Week 1 - organisation of the nervous system Flashcards
What is functional neuroanatomy?
The study of functional connections in the brain and spinal cord (CNS) with focus on the relationship between structure and function
What happened to Phineas Gage ? What brain part was effected?
Survived a traumatic brain injury caused by an iron rod that shot through his skull (through his superior maxima), obliterating the greater part of the left frontal lobe of his Brian
What was the consequences of Phineas Gage’s brain injury?
memory, cognition, strength had not been altered, his gentle personality degraded - became rude, uncontrollable
Frontal (coronal) plane divides the body into…
front and back
Sagittal plane divides the body into…
left and right
Transverse plane divides the body…
horizontally
What does the CNS consist of?
Brain and spinal cord
Planes within the CNS - Brain
rostral/ front, caudal/back, dorsal/top, ventral/below
What is the most rostral lobe of the brain?
frontal lobe
What is the most caudal part of the brain?
occipital lobe
Planes within the CNS - spinal cord
rostral/head, caudal/tail, dorsal/back, ventral/front
Name four functions of the nervous system
- gather sensory information for the external environment (sensory)
- integrate information for assessment and meaning (somatosensory)
- effect an appropriate behavioural response (motor)
- regulate body homeostasis for optimal performance (autonomic)
subdivide the nerves system form stimulus to response
- peripheral (PNS) - reception of information
- central (CNS) - integration, analysis and response
- Peripheral (PNS) - transmission of response
- Autonomic (ANS) - regulation of body homeostasis
Content of PNS
- cranial nerves
- ganglia outside CNS
- spinal nerves
What kind of responses does the PNS give
somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) responses
What responses does ANS include?
- sympathetic (fight or flight)
- parasympathetic (return to rest)
- enteric (digestion)
What characteristics does a neural systems have to fulfil?
- unit of function - vital, auditory, motor etc
- subdivision into submodalities
- defined representation of specific information
- organisation of even more complex information - less understood
Name the seven main components of the CNS
- cerebral hemispheres (include. cortex and internal structures)
- diencephalon
- midbrain
- pons
- cerebellum
- medulla oblongata
- spinal cord
is the cerebellum part of the Brian stem?
No - the cerebellum is closely related as it is positioned posterior to the brain stem but not a part of it itself.
Name a descending pathway
motor pathways
Name an ascending pathway
sensory pathway
what are the ridges of the unfolded cerebral cortex called?
gyrus
What is a large sulcus called?
fissure
what is the vela between the gyri called?
sulcus
What is the Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a convex elevation of gray matter tissue within the parahippocampal gyrus inside the inferior temporal horn of the lateral ventricle
What is the function of the hippocampus?
Generation of memory
What does the longitudinal fissure divide the brain into?
right and left
from what view onto the Brian can you see the brain stem?
ventral
Name the lobes of the cerebral cortex
forntal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe
In what areas can each lobe of the brain be divided into?
primary areas and secondary (and association) areas
What does the primary motor cortex do?
voluntary movement
What does the primary sensory cortex do
somatosensation
what does the primary auditory cortex do?
hearing
What does the visual cortex do?
vision
What does the Broca’s area do?
language expression - 2nd degree area
What does the Wernicke’s area do?
language comprehension - 2nd degree area
Where is the Wernicke area located ?
Posterior to the primary auditory cortex
What is the visual association?
visual processing, object recognition, facial recognition (right temporal lobe), auditory memories
What is the posterior parietal association?
somatosensory integration, spatial awareness of surroundings (selective attention)
What is the frontal association?
judgement, motor planning, personality
What is the thalamus?
a relay/ processing center
What makes up the diencephalon?
Thalamus and Hypothalamus
What stops at the thalamus?
Every neurones going to the cortex - become synapses
What is the hypothalamus?
the regulator of the ANS (hormone production)
is the cerebral cortex white or grey matter?
grey - myelinated axons
What does the brain stem consist of?
midbrain, post medulla
what sits superiorly to the midbrain?
thalamus
what connects posteriorly to the medulla?
spinal cord
function of the brain stem
mesencephalon - processing of visual and auditory data, generation of reflexive somatic motor responses. maintenance of consciousness
pons - relays sensory information to cerebellum and thalamus, subconscious somatic and visceral motor centers
medulla oblongata - relays sensory information to thalamus and other parts of Brian stem, autonomic enters for regulation of visceral function (cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems acitvities)
what is the function of the cerebellum?
- regulates somatic motor outputs
- coordinates complex movements
- involved in motor learning
