Unit 1a: Intro and Neuroanatomy Flashcards
gyrus
a ‘ridge’ of cerebral cortex
sulcus
a ‘valley’ of cerebral cortex
cortical sheet
the outer, surface covering of cerebral cortex, composed of gray matter (neuron cell bodies)
cerebellum
the small, highly ridged portion of brain that sits inferior to the cerebral cortex and posterior to the brainstem
anterior
towards the front of the brain
posterior
towards the back of the brain
superior
towards the top of the brain
inferior
towards the bottom of the brain
lateral
the lateral view of the brain would show the surface of a cerebral hemisphere under the ears
medial
the medial view of the brain would be the inner surface of a cerebral hemisphere
dorsal
towards the top of the brain (towards the back surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord)
ventral
towards the bottom of the brain (towards belly surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord)
rostral
towards the front of the brain (towards the top surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord; rostral means “beak”
caudal
towards the back of the brain (towards the bottom surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord; caudal means “tail”)
sagittal
a vertical slice of the brain cut down the center, from anterior to posterior, giving a view from left or right
coronal
a vertical slice of the brain cut from superior to inferior, giving a view from the front or back of the brain
axial
a horizontal slice of the brain cut from left to right, giving a view from the top or bottom of the brain
Central Nervous System (CNS)
is composed of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (ANS)
a subdivision of the PNS that controls visceral functions; includes parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.
Cranial nerves
a set of 12 specialized nerves that act as the PNS (motor control and sensory info) to the head and neck
Meninges
the three protective layers of tissue between the brain and the skull
Dura mater
the durable, leathery outer protective layer of the meninges
Arachnoid matter
the spider web-like middle protective layer of the meninges that is filled with cerebral spinal fluid
Pia mater
the thin, shiny, inner protective layer of the meninges that “shrink- wraps” the brain
Frontal lobe
the anterior portion of cerebral cortex, involved in emotion, cognition, and executive control
Parietal lobe
the superior posterior portion of cerebral cortex, superior to the occipital and temporal lobes, posterior to the frontal lobe
Temporal lobe
the inferior portion of cerebral cortex, anterior to the occipital lobe and inferior to the others
Occipital lobe
the posterior portion of cerebral cortex, primarily involved in vision processing
Central sulcus
the sulcus dividing the frontal and parietal lobes, surrounded on each side by motor and sensory cortex
Lateral fissure
the gap that divides the temporal from the frontal and parietal lobes; a fissure is another name for a larger sulcus
Parieto-occipital sulcus
the sulcus that divides the parietal and occipital lobes
Pre-occipital notch
the notch that serves as the bottom point of the imaginary dividing line between the temporal and occipital lobes; the top of the parieto-occipital sulcus is the top point
Brodmann’s Areas
50 cytoarchitectural areas defined by neuroanatomist Brodmann according to cell size, cell density, number and thickness of cortical
layers, and density of myelinated axons; numbering system is becoming less common as neuroimaging measurements take over tissue histology
Gray matter
outer ‘bark’ of the cerebral cortex composed of neuronal cell bodies; this is where computations happen; much of cortex consists of six layers
White matter
inner region of cerebral cortex composed of the axons of the neurons with cell bodies in the gray matter; can be thought of as the ‘wiring’ connection different regions of gray matter
Neuron
the basic cell in the brain that processes and transmits information in the form of electrical and chemical signals
Dendrite
the branched portion of a neuron which receives inputs from synapses with other cells and sends small depolarizations towards the cell body
Cell body
the “main” portion of a cell that contains the nucleus, mitochondria, and other organelles necessary for the cell to survive
Axon hillock
the base of the axon, where it meets the cell body of the neuron; action potentials are initiated here
Axon
the long cell structure that carries depolarization (action potentials) away from the cell body of a neuron to the synapse
Node of Ranvier
the small gaps between myelin sheaths in myelinated axons involved in fast action potential propagation down the axon
synapse
the region/space which information flows across from one neuron to another neuron; space between neurons can be called the synaptic cleft
Axon terminal
the very end of a branch of a neuron’s axon, specialized to release neurotransmitters from vesicles into the synapse in response to an action
potential
Glial cell
surround neurons in CNS and PNS and provide myelination as well as other support for them; most abundant cell types in CNS. Types differ between
CNS and PNS - CNS: oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, ependymal cells, microglia; PNS: satellite cells, Schwann cells
Myelin sheath
a layer of protective tissue wrapped around axons of neurons to hasten the transmission of action potentials
Neuronal communication
includes electrical conduction (action potential) along the axon and chemical transmission via neurotransmitter release at the synapse
Corpus callosum
the main connection of white matter that is integral for communication between the two cerebral hemispheres
