Neuro anatomy Clinical skills Flashcards
(47 cards)
what structures make up the CNS
Brain/spinal cord
what structures make up the PNS
peripheral nerves
what is the cauda equina
region where spinal roots/nerves start traveling down the spinal canal and the spinal cord itself ends
happens around L1/L2 region
What percentage of blood in the body is sent to the brain, and why is that important
20% of blood
any blockages can result in significant damage very quickly
what are the 3 parts of the brainstem, in decending order
midbrain
pons
medulla oblongata
What is the homonculus?
parts of the brain that correspond to the human body, with the innermost parts of the somatosensory and motor cortexes representing the feet and the bottom of the body, and moving up the body as you move laterally in the brain
areas with larger sensory input/tactile receptors take up larger areas on the homunculus
What are the 4 lobes, and the primary cortexes in each lobe?
frontal - primary motor cortex (motor movement initiation and planning)
parietal - somatosensory cortex (sensory input processing from sensory input)
temporal - primary auditory cortex (hearing input)
occipital - primary visual cortex (visual input)
What is the main blood supply for the frontal lobe? what would happen to the frontal lobe function if there were a stroke?
blood supply - Anterior cerebral artery (lower body) and middle cerebral artery (upper body)
impairments - inability to move lower/upper body, alongside issues arising with planning of voluntary motor movements. may also result in issues with processing information/solving problems, and if MCA stroke there will be deficits with speech production
what is the frontal lobe responsible
planning voluntary movement and controlling learned motor skills
executive functioning
controls expressive motor behaviour (hand gestures, facial expressions)
contains Broca’s area
what is the brocas area
responsible for the production of speech
brocas aphasia - inability to produce speech
What is the main blood supply for the parietal lobe and what would happen to the parietal lobe if it gets blocked
blood supply - Anterior cerebral artery (lower body) and middle cerebral artery (upper body)
impairments - inability to have sensation of lower/upper body, alongside issues with proprioception. may also result in issues with spatial memory and mathematical skills.
some minor language comprehension impairments as wernikes area is split between temporal and parietal
what is the function of the parietal lobe
sensory information interpretation and processing, alongside proprioceptive interpretation.
influences math skills and some language comprehension, and stores spatial memories to allow people to orient themselves and maintain sense of direction
what supplies blood to the occipital lobe of the brain and what happens to occipital lobe function if the vessel is blocked?
posterior cerebral artery
issues with vision, leading to blindness, issues with differentiating colour, hallucinations,
what is the occipital lobe responsible for
visual interpretation and visual memory
what supplies the temporal lobes with blood and what would happen to their function if it was blocked
middle cerebral artery
issues with memory and emotions
inability to understand/recognize people, objects, or sound
inability to understand speech due to wernikes area being impacted
what is wernikes area
region in the brain responsible for the comprehension of speech
what is the function of the parietal lobes
generation of memory and emotions, processing of hearing and comprehension of speech
processing of events into LTM and retrieval of memories
recognition of objects and people
What makes up the Diencephalon
Limbic system (experience and expression of emotions like fear, anger, pleasure)
Hippocampus - formation and retrieval of memories for connection to emotions
Thalamus - relays all sensory information to and from the brain (besides olfactory input)
hypothalamus - coordination of autonomic functions of the body and linking of nervous system to endocrine system
basal ganglia (caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus) - coordinates and smoothens movements - impaired in those with Parkinson’s or Huntingtons
What are the functions of the thalamus
learning of motor activities, sensory information relay, and minor role in memory development
what are the functions of the hypothalamus
autonomic control centre
centre for emotional response
regulation of body temp
regulation for hunger/thirst
regulation of sleep cycles (contains ‘wake-up’ centre which is inhibited/disinhibited as per the midbrain)
control of endocrine function
emotional responses
What is the function of the midbrain
pass point of all sensory input on the way to the thalamus, involved in
voluntary movement
motor functions
coordination of visual/auditory reflexes
circadian rhythm regulation (controlling the transition between sleep and wake)
and thermoregulation
what are the functions of the pons
control of sleep, respiration, swallowing,/taste, bladder control, equilibrium, facial expression/sensation, and posture
what are the functions of the medulla oblongata
decussation point for corticospinal and posterior column tracts
regulation of autonomic function (respiratory rhythm, cardiofunction, etc) and reflexes (cough, vomit, swallowing)
What are the 3 meninges layers
Pia mater - innermost layer
Arachnoid Mater - middle layer
Dura Mater - outermost and toughest layer
