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semester 5 > class 7 (brainstem) > Flashcards

class 7 (brainstem) Flashcards

1
Q

Medulla oblongata

A

-starts at the foramen magnum and goes to pons

-made up of sensory (ascending) tracts and motor
(descending) tracts

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2
Q

pyramids of Medulla oblongata

A

bulges of white matter on the anterior part
of the medulla

-formed by the corticospinal tracts

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3
Q

decussation of pyramids:

A

crossing of axons in pyramids

			- 90% of axons cross here

			-explains why each side of brain controls the opposite side of body
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4
Q

decussation etymology

A

“The word “decussation” comes from the Latin word decussare, which means “to divide crosswise” or “to arrange crosswise”. Decussare comes from the Latin word decussis, which means “the figure ‘ten’”. The Roman numeral for ten is X, which is an intersection of two lines. “

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5
Q

olive (olives of medulla)

A

-just lateral to each pyramid

-oval-shaped swelling

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6
Q

-inferior olivary nucleus

A

nucleus = cluster of cell bodies (CNS)

  • within the olive

receives input from:
-cerebral cortex
-red nucleus (midbrain)
-spinal cord

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7
Q

neurons of inferior olivary nucleus —> where do they go?

A
  • its neurons extend into cerebellum, where
    they regulate the activity of cerebellar
    neurons
  • it provides instructions that the cerebellum uses to make adjustments to muscle activity as you learn new motor skills
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8
Q

medulla other nuclei

A

Medulla also contains several nuclei

Many of these nuclei control vital body functions

—> nuclei control vital body function
E.g.
= swallowing
= breathing
= vomiting
= bp control
= heartrate

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9
Q

CV centre of medulla oblongata (nucleus)

A

-regulates the rate and force of the
heartbeat & the diameter of blood
vessels

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10
Q

Medullary rhythmicity area of the respiratory center (medulla)

A

-adjusts the basic rhythm of breathing
(along with areas in the pons)

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11
Q

Other nuclei control reflexes for vomiting, swallowing,
sneezing, coughing, hiccupping. Example:

A

Vomiting center —> -causes vomiting

Deglutition center —> -causes swallowing

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12
Q

deglutition define

A

deglutire =
swallow down

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13
Q

Gracile nucleus & cuneate nucleus (MEDULLA)

A

-are associated with sensations of touch, pressure,
vibration and conscious proprioception

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14
Q

Gustatory nucleus

A

-from tongue to brain
-receives gustatory input from taste buds of tongue

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15
Q

Cochlear nucleus

A

-part of the auditory pathway from inner ear to brain
-receives auditory input from cochlea of the inner ear

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16
Q

Vestibular nucleus

A

-equilibrium pathway from inner ear to brain

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17
Q

ALSO NUCLEI ASSOCIATED WITH CRANIAL NERVES

A

nuclei of CN 8,9,10,11,12

—> ALL HAVE NUCLEI @/FROM MEDULLA

(8) vestibulocochlear n
(9) glossopharyngeal
(10) vagus n
(11) accessory n
(12) hypoglossal

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18
Q

bottom of brain

A

vital functions (keeps us alive)

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19
Q

top of brain

A

more complex “human” functions
E.g.
—> abstract thought, making music, theorizing, scientific thought

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20
Q

Injury to medulla

A

-by hard blow to back of head/upper neck

-can be fatal

-damage to medullary rhythmicity area is really bad

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21
Q

alcohol poisoning and medulla

A

-alcohol overdose also suppresses the medullary
rhythmicity area (of respiratory centre) and may result in death

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22
Q

pons consist of

A

consists of nuclei and tracts

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23
Q

pons

A

“bridge”

(mpm)

-is a bridge that connects parts of the brain with
each other

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24
Q

pons CN

A

CN 5,6,7,8

5 = trigeminal
6 = abducens
7 = facial
8 = vestibulocochlear (SHARED w/ MEDULLA)

