Week 3 - topic 1 Flashcards
Neuraxis
from the bottom of the spinal cord to the front of the forebrain
Anterior/posterior
Anterior/ Rostral is toward the head
Posterior/Caudal is toward the tail
Superior/inferior
Superior = above (in the brain)
Inferior = below (in the brain)
Dorsal/ventral
Dorsal (back) = top of the head and back
Ventral (front) = toward the bottom of the skull or the front of the body
Lateral/medial
Lateral is toward the side
Medial is toward the middle
Ipsilateral/contralateral
Ipsilateral refers to structures on the same side of the body
Contralateral refers to structures on opposite sides of the body
Coronal plane
Coronally slicing the brain divides it into frontal sections (cross sections)
dorsal V ventral
Horizontal plane
Slicing the brain parallel to the ground gives us horizontal sections
A horizontal slice across the middle of the brain would give us the upper half of it
Superior V inferior
Sagittal plane
Slices made parallel to the neuraxis (perpendicular to the ground) give saggital sections.
The midsagittal plane divides the brain into left and right halves
lateral slice
Meninges
- look up image
- The dura mater is the outer layer. It is tough and flexible, but unstretchable
- The arachnoid membrane is the middle layer. It lies beneath the dura mater, has a weblike appearance and is soft and spongy.
- The pia mater is the inner layer. It clings very closely to the surface of the brain. It is thin and delicate, and the smaller surface blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord are contained within this layer
Subarachnoid layer
Lying between the pia mater and the arachnoid membrane is the subarachnoid space which is filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF is a clear liquid that is similar to blood plasma
Ventricular system
Consists of ventricles, a series of hollow, interconnected chambers filled with Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) - a clear fluid similar to blood plasma
Lateral ventricles
The largest chambers are the lateral ventricles
Lateral ventricles are connected to the third ventricle - located in the middle of the brain
Cerebral aqueduct
The cerebral aqueduct is a long tube that connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle.
Purpose of ventricles
The main job of the ventricles is that they produce and contain the CSF.
-> The choroid plexus is a special tissue that is highly vascular and extends to all four ventricles and produces CSF
