Chapter 14 - Brain Flashcards
Some characteristics of the brain
- most nervous tissue located here
- 99% of all neurons in body located in CNS
- 20% of body’s blood flow goes to brain
- 100 billion neurons (1,000 times more than spinal cord)
- major integration center - control centers located in brain
- high metabolic rate
Embryonic Development of brain
Primary germ layers (16 day old after fertilization) - 3 layers
- Ectoderm
- Mesoderm
- Endoderm
Ectoderm
top layer; develops into nervous tissue & part of skin (epidermis); brain, spinal cord & nerves all come from this layer
Mesoderm
middle layer; develops into most muscle tissue (skeletal); CT; forms mesenchyme
Endoderm
develops into epithelial lining of digestive, respiratory, reproductive, urinary systems; epithelial tissue comes from ALL 3 layers
Formation of the ectoderm (beginning of the brain)
a. neural tube - ectoderm forms a long tube; upper region develops into brain & lower region develops into spinal cord
b. primary brain vesicles - upper part widens @ 3 regions
1. Forebrain - top
2. Midbrain - middle
3. Hindbrain - lower
Forebrain (embryo) develops into
- Cerebrum
- Diencephalon
(of adult brain)
Midbrain (embryo) develops into
Midbrain (of adult brain)
Hindbrain (embryo) develops into
- Pons
- Medulla
- Cerebellum
(of adult brain)
4 Major regions of brain
- Cerebrum - 83% of total brain mass
- Diencephalon - 3 parts - thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus
- Brain stem - 3 parts - midbrain, pons, medulla
- Cerebellum - 11% of brain mass; 2nd largest part
Protections of the Brain
- Skull bones
- Meninges - 3 CT coverings–continuous from spinal cord - dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater
- CSF - floats brain so it’s cushioned
- Blood-brain barrier (BBB)
Layers of meninges in brain
- NO epidural space–no layer of fat
- Dura mater–periosteal layer & meningeal layer
- Subdural space
- Arachnoid mater
- Subarachnoid space - CSF
- Pia mater - touches brain
Dura mater - 2 layers
- periosteal layer - periosteum of skull bones; fused onto dura mater; why there’s no epidural space
- meningeal layer
CSF
comes from blood; made in brain
choroid plexus
forms CSF
ventricles
spaces inside brain filled w/CSF; all connected
How CSF gets into the subarachnoid space
- CSF first enters ventricles
- 3 holes - apertures - how CSF gets into subarachnoid space
- CSF is removed by arachnoid villi
arachnoid villi
folds of arachnoid mater; comes from arachnoid mater; drains CSF out of brain into a vein
Blood-brain barrier (BBB)
endothelial cells (epithelial cells) lining capillaries in brain have many tight junctions; very impermeable barrier protects the brain from harmful substances & pathogens
Substances that cannot or poorly enter brain:
- cells
- proteins
- waste products - urea, uric acid
- most antibiotic drugs
- K+ ions - pumped out of brain by active transport; if levels too high, threshold is not maintained
Substances that can enter brain:
- glucose
- some amino acids
- some ions - Na+, Ca+ (not K+ –want to keep K+ low)
- oxygen - small nonpolar molecules; by simple diffusion
- carbon dioxide
- fats
- alcohol - lipid soluble
- anesthesia
4 Main Parts of Brain
- Brain stem
- Cerebellum
- Diencephalon
- Cerebrum
Brain stem (3 parts)
- Midbrain - top inch
- Pons - middle inch
- Medulla - bottom inch
Brain stem characteristics
white & gray matter; 3 inches long; connections to cerebellum & lots of connections to PNS; connects brain to spinal cord; 10 cranial nerves exit out of brain stem