Week 1: Pre-lecture 1 and Lecture 1: Intro to Brain

Question 1

Which aspects does a coronal plane divide?

Answer 1

anterior and posterior aspects

Question 2

Which aspects does a sagittal plane divide?

Answer 2

medial and lateral aspects

Question 3

What do these mean:

1. dorsal
2. ventral
3. rostral
4. caudal

Answer 3

1. towards the back
2. towards the belly
3. towards the face/ nose
4. towards the feet

Question 4

What is the cephalic flexure?

Answer 4

bend between the long axis of the spinal cord and brain stem with respect to the long axis of the cerebrum

Question 5

Why is the superior surface of the brain also its dorsal surface?

Answer 5

arose from the dorsal aspect of the embryo

Question 6

The neural tube develops 3 swellings. What are these called?

Answer 6

1. Prosencephalon (forebrain)
2. Mesencephalon (midbrain)
3. Rhombencepahlon (hindbrain)

Question 7

The three swellings become 5. What are these called?

Answer 7

1. Prosencephalon develops into the telencephalon and diencephalon
2. Mesencephalon
3. Rhombencephalon develops into metencephalon and myelencephalon

Question 8

What does the telencephalon form?

Answer 8

cerebral hemispheres

Question 9

What structures does the diencephalon include?

Answer 9

1. thalamus - important relay station between brainstem, spinal cord and cerebral cortex
2. hypothalamus - controls the ANS - below the thalamus

Question 10

Give an example of two structures that develop from the metencephalon

Answer 10

pons and cerebellum

Question 11

Give an example of two structures that develop from the myelencephalon

Answer 11

medulla

Question 12

Where do the lateral ventricles form from?

Answer 12

telencephalon

Question 13

What does the optic vesicle (future eye) and 3rd ventricle develop from?

Answer 13

diencephalon

Question 14

Where does the cerebral aqueduct form from?

Answer 14

mesencephalon

Question 15

Where does the 4th ventricle form from?

Answer 15

myelencephalon

Question 16

What happens to the rest of the neural tube during development? (the part that doesn’t form swellings)

Answer 16

forms the spinal cord

Question 17

How many subdivisions are there of the CNS?

Answer 17

6/7

• cerebral hemispheres
• diencephalon
• midbrain (mesencephalon)
• medulla
• pons
• cerebellum
• spinal cord

Question 18

What is the function of a neurone?

Answer 18

• convey information via electrical signals called action potentials
• receive, integrate (decide what to do with) and transmit

Question 19

What are the three types of neurones and their functions?

Answer 19

1. Afferent/sensory neurones
   - carry information from receptors to CNS
2. Efferent/ motor neurones
   - carry information from CNS to peripheral effects
3. Interneurones
   - link afferents to efferents within CNS (linking sensory neurones directly to motor neurones)

Question 20

What is the role of dendrites?

Answer 20

to receive information - this information is then processed in the cell body, which then sends the information, conducted by the axon of the neurone, towards the next neurone

Question 21

What is the function of myelin?

Answer 21

surrounds nerve cell axons to insulate them and increase the rate at which action potentials are passed along the axon

Question 22

Describe the 3 types of neurones

Answer 22

1. Bi-polar: neurone that has two projections arising from the cell; one is an axon and one is a dendrite
2. Pseudo-unipolar: has only one projection coming from the cell but this projection splits into two as soon as it arises so info can bypass the cell body
3. Multipolar: more than two projections coming from the cell body

Question 23

Describe the sub-divisions of the cerebrum (forebrain)

Answer 23

Cerebrum:

1. Telencephalon (outer brain)
2. Diencephalon (inner brain)

Question 24

What does the brain stem consist of?

Answer 24

In order:

• midbrain (connected directly to the diencephalon)
• pons (bowl shaped)
• medulla oblongata

Question 25

How is the spinal cord attached to the brain stem?

Answer 25

it is connected to the medulla oblongata in the brainstem

Question 26

Where is the cerebellum?

Answer 26

behind the brainstem

Question 27

what is the corpus callosum?

Answer 27

structure of white matter separating the right and left cerebral hemispheres

Question 28

how are the right and left hemispheres of the brain separated?

Answer 28

by a longitudinal fissure a.k.a superior sagittal fissure

Question 29

What are gyri?

Answer 29

elevated ridges

Question 30

What are sulci?

Answer 30

grooves

Question 31

What is white matter made of?

Answer 31

collection of axons that link neurones

-myelin makes it white

Question 32

What is grey matter made of?

Answer 32

nerve cell bodies

Question 33

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 33

surface of cerebral hemispheres, made up of gyri and sulci

Question 34

What is lissencephaly?

Answer 34

• smooth brain (how it begins in embryological development)
• this happens before the brain develop gyri and sulci
• smooth brains are seen in animals that can’t perform higher level functions

Question 35

The cerebral hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes. What are these?

Answer 35

1. frontal
2. parietal
3. occipital
4. temporal

Question 36

Which lobes do each of these sulci divide?

1. Central sulcus
2. Parieto-occipital sulcus
3. Lateral sulcus

Answer 36

1. Divides the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe
2. divides the parietal lobe and the temporal lobe
3. divides the temporal lobe. and the frontal and parietal lobe

Question 37

What are the two types of gyri?

Answer 37

1. Pre-central gyrus - functions as the primary motor cortex, initiating motor control
2. Post central gyrus - functions as the primary sensory cortex, receiving sensory information