Wet Brain Things To Know

Question 1

What does the anterior cerebral artery distribute to?

Answer 1

cingulate gyrus

hip, thigh, leg area of motor and sensory cortex (medially)

Question 2

What does the middle cerebral artery distribute to?

Answer 2

face, trunk, upper limb areas of sensory and motor cortex

speech areas in left hemisphere *Broca’s and Wernicke’s

Question 3

What does the posterior cerebral artery distribute to?

Answer 3

primary visual cortex

hippocampus *bit of temporal lobe

Question 4

What are the small branches off of the middle cerebral artery that are frequently involved in vascular accidents *often referred to as the arteries of stroke, supply deeper core structures of brain

Answer 4

lenticulostriate arteries

Question 5

Damage to Wernicke’s area (posterior temporal lobe) causes what pathology?

Answer 5

receptive aphasia

Question 6

An embolus in what artery would cause a lesion in Wernicke’s area?

Answer 6

middle cerebral

Question 7

What is communicating hydrocephalus? What is non-communicating hydrocephalus?

Answer 7

communicating: when flow of CSF is blocked after it exits the ventricles, so it is still capable of flowing thru the ventricles;
noncommunicating: when flow of CSF is blocked within the ventricular system (i.e. stenosis of cerebral aqueduct impairing flow to 4th ventricle)

Question 8

Retro-lenticular radiations are also called (blank) radiations

Answer 8

optic

Question 9

What does nucleus accumbens connect?

Answer 9

caudate + putamen

Question 10

This divides the frontal and parietal lobes from the temporal lobe below

Answer 10

sylvian fissure (lateral sulcus)

Question 11

What nucleus does the cerebrocerebellum project to?

Answer 11

dentate nucleus

Question 12

In the midbrain, what is unique about the blood flow to the cerebral peduncle?

Answer 12

The cerebral peduncle has both medial and lateral blood supply, so if there is a problem w the basilar artery (medial), you may lose your corticobulbars, but spare corticospinal fibers that are more lateral

Question 13

Damage to the dorsal columns/medial lemniscus would lead to (blank) deficits up to the gracile/cuneate nuclei, but (blank) deficits the rest of the way up through the thalamus and to the cortex

Answer 13

ipsilateral; contralateral

Question 14

Where is ALS located as you traverse the brainstem?

Answer 14

remains in a lateral position the entire way up the brainstem until it is “pushed out” by the medial lemniscus

Question 15

Where are the cells of origin in the anterolateral system?

Answer 15

neurons in the contralateral dorsal horn

Question 16

What does the ALS pathway do?

Answer 16

conveys pain and temp from the body to cortex

Question 17

Lesions in ALS cause (blank) deficits in pain and temp from the body

Answer 17

contralateral

Question 18

Axons in ALS pass rostrally through the brainstem to reach the (blank) of the thalamus before projecting to the somatosensory cortex

Answer 18

VPL

Question 19

What does the dorsal columns/medial lemniscus pathway carry?

Answer 19

TVP from body to cortex

Question 20

Where do neurons in the gracile fasciculus originate?

Answer 20

in dorsal root ganglia below T6

Question 21

Where do neurons in the cuneate fasciculus originate?

Answer 21

in dorsal root ganglia from T6 and above

Question 22

Axons arising from the nucleus gracilis and nucleus cuneatus pass ventrally as (blank) fibers, cross, and form the medial lemniscus. The medial lemniscus is therefore carrying fibers from the (blank) side of the body.

Answer 22

internal arcuate; contralateral

Question 23

The medial lemniscus pathway terminates in the (blank) of the thalamus

Answer 23

VPL

Question 24

What is the corticospinal pathway involved in?

Answer 24

voluntary control of contralateral arm, trunk, leg

Question 25

Where does the corticospinal tract arise?

Answer 25

from several areas in the cerebral cortex, specifically the motor cortex

Question 26

How do the corticospinal fibers travel from cortex to spinal cord?

Answer 26

traverse the internal capsule –> cerebral peduncle of midbrain –> basilar pons and pyramid of medulla –> decussate and enter lateral corticospinal tract

Question 27

What side of the body do lesions to the corticospinal tract affect?

Answer 27

if rostral to pyramidal decussation = contralateral motor deficits;
if caudal to pyramidal decussation = ipsilateral

Question 28

If vascular injury occurred to the anterior spinal artery in the medulla, what symptoms would you expect?

Answer 28

alternating hemiplegia: ipsi LMN syndrome w tongue (nucleus of 12) and conta UPN syndrome body (corticospinals)
contralateral loss of TVP (medial lemniscus)

Question 29

Alternating hemiplegia is most likely to occur w damage to which cranial nerves?

Answer 29

CN 3, 6, 12

Question 30

If vascular injury occurred to the vertebral artery in the medulla, what symptoms would you expect?

Answer 30

loss of ALS: contralateral loss of pain and temp
contralateral incoordination
nucleus ambiguus: ipsilateral problems w swallowing

Question 31

If vascular injury occurred to PICA in the medulla, what symptoms would you expect?

Answer 31

Spinal 5: ipsi loss of pain and temp from face
cochlear and vestibular nuclei: ipsi loss of hearing
balance and nystagmus deficits

Question 32

The pons is mostly supplied by what artery?

Answer 32

basilar

Question 33

If there is damage to the corticospinals in the pons, will this produce ipsilateral or contralateral deficits?

Answer 33

CONTRALATERAL because it is above the decussation of this tract which occurs in the medulla

Question 34

In the midbrain, damage to what nucleus/nerve could cause alternating hemiplegia?

Answer 34

occulumotor nerve

Question 35

At what brainstem level do most fibers enter TTT?

Answer 35

in the pons (from chief sensory of spinal 5)

Question 36

The inferior salivatory nucleus is involved w which gland?

Answer 36

parotid gland

*associated w CN 9

Question 37

Where is the last place that you can get one-sided deafness?

Answer 37

cochlear nuclei

Question 38

What lies next to the facial motor nucleus in the pons?

Answer 38

spinal nucleus and tract of 5

*superior olive more medial to facial nucleus