Topography of the brain

Question 1

What is neurulation and outline early steps

Answer 1

neurulation is the development of the brain.
in the early stages, the ectoderm forms the primitive nervous system.
neuroectoderm cells receive inductive signals from the notochord, the cells thicken to form the neural plate and the lateral neural plate margins fold inwards to form a neural tube.

Question 2

What are examples of neural tube defects

Answer 2

anencephaly (fatal, failure of the anterior neuropore to close) and spina bifida (failure of the posterior neural tube to close.

Question 3

what are the 3 primary vesicles in early brain development

Answer 3

prosencephalon (forebrain), mesencephalon (midbrain), and rhombencephalon (hindbrain).

Question 4

What does the prosencephalon divide into

Answer 4

telencephalon (cerebral hemispheres) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus)

Question 5

What does the mesencephalon divide into

Answer 5

forms the midbrain

Question 6

what does the rhombencephalon divide into

Answer 6

divides into metencephalon (pons and cerebellum) and myelencephalon (medulla)

Question 7

What 2 types of matter forms the CNS

Answer 7

grey matter ( mainly neuronal cell bodies) or white matter (mainly myelinated neurons)

Question 8

What are the main components of the telencephalon

Answer 8

comprises the cerebral hemispheres/ cerebral cortex, components of the limbic system and the basal ganglia

Question 9

How are the cerebral hemispheres divided

Answer 9

4 lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital lobe

Question 10

What is the cerebral cortex and name some gyri and sulci

Answer 10

It is the outer lauer of the cerebral hemispheres and it is highly folded to form gyri and sulci, precentral gyrus (motor), central sulcus (divides frontal and parietal lobe), postcentral gyrus (sensory) and lateral sulcus (divides temporal from parietal lobe)

Question 11

What is found in the frontal lobe

Answer 11

primary motor cortex (controls movement), motor speech and broca’s area

Question 12

What is found in the parietal lobe

Answer 12

somatosensory cortex

Question 13

What is found in the occipital lobe

Answer 13

visual cortex

Question 14

What is found in the temporal lobe

Answer 14

auditory, olfactory and gustatory cortex

Question 15

What is the corpus callosum

Answer 15

A white matter tract which links our left and right cerebral hemispheres

Question 16

What are some pathways created by deep brain structures

Answer 16

the limbic system (emotion and memory) and basal ganglia (control of posture and voluntary movement)

Question 17

What are the main components of the limbic system

Answer 17

spans the telencephalon and diencephalon, cingulate cortex, fornix,amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus and mammillary.

Question 18

What is the fornix

Answer 18

a semi-circular white matter tract which connects the hippocampus with the mamillary bodies

Question 19

What does the corpus striatum refer to

Answer 19

the lentiform nucleus and the caudate nucleus which is the 2 main nuclei forming the basal ganglia.

the lentiform nucleus then divides into the putamen and globus pallidus

Question 20

What are the two parts of the brain that forms the diencephalon

Answer 20

The thalamus and hypothalamus

Question 21

Outline the function of the thalamus

Answer 21

a paired structure which relays sensory info to the cortex, involved with voluntary movement, personality and consciousness.

Question 22

Outline the function of the hypothalamus

Answer 22

inferior to the thalamus, homeostasis ( coordinates ANS and endocrine responses. involve in thermoregulation, feeding and drinking, circadian rhythms

Question 23

What components do the mesencephalon and rhomencephalon form

Answer 23

forms the brainstem and cerebellum

the brainstem forms the midbrain, pons and medulla

Question 24

What are some important functions of the brainstem

Answer 24

contains cranial nerve nuclei within all 3 regions of the brainstem, vital resp and cardiovascular centres, vomiting centre, nuclei involved with motor control, sleep and white matter tracts

Question 25

What are two important structures in the midbrain that are involved in auditory and visual senses.

Answer 25

superior colliculus (vision) and inferior colliculus (auditory)

Question 26

What is the pons

Answer 26

a bridge between the brainstem and the cerebellum and relays information between the two structures.

Question 27

What are two aspects of the anterior medulla oblongata

Answer 27

the pyramid which houses the corticospinal tract and controls voluntary motor pathway and olive which is formed by olivary nuclei

Question 28

what are two aspects of the posterior medulla oblongata

Answer 28

cuneate tubercle and gracile tubercle