The brain Flashcards
What 2 sections does the forebrain initially differentiate into?
- Telencephalon
- Diencephalon
What are the 3 types of cerebral cortex?
- Neocortex
- Hippocampus
- Olfactory cortex
What are the bumps of the cerebral cortex called?
Gyri and sulci
How many layers does the hippocampus have?
3
What is the hippocampus involved in?
Memory
What are the 4 lobes of the neocortex?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
What is the central sulcus?
Sulcus separating the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe
What is the lateral fissure?
Big sulcus separating the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes
What is the association cortex?
Bits of cortex that aren’t sensory/motor - rest of cortex
How many layers does the neocortex have?
6
What are the 6 layers of the neocortex?
- Molecular layer
- External granular layer
- External pyramidal layer
- Internal granular layer
- Internal pyramidal layer
- Fusiform layer
What is in the molecular layer of the neocortex?
- No cell bodies
- Dendrites and axons
What is in the external granular layer of the neocortex?
Granule neurons
What are granule neurons?
Smaller neurons with short dendritic processes
What is in the external pyramidal layer of the neocortex?
Neurons with a pyramidal shaped cell body
What is in the internal granular layer of the neocortex?
Slightly larger granule neurons
What is in the internal pyramidal layer of the neocortex?
Massive pyramidal cells with apical dendrites and long basolateral axons which can reach out of the CNS
What is in the fusiform layer of the neocortex?
Smaller interneurons whose axons don’t project out of the CNS
What does Weigert PAL staining highlight?
Myelin
What is Brodmann’s cytoarchitectural map?
Mapping of all the different neocortical structures in the cortex which have different functions
Where is the somatosensory cortex?
Postcentral gyrus at the front of the parietal lobe
What are 3 methods of non-invasive functional imaging?
- PET
- fMRI
- EEG
What does a PET scan show?
Areas with high glucose concentrations
What does an fMRI scan show?
Areas with high oxygen levels
What does an EEG scan show?
Records electrical activity with electrodes in the brain
Where is the primary motor cortex?
Precentral gyrus at the back of the frontal lobe
Where is the primary visual cortex?
At the back of the brain in the occipital lobe
Where is the auditory cortex?
In the lateral fissure in the temporal lobe
What is the limbic lobe associated with?
Emotion, attention, motivation
What is the cingulate gyrus?
Gyrus in the medial view of the brain above the corpus callosum
What are the sections of the limbic lobe? (3)
- Medial surface of temporal lobe
- Hippocampus
- Cingulate gyrus
Which lobe is the hippocampus in?
Limbic lobe
What is the insula cortex involved in?
Emotional regulation and sensorimotor processing
Where is the insula cortex?
Underneath the lateral fissure
What are the 2 sections of the basal forebrain?
- Basal ganglia
- Amygdala
What are the basal ganglia involved in?
Initiation of movement
What is the amygdala involved in?
Fear
What are the 3 types of white matter?
- Commissural fibres
- Projection fibres
- Association fibres
What do the commissural fibres do?
Connect between hemispheres of the cortex
What do the projection fibres do?
Link the cortex to non-cortical areas
What do the association fibres do?
Link areas of the cortex within the same hemisphere
Where is the thalamus and hypothalamus?
Diencephalon
What does the thalamus do?
- ‘Gateway to the cortex’
- Processes information which passes through
What does the hypothalamus do?
Master regulator of homeostasis
How many major nuclei are in the hypothalamus?
11