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25
pontine nucleus
-relays signals for VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS from cerebral cortex to cerebellum
26
pontine PNEUMOTAXIC AREA
Rhythm of breathing
27
pontine APNEUSTIC AREA
inhale/exhale
28
therefore, breathing =
1) pneumotaxic area (PONS) 2) & apneustic area (PONS) + 3) medullary rhythmicity area (of respiratory centre)
29
moving on to midbrain (mesencephalon)
...
30
cerebral peduncles
-paired bundles of axons -axons from corticoSPINAL tracts ----> -motor area in cerebral cortex to the SC (spinal cord) -axons from corticoBULBAR tracts ----> -motor areas in cerebral cortex to MEDULLA -axons from corticoPONTINE tracts ----> -motor areas in cerebral cortex to PONS
31
tectum of midbrain
-posterior part
32
pillrolling
pathognomonic sign of parkinson's disease "Pill rolling is a type of tremor that involves rubbing the thumb and forefinger together in a rhythmic back-and-forth motion. It's often a symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). "
33
tectum of midbrain contains 4 rounded elevations:
i) superior colliculi ii) inferior colliculi iii) Substantia nigra iv) Red nuclei (of midbrain)
34
i) superior colliculi
- nuclei in 2 superior elevations - coordinates mvts of head, eyes, trunk in response to visual stim
35
ii) inferior colliculi
- nuclei in 2 inferior elevations - coordinates mvts of head, eyes, trunk in response to auditory stim
36
iii) Substantia nigra
-neurons release dopamine and help control subconscious muscle activities -loss of these neurons is associated with Parkinson’s disease
37
iv) Red nuclei
-involved in voluntary muscle movements -rich blood supply -iron-containing pigment
38
CN in midbrain
3,4 3 = oculomotor 4 = trochlear
39
RETICULAR FORMATION
PART OF ENTIRE BRAINSTEM not specific to midbrain
40
reticular formation ..
-is found throughout the brain stem
41
reticular formation sttructure
-it’s a net-like arrangement of grey and white matter ---> grey matter – clusters of cell bodies ---> white matter – small bundles of myelinated axons
42
Reticular activating system is part of
PART OF SENSORY PORTION (AXONS) OF RETICULAR FORMATION
43
what does reticular activating system consist of
- consists of sensory axons that project to the cerebral cortex
44
RAS can be activated via
visual stimuli auditory stimuli mental activities pain, touch, pressure stimuli proprioceptive receptors
45
rest in acivity of RAS?
= sleep
46
active RAS?
awake
47
even less active?
coma
48
sleep analogous to?
partial coma (??)
49
RAS is therefore involved in
- involved in consciousness
50
consciousness define
consciousness – state of wakefulness in which an individual is fully alert, aware and oriented
51
again, RAS is active during
- active during arousal (awakening from sleep)
52
RAS also helps maintain ____
- helps maintain attention and alertness
53
RAS also prevents
- prevents sensory overload by filtering out insignificant information so that it does not reach consciousness
54
again, inactivation of RAS =
- inactivation of the RAS produces sleep
55
sleep define
a state of partial consciousness from which an individual can be aroused
56
damage to RAS =
- damage to the RAS results in coma
57
coma define
coma: a state of unconsciousness from which an individual cannot be aroused
58
light vs deep coma?
-in the lightest stages of coma, people still have brain stem and spinal cord reflexes -in deepest states, those reflexes are lost
59
melatonin & RAS
-drugs such as melatonin affect RAS by helping to induce sleep
60
anasthetic vs RAS
-anesthetics turn off consciousness via the RAS
61
WHY IS SMELL INDEPENDENT OF WAKING UP (RAS) or in other words, why is smell independent from the brainstem?
because centres related to smelling are not within the brainstem -- and have no connection to the brainstem (I.e. the RAS)
62
RAS other function
is also gatekeeper of sensory feedback ----> e.g. anasthesia ---> decides whether is reaches higher centres of brain or not
63
anasthesia vs RAS
filters signal from pain receptors (nociceptor) Note: "The pain signal is also sent to the brain. Only when the brain processes the signal and interprets it as pain do people become aware of the pain."
64
theory for certain types of autism/adhd
linked to RAS ---> RAS not filtering sensory feedback effectively --> making some individuals hyperaware of things that are usually filtered
65
RAS also consists of (motor component)
-consists of motor axons that connect to the cerebellum and spinal cord to help regulate muscle tone
66
define muscle tone
muscle tone: the slight degree of involuntary contraction in normal resting skeletal muscles
67
RAS motor component also involved in ____
-also involved in regulation of heart rate, BP, respiratory rate
68
again, RAS & olfaction
-RAS does not receive input from olfaction so even strong odors won’t wake people up
69

semester 5 (21 decks)

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