- Acute inflammation of protective membranes covering brain and spinal cord, collectively known as meninges

Brain dissection Flashcards by Georgina Jolliffe

Rostral

At front, by nose

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Causal

Posterior brain - towards tail

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Dorsal

Back of animal

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Ventral

Bottom/abdomen of animal

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Coronal plane

Divides brain into rostral/anterior and caudal/posterior sections

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Sagittal planes

Divides brain into lateral and medial

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What are the meninges?

3 layers forming a protective covering

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What are the layers of the meninges (superficial going in)

Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater

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What is the dura mater divided into?

Meningeal layer and periosteal layer (closer to bone)

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Where is the tentorium cerebelli?

Runs on border of middle and posterior cranial fossa, sits between occipital lobe (cerebral hemispheres) and cerebellum

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Where is the optic chiasma?

Forms cross on bottom of brain

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Characteristics of epidural hematoma

Skull fracture, young patients, middle meningeal artery, arterial, bright red blood, unilateral
Tend to lose consciousness after a few hours

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Hallmark of epidural hematoma

Biconvex, bright white area

Blood pushes brain to other side

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Characteristics of subdural bleeding

Much more diverse causes
Sudden change of velocity of the head
Usually last tributaries are affected

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Hallmark of subdural bleeding

Sickle shaped area

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Symptoms of subarachnoid bleed

Thunderclap headache

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How to detect subarachnoid bleed

Blood enters CSF so can be detected during Lp

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What is inter-ventricular bleeding?

Bleeding inside brain - increased ICP and shifting of brain

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Characteristics of a brain hernia

Raised ICP
Supratentorial herniation: uncal (transentorial), central, cingulate (subfalcine/transfalcine), transcalvarial
Infratentorial herniation: upwards (upward cerebellar or upward transtentorial)

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Symptoms of meningitis

Fever, headache, neck stiffness, confusion, unconsciousness, vomiting, inability to tolerate light

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What is meningitis?

Acute inflammation of protective membranes covering brain and spinal cord, collectively known as meninges

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What is bacterial meningitis?

Low glucose in CSF because bacteria using glucose

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How to reduce ICP

Blood escapes through tentorium notch on tentorium membrane

Veins between layers that drain brain

What is the confluence of veins that drain brain?

Superior sagittal sinus

Characteristics of arachnoid mater

Very thin - like spider web CSF found within If arteries burst and released into sub arachnoid mater, RBCs diluted with CSF

What is essentially a stroke?

Leak of blood into CSF

What is a haematoma?

Solid blood

What is a haemorrhage?

Fresh blood

Symptoms of enlarged pituitary gland

Bitemporal hemanopia

Function of corpus callosum

Connects L and R side of brain using myelinated axons

Function of frontal lobe

Cognitive functions, control of voluntary movement/activity

Function of parietal lobe

Senses

Function of occipital lobe

Vision

Function of temporal lobe

Memories, integrating them with taste, sound, sight, touch

What causes central diabetes insipidus?

Deficiency of vasopressin

What causes gitanticism and acromegaly?

Excess of growth hormone in childhood and adulthood respectively

What causes hypothyroidism?

Deficiency of TSH

What is hyperpituitarism?

Increased secretion of 1+ hormones produced by pituitary gland

What is hypopituitarism?

Decreased secretion of 1+ hormones normally produced by pituitary gland

What ispanhypopituitarism?

Decreased secretion of most pituitary hormones

What are pituitary adenomas?

Non-cancerous tumours occurring in pituitary glands

Function of midbrain

Vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal, temperature regulation

Function of pons

Sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder regulation, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions

Function of medulla

Involuntary functions (e.g. vomiting, sneezing etc), cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers - deals with autonomic functions too

What is brainstem death?

Absence of cough/gag/corneal/vestibulo-cochlear. reflexes

Function of cerebellum

Execution and monitoring of commands from motor cortex

What does DANISH stand for - cerebellum

- D: dysdiadochokinesis - A: ataxia - N: nystagmus - I: intention tremor - S: slurred speech - H: heel-shin test positivity

Function of 4th ventricle

Contains CSF - continuous with cerebral aqueduct - CSF enters sub-arachnoid space from here

Function of foramen of Monro

From lateral to 3rd ventricle

Function of cerebral aqueduct (Sylvius)

3rd to 4th ventricle

Function of median aperture (Magendie)

4th ventricle to subarachnoid space via cisterns magna

Function of lateral apertures (Luschka)

4th ventricle to sub arachnoid space vis great cerebral vein

Function of superior colliculus

Orientate animal, particularly eye movement

Function of inferior colliculus

Auditory center, signal integration, frequency recognition, pitch discrimination

Characteristics of grey matter

- Largely made out of cell bodies of neurons - Fully develops when person reaches 25 - Conducts, processes and sends information to various parts of the body - 40% of brain

Characteristics of white matter

- Myelinated axons - Myelin has a lot of fat - appears white - 60% of brain - Bundles connect various grey matter areas - Develops throughout 20s and peaks in middle age - Interprets information from various parts of the body - Raising body temperature makes white matter translucent - melts it - Cerebellum is opposite of spinal cord in terms of grey and white matter

Sequence of ventricles

Lateral - 3rd - aqueduct - 4th | Escapes from 4th to travel to larger ventricles in sub arachnoid space