Neuroanatomy

Question 1

What is in grey matter?

Answer 1

Neurons, fibres, synapses

Question 2

What is in whiter matter?

Answer 2

Myelin and axons (no neuronal cell bodies), some glial cells

Question 3

White matter

Answer 3

Carries information/ impulses.

Association fibres - impulses within a hemisphere

Fasciule

Commissural fibres - cross between the 2 hemispheres (eg. corpus callosum)

Projection fibres - info from spinal cord and midbrain and brainstem carry info up to forebrain and down

Question 4

Major Divisions of the forebrain

Answer 4

Diencephalon and the telencephalon

Question 5

Main lobes of brain

Answer 5

frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe + pons medulla and cerebellum

Question 6

Insula

Answer 6

Insula (means island) sits in lateral fissure. Functions include disgust, emotion, emotion, perception, motor control, self-awareness, cognitive functioning and interpersonal experience

Question 7

Main role of Parietal lobes

Answer 7

Somatosensory
Dominant (usually left) = perception, language, maths
Non-dominant (usually right) = visuospatial function

Question 8

Main role of Occipital Lobe

Answer 8

Vision (contains stripe of myelin is striate cortex / stria of Gennari)

Question 9

Layers of neocortex

Answer 9

6 layers
Input from other cortical areas, projects to other cortical areas, input from thalamus, projects to brainstem and spinal cord, projects to thalamus)

Density of these layers change

Question 10

The brain’s asymmetry

Answer 10

Regions are different between left and right (eg language is usually major in left part of brain)

Question 11

Coverings of the brain

Answer 11

Skin, bone, dura mater (periosteum), arachnoid mater (spider-web and contains cerebral spinal fluid), trabeculae, pia mater (closely attached to brain surface).

Question 12

Dura mater

Answer 12

Falx cerebri - separates left and right lobes
Tentorium cerebelli - tent shape above cerebellum
Tentorial inscisure
Sinus - venous structures, blood to go back to heart

Question 13

What is the brainstem made up of?

Answer 13

Midbrain, pons and medulla

Question 14

What does the brainstem do?

Answer 14

Carries ascending sensory and descending motor tracts
Vital functions - breathing, consciousness, heart rate, sleep…

Question 15

What does the cerebellum do

Answer 15

Balance and co-ordination, gait, posture, motor learning fine skills…

Question 16

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 16

Sensory relay station

Question 17

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 17

Homeostasis (temp. food intake, water content etc.), endocrine control, body cycles…

Question 18

What doe the hippocampus and fornix do?

Answer 18

In temporal lobe, learning and memory, spatial navigation

Question 19

What do the lateral ventricles do?

Answer 19

Produces and recycles cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Question 20

What does the caudate nucleus do?

Answer 20

Planning and execution of movement, memory, cognition, emotion…

Question 21

What does the putamen do?

Answer 21

Regulation of movement, cognition and reward

Question 22

What does the amygdala do?

Answer 22

Emotional learning and behaviour, especially fear (also anxiety and aggression)

Question 23

Red nucleus

Answer 23

Involved with motor co-ordination, especially upper arm and shoulder

Pale pink colour due to iron

Question 24

Substantia nigra

Answer 24

Black band, dopamine production, movement control, cognitive executive function and emotional limbic activity.

Question 25

Flocculus

Answer 25

Help stabilise gaze during head rotation

Question 26

What information goes to the middle cerebellar peduncle?

Answer 26

Primary motor cortex (makes corticospinal tract)

Question 27

What information goes to the inferior cerebellar pedunce?

Answer 27

Vestibular impulses from labyrinths (some goes via vestibular nucleus)

Question 28

What information goes to the superior cerebellar peduncle?

Answer 28

Sensory input from the spinocerebellar tract for balance and position sense

Question 29

Dentate nucleus

Answer 29

Regulates fine-control of voluntary movements, cognition, language, and sensory functions.

Question 30

Rhomboid fossa

Answer 30

diamond shaped floor of the 4th ventricle on the brainstem

Question 31

Gracile tubercles

Answer 31

Medial dorsal columns carrying touch, vibration, two-point discrimination and proprioception from the lower limb

Question 32

Cuneate tubercles

Answer 32

Lateral dorsal columns carrying touch, vibration, two-point discrimination and proprioception from the upper limb

Question 33

Facial colliculus

Answer 33

Rounded swelling due to the fibres of the facial nerve in pons curving around the nucleus of the abducens nerve

Question 34

Medullary striae

Answer 34

Ponto-cerebellar fibres passing form the pons to the cerebellum, dividing the ventricle into a rostral pontine half and a caudal medullary half

Question 35

Locus coeruleus

Answer 35

Bluish-grey pigmented noradrenalic cells under the ependyma at rostral half of the sulcus limitans

Question 36

Obex

Answer 36

Inferior apex of the rhomboid fossa

Question 37

Area postrema

Answer 37

tongue-shaped area by the obex, associate with nausea control, lies out of blood-brain barrier.

Question 38

Paracentral lobule

Answer 38

a U-shaped gyrus surrounding central sulcus, lower limb of primary motor and somatic sensory areas of the cortex

Question 39

Cingulate gyrus

Answer 39

Regulates emotions and pain, involved with predicting and avoiding negative consequences.

Question 40

Medial geniculate nucleus

Answer 40

Relays info between auditory cortex and inferior colliculus.

Question 41

Medial geniculate nucleus

Answer 41

Relays info between auditory cortex and inferior colliculus.