CNS Flashcards by Barbara Ashun

What are the features of the spinal cord in Transverse view?

*White Matter
*Gray Matter
*Central Canal
*Anterior Median Fissure
*Posterior Median Sulcus

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What are the layers of the spinal meninges?

1.Dura mater- tough, fibrous outermost layer
2.Arachnoid mater- cerebrospinal fluid flows within this space
separated from the Pia mater by the sub arachnoid space
3.Pia mater - inner most layer
blood vessels are found in this layer
Firmly bound to the brain tissue in the spinal cord tissue

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Gray Mater (details)

Cell bodies with the connections (processing)
Central canal
Consist of Somas(cell bodies) surrounding the central canal
Consist of glial cells
Glial cells provide support and protection to the neurons (nerve cells), maintain homeostasis, cleaning up debris, and forming myelin

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White Mater (details)

Signals going somewhere else (cables, wires)
*Consist of axons-
Each neuron in your brain has one long cable that snakes away from the main part of the cell. This cable, several times thinner than a human hair, is called an axon, and it is where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons.
*Nerves are organized into tracks or columns
*Located outside the gray matter area.

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Organization of Grey mater
Transverse view shows :
Know them on the picture and what would happen if there was a lesion in that specific area

Dorsal horns (posterior gray horns)
Lateral horns
Ventral horns (anterior gray horns)
Gray commisure

Visceral-internal
Somatic-body wall

Dorsal horn = somatic sensory(distal) + visceral sensory(proximal)
Lateral horn = visceral motor
Ventral horn = somatic motor

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What are the major regions and landmarks of the brain?

Medulla Oblongata
Pons
Midbrain (mesencephalon)
Diencephalon
Cerebellum
Cerebrum (telencephalon)

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All communication between the brain and spinal cord passes through what?

The Medulla Oblongata

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Nuclei in the Medulla Onblongata are?

Relay stations for sensory or motor pathways
Associated with the autonomic control of visceral organs

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What contains the basic life support functionss
What are the basic life support functions

The Autonomic Nuclei

Cardiovascular centers(cardiac and vasometer)
Respiratory centers(rhythmic breathing)

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Where is the pons located?
What does a consist of ?

The pons is a prominent bulge superior to the medulla oblongata and consist of:
Nuclei that relay cerebella commands, which consist of “cerebella peduncles”
White matter tracks, going up, down, and side to side

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What does the midbrain(mesencephalon) consist of?

*It consist of two pairs of of nuclei collectively called
“corpora quadrigemina”
—the corpora quadrigemina is responsible for processing auditory and visual stimuli
-Auditory reflexes occurs in the “inferior colliculus”
-Visual reflexes occurs in the “superior colliculus”

*It consist of nuclei of the reticular formation
— Involved in maintaining alertness ( being awake and being asleep) the circadian cycle is controlled by this. It is very sensitive to light.

*Consist of Substantia nigra (it blends and smooth slow deliberate movement )
ie) when we pick up a pen there are many actions to picking up that pen , but it gets blended for us, so we are not like a robot
Parkinson’s disease is when this area is affected

Consist of cerebral peduncles

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What are the 3 parts of the diencephalon ?

Epithalamus
Thalamus
Hypothalamus

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What gland is located in The epithalamus?

The Pineal gland which produces the hormone melatonin

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The Thalamus is the biggest region of the diencephalon and forms the?

Walls of the third ventricle

There is a left and right thalamus

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Thalamus nuclei are what shaped?

Egg-shaped

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Every part of the brain communicating with the cerebral cortex relays signals through the what?

Thalamic nuclei

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The thalamic nuclei does what to sensations?

Amplifies or tone them down
—our perception

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The hypothalamus is part of what system?

The endocrine system

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1.The hypothalamus forms the?
2.It consist of?

1.Floor of the third ventricle, and consist of numerous nuclei

2.”Infundibulum - the hollow stalk which connects the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary gland.

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The hypothalamus consist of nuclei to control what?

emotional and behavioral drives and thirst drives( hunger, thirst, sex drive )
body temperatures

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The cerebellum consist of?

Two hemispheres

“ Folia cerebelli”

Anterior and posterior lobes

Flocculonodular lobes

Arbor Vitae

Cerebellar peduncles

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What does the vermis do?

It separates the two hemispheres of the cerebellum

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What movements does the cerebellum control?

Automatic, ballistic (fast movements) and complex movements (moving multiple parts of the body simultaneously.)

The cerebrum consist of?

Two hemispheres

Several lobes

Gyri and Sulci

Longitudinal fissure

Corpus callosum

Lambic system

What are the lobes of the cerebrum?

Frontal Parietal Occipital Temporal Insula

What is the cerebral cortex which is the outer layer composed of ?

