neuroanatomy 2 - subcortical structures Flashcards
the brain (encephalon), telencephalon, diencephalon, mescencephalon (midbrain), rhombencephalon (39 cards)
what are the major divisions of the brain?
forebrain prosencephalon
midbrain mesencephalon
hindbrain rhombencephalon
what are the subdivisions of the forebrain prosencephalon?
telencephalon
diencephalon
what are the subdivisions in the hindbrain rhombencephalon?
metencephalon
myelencephalon
what are the principle structures in the telencephalon?
basal ganglia
limbic system
cerebral cortex
what is the basal ganglia?
collective of nuclei (a group of cell bodies)
lesions in basal ganglia can cause disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Huntingdon’s
striatum
globus pallidus
what is the basal ganglia important for?
control of movement (particularly self-initiated behaviours)
reward systems
what is Parkinson’s?
symptoms = rigidity, difficulty with voluntary movement
due to degeneration of cells in substantia nigra
disrupts pathway to the striatum
what is Huntingdon’s?
symptoms = involuntary and disjointed movements
due to degeneration of neurons in striatum
what is the striatum?
receives information from cortex then sends to globus pallidus
caudate nucleus
putamen
what is the globus pallidus?
lots of myelinated fibres in this structure
what is the limbic system?
limbic cortex
hippocampus (temporal lobe)
amygdala (temporal lobe)
fornix
mammillary bodies
what is the limbic system important for?
emotion
learning/memory
what does the hippocampus do?
important for consolidating memory
classic case study = patient HM
particularly