synapses and back up to the soma
The vast majority of axonal proteins are synthesized in the
the neuronal cell body and transported along axons. Axonal transport occurs throughout the life of a neuron and is essential to its growth and survival.
Microtubules
(made of tubulin) run along the length of the axon and provide the main cytoskeletal “tracks” for transportation
Kinesin and dynein (=motor proteins)
move cargoes in the anterograde (forwards from the soma to the axon tip) and retrograde (backwards to the soma (cell body)) directions. They bind and transport several different cargoes including mitochondria, cytoskeletal polymers, and synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters.
Axonal transport can be
fast or slow, and anterograde or retrograde:
Anterograde transport
= movement of molecules/organelles outward, from the cell body (also called soma) to the synapse or cell membrane, for information processing to the synapse
Anterograde movement in transport vesicles of both fast and slow components along the microtubule is mediated by kinesins (= motor protein)
Retrograde transport
is movement of molecules/organelles inward, away from the synapse or plasma membrane toward the cell body or soma
Vesicles for transport of the motor proteins
(kinesin & dynactin) are sorted and loaded onto transport motors both in the cell body and the distal nerve terminal. The former are transported not only into the axon but also into dendrites.
Tracing techniques
are important for mapping connectivity between brain areas. To do so, you must carefully delineate the location of the injection site and also slice up the brain (or the part that contains the target region of interest) to create microscopic preparations that allow to visualize the amount of substances that has arrived in each slice.