Gray Mater — neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and short axons

What does the folds in the cerebral cortex do?

It triples its size

What are the three general kinds of functional areas in the cerebral cortex?

Sensory areas Association areas Motor areas

Sensory Areas Give me details about the Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Touch sensor Located in the parietal lobe along the post central gyrus spatial discrimination -precisely located a stimulus Projection is “contralateral” - receives sensory input from the opposite side of the body Sensory homunculus- A sensory homunculus represents a map of brain areas dedicated to sensory processing for different anatomical divisions of the body.

Sensory Areas Give me details about Somatosensory Association Cortex

Lies posterior to the primary somatosensory cortex integrates different sensory input -touch and pressure Draws upon stores memories of past sensory experiences (you are able to recognize keys or coins in your pocket without looking at them.)

Sensory Areas Give me details about the Visual Areas

*The primary visual cortex is located deep within the “calcarine sulcus” — on the media, part of the occipital lobe * it is the largest of all sensory areas and receives visual information that originates on the retina

In humans what is the most important sense by far?

Vision

What does the visual association area surround?

It surrounds the primary visual area

What does the visual association area analyze?

Color, form, and movement

Approximately how many cortical areas have been identified?

30 cortical areas

What is Phantom limb pain?

This is when an amputee can feel a limb that is no longer there. It is because the brain still perceives and sends signals of the sensation.

Sensory Areas Auditory Areas Primary Auditory Cortex function and location

Conscious awareness of sound (sound waves excite receptors in the inner ear and impulses transmit to the primary auditory cortex Located in the superior edge of the temporal lobe

Sensory Areas Auditory Areas Auditory Association Area location and function What is the Wernicke’s area involved in?

Lies posterior to the primary auditory cortex. Permits evaluation of different sounds Lies in the center of Wernicke’s Area(also called the “general interpretive area” or “gnostic area” — the Wernicke’s area is involved in recognizing and understanding speech

Sensory Areas Olfactory Cortex (details) The Olfactory nerves transmit impulses to the what? What is the rhinencephalon? Smells trigger what?

Olfactory nerves transmit impulses to the olfactory cortex, which is very deep in the brain. It is part of the “rhinencephalon”(the nose brain) Connects directly to the “limbic system” which explains why SMELLS TRIGGER EMOTIONS It is involved with consciously identifying and recalling specific smells

Motor Areas What are the cortical areas that control motor function? Which lobe are they all localized in?

1.Premotor cortex 2.Primary motor cortex 3.Frontal eye field 4.Broca’s area The Posterior Frontal Lobe

Motor Areas Premotor Cortex Where is it located? What does it control? What is it involved in?

It is located anterior to the precentral gyrus Controls complex movements (moving parts of the body simultaneously) Controls voluntary actions dependent on sensory information Involved in planning movements ( makes the plan on how we are going to move before we move)

Motor Areas Primary Motor Cortex Example of the surgeon and why it matters to this area

A surgeon when doing surgery can stimulate certain areas and it will cause the limbs of the person to move due to the fact that it controls motor functions “Puppet master idea”

What does contralateral mean?

Having to do with the opposite side of the body. The right side controls the left and left side controls the right

What are pyramidal cells?

They are responsible for processing input and controlling specific areas of the body

Motor Areas Frontal Eye Field Where is it located? What does it control?

It lies anterior to the Premotor cortex Controls voluntary movement of the eyes(especially when moving eyes to follow a moving target)

Motor Areas Broca’s Area Which hemisphere is it located? Function?

Located in the left cerebral hemisphere It manages speech production and is connected to language comprehension “Broca’s makes the sentence and the right hemisphere adds the emotions to what we are saying”

Both Broca’s and Wernicke’s are located the what hemisphere ?

The left hemisphere

What are the three multimodal association areas and what are they associated with?

*Posterior association area - spatial awareness of the body(maps out everything and has it act as an extension of our body) *Anterior association area - Prefrontal cortex(our personality) Decision making,reasoning,abstract thought,judgement Impulse control,social skills,humor,empathy *Limbic association area - emotional processing and memory

Which of the multimodal association areas is the biggest?

Anterior Association Area

What is the Left Hemisphere known for?

Speech center Writing Language Logic Mathematics

What is the right hemisphere known for?

Analysis by touch Spatial visualization Intuition Reading facial expressions “Artistic skills”

The right and left hemisphere are —-?

Contralateral - They control the opposite sides

What is the Corpus Callosum?

A large white mater tract that connects the right and left hemisphere in the middle

What is it called when the two hemispheres can’t communicate with each other?

Split brain syndrome

Understand the example of the split brain syndrome example Professor gave at the end of the lecture