Week 7 SDL and Practical: Forebrain, ventricles and CSF

Question 1

What is the forebrain/cerebrum made up of?

Answer 1

cerebral hemispheres and the diencephalon

Question 2

What are the four components of the diencephalon?

Answer 2

• epithalamus
• thalamus
• hypothalamus
• subthalamus

Question 3

How might a patient with a tumour of the pituitary gland present?

Answer 3

symptoms will reflect excess hormone production

bitemporal hemianopia, ‘tunnel vision’, galacorrhea, gynecomastia, amenorrhea, infertility, gigantism, acromegaly

Question 4

Where is the primary visual cortex?

Answer 4

surrounds the calcarine sulcus and extends to the tip of the occipital pole

Question 5

where is the primary auditory cortex and which artery supplies it?

Answer 5

superior temporal lobe and is supplied by the MCA

Question 6

What forms the limbic lobe?

Answer 6

the cingulate gyrus and the parahippocampal gyrus –> can only be appreciated in the medial surface of the brain

Question 7

Which modalities do the primary motor and primary sensory cortex contain?

Answer 7

primary motor cortex - production of skilled movements

primary sensory cortex - touch, proprioception, pain and temperature

Question 8

What are the components of the basal ganglia:

Answer 8

• caudate nucleus
• putamen
• globus pallidus
• substantia nigra
• subthalamic nucleus

Question 9

What is the corpus striatum?

Answer 9

• subcortical basal ganglia of the forebrain
• part of the basal ganglia - just lateral to the thalamus
• controls cognition, reward, coordinated movements

Question 10

What is the major function of the basal ganglia?

Answer 10

responsible primarily for motor control, as well as other roles such as motor learning, executive functions and behaviours, and emotions

Question 11

What do association fibres do?

Answer 11

connect cortical areas within the same cerebral hemisphere e.g short association fibres connect the pre and post central gyrus

Question 12

What do commissural fibres do?

Answer 12

interconnect areas between hemispheres e.g corpus callosum, anterior commissure

Question 13

What do projection fibres do?

Answer 13

interconnect cerebrum with rest of CNS (lower parts of brain and spinal cord) e.g corona radiate, internal capsule, corticospinal tract, spinothalamic tract

Question 14

What is the major commissure of the brain?

Answer 14

the corpus callosum is the largest commissural tract in the human brain

Question 15

What is the ventricular system of the brain derived from?

Answer 15

the central canal of the embryonic neural tube

Question 16

In what region of the brain is:

1. third ventricle
2. cerebral aqueduct
3. fourth ventricle

Answer 16

1. diencephalon
2. midbrain
3. pons

Question 17

Where is the insula?

Answer 17

between the depths of the frontal, parietal and temporal lobes

Question 18

Which sensory cortex extends into the insula?

Answer 18

primary taste cortex

Question 19

What connects the two thalami?

Answer 19

by interthalamic adhesion

Question 20

Which is more medial: putamen or globus pallidus

Answer 20

globus pallidus

Question 21

where is the amygdala?

Answer 21

sits in the temporal lobe anterior to the hippocampus - almond shaped nucleus

Question 22

A patient exhibits a variety of behavioural and language problems such as failure to inhibit responses that are socially inappropriate. Such an individual is most likely to suffer from dementia involving the:

Answer 22

pre frontal cortex as important cognitive functions and inhibits inappropriate behaviours

Question 23

Where is brocas area and what is its function?

Answer 23

inferior frontal gyrus

this is because this is where brocas area is - responsible for motor component of speech

Question 24

What structures does the pituitary stalk connect?

Answer 24

the pituitary gland and hypothalamus

Question 25

If a patient has suddenly lost all forms of sensation of the body, where is the likely lesion?

Answer 25

right lateral thalamus –> all sensory except olfaction. sensory fibres go to the VPL

Question 26

where is the septum pellucidum

Answer 26

from the inferior aspect of the corpus callosum toward the fornix –> hypothalamus inferior
membrane that seperates the anterior horn of the left and right lateral ventricle

Question 27

Which arteries supply the caudate nucleus, putamen and internal capsule?

Answer 27

striate arteries

Question 28

What is archoid fasciculus?

Answer 28

bundle of association fibres that connect wernicke’s area to brocas area