The brain Flashcards
What does rostral mean?
towards the nose or head
What does caudal mean?
towards the tail or feet
What are gyri?
bumps on the brain
What are sulci?
folds between gyri (bumps)
What is white matter?
- myelinated neurons
- cerebral medulla, inner brain, and outer spinal cord
What is grey matter?
- unmyelinated axons, glial cells. dendrites, cell bodies
- cerebral cortex, outer brain, inner spinal cord
What does the telencephalon become?
the cerebrum
what does the diencephalon form?
the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus
What does the mesencephalon make up?
the midbrain
What does the metencephalon become?
the pons and cerebellum
what does the myelencephalon become?
the medulla oblongata
What 4 things make up the telencephalon (cerebrum)?
1) Cerebral cotex
2) Cerebral medulla
3) Longitudinal fissure
4) Corpus callosum
What is the cerebral cortex?
outer grey matter
what is the cerebral medulla?
inner white matter
What does the longitudinal fissure separate?
the R&L hemispheres
What does the corpus callosum connect?
the R&L hemispheres, main communication
What are the 5 telencephalon lobes?
1) Frontal lobes
2) Parietal lobes
3) Temporal lobes
4) Occipital lobes
5) Insula lobes
What does the frontal lobe control?
- motor function of skeletal muscles
- concentration
- verbal communications
- planning, decision making
- personality
What does the parietal lobe control?
Sensory function
What does the temporal lobes control?
- hearing
- interpreting speech and language
- smell
What does the occipital lobes control?
- visual memories
- sight
What does the insula lobes control?
- memory
- interpretation of taste
What does the epithalamus have?
The pineal gland
What does the pineal gland secrete?
“Melatonin” which regulates circadian rhythm
What does the thalamus help do?
Filters out and allows for sensory info to be focused on (all except smell)
What does the hypothalamus do?
Is the master control center of autonomic functions
What does the master control center of autonomic functions control?
- body thermostat
- controls emotional response
- hunger & thirst
- circadian rhythms
- secretes hormones
- influence heart rate
- controls blood pressure
- controls digestion
- controls respiration
What is the Infundibulum?
The stalk of pituitary gland
What makes up the mesencephalon?
Midbrain
What makes up the midbrain?
- portion of the brainstem
- visual and auditory reflexes
- posture and movement
What makes up the metencephalon?
- pons
- cerebellum
What makes up the pons?
- middle bulge of brain stem
- relay impulses
- regulate breathing
What makes up the cerebellum?
- Is a large portion of lower brain
- Arbor vitae
- Tentorium cerebelli
- coordinates muscles contractions
- maintains equilibrium and posture
- maintains resting muscle tine by muscles spindle fibers
- cognitive functions
What is arbor vitae?
Internal white structure
What is the tentorium cerebelli?
Dural septum separating cerebrum from cerebellum
What are the cognitive functions?
- Attention
- process language
- music
- sensory stimuli
What can happen if the cerebellum is damaged?
Ataxia
Where is the medulla oblongata located?
The lowest part of the brain stem
What goes through the medulla?
All communication between brain and spinal cord
What does the left side control?
The right side of the body
What does the right side control?
The left side of the body
What does the medulla oblongata do?
- all communication between brain and spinal cord
- sensory relay for cranial nerves
- relay to thalamus
- cardiac center
- vasomotor center
- respiratory center
- coughing, sneezing, salivation, swallowing, gagging, vomiting
What do the meninges do?
- 3 layers of connective tissue
- protect brain
- enclose brain
What are the 5 layers of the head?
1) Skull
2) Epidural space
3) Dura
4) Subdural space
5) Arachnoid
What is the epidural space?
Potential space for vessels
What is dura mater?
Outermost layer
What is the periosteal layer of the dura mater?
Outer dura, forms periosteum of cranium
What is the meningeal layer of the dura mater?
Inner dura
What is the dural venous sinus?
Forms between dural layers, blood drain
What is the subarachnoid space?
Space below the arachnoid layer (has fingerlike projections)
What does the subarachnoid space contain?
CSF
What is pia mater?
Thin and most deep
What 3 things make up the cranial dural septa?
1) falx cerebri
2) tentorium cerebelli
3) diaphragma sellae
What does the falx cerebri separate?
The cerebrum into R&L halves
What is in the anterior portions of the falx cerebri?
The Crista galli
What is in the posterior portion of the falx cerebri?
The tentorium cerebellum
What does the tentorium cerebelli separate?
The cerebrum from the cerebellum
What is the diaphragma sellae?
- roof over the sella turcica
- small opening allows pituitary stalk to pass through
What are all ventricles lined with?
Ependymal cells
What are the ventricles continuous with?
Each other and the central canal
Where are the two lateral ventricles and what are the separated by?
- They are in the cerebrum
- they are separated by the septum pellucidum
Where is the third ventricle located?
In the diencephalon
Where is the fourth ventricle?
Between the pons and cerebellum?
What is the function of the cerebrospinal fluid?
- buoyancy (brain is able to float)
- environmental stability
- protection from movements
What is process of the formation of cerebrospinal fluid?
- formed by choroid plexi in all ventricles
How are choroid plexi made?
They are made by ependymal cells
How does the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid happen?
- CSF goes from ventricle to subarachnoid space
- it drains into blood by arachnoid villi into dural venous sinuses
What are the two types of reticular formation?
1) motor
2) sensory
What does motor reticular formations do?
- regulates muscle tone (especially when resting)
- autonomic center in medulla and pons for respiration, blood pressure, heart rate
What does sensory reticular formations do?
- Reticular Activating System: RAS: maintains state of awareness or consciousness
Where is the Limbic system located?
The ring border around diencepalon
What is the limbic system refereed to as?
The “emotional brain”
What is the limbic system important for?
It is important in endocrine and autonomic motor systems
What are can be associated with emotions?
Odors
Where do the dural venous sinuses drain?
Into the jugular
What is the subdural space?
Potential space
What is the arachnoid layer?
Layer between dura and pia, looks like plastic wrap
Where is a spinal tap done?
In the subarachnoid space between L3-L5
