Week 11 - Brainstem and Cranial nerves Flashcards
What is the brainstem?
A stork-like structure containing neurones that are essential for life, as well as pathways that facilitate communication between the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the spinal cord.
Where is the brainstem located?
Sits immediately anterior to the cerebellum
Continuous with the spinal cord below, and the diencephalon above
What are the 3 parts of the brainstem?
Midbrain → most superior section of the brainstem
Pons → wider section
Medulla → narrowest part, ultimately continuous with the spinal cord
Summary of what is inside the brainstem?
→ Ascending (sensory) white matter tracts - passup through the brainstem en route to the thalamus/cortex/cerebellum
→ Nucleus gracilis and Cuneatus (dorsal columns - synapse with nuclei in the brainstem)
→ Motor tracts passes through the length of the brainstem without synapsing
→ Other motor tracts (rubrospinal, reticulospinal and vestibulospinal pathways) originate from nuclei within the brainstem
What do the horizontal fibres in the pons do?
Send information to the cerebellum
What are the anatomical names describing the brainstem?
Basilar brainstem (base)
Brainstem tectum (roof)
Brainstem tegmentum (floor)
What is the basilar brainstem primarily responsible for?
Predominantly occupied by large descending motor tracts of the corticospinal system.
Features of the the brainstem tectum?
2 raised bumps: superior and inferior rolliculi
Associated with visual and auditory systems respectively
What is the red nucleus and what is it responsible for?
→ Contains cell bodies of descending rubrospional pathway
→ Connected to both the cortex + cerebellum
→ Part of our motor control system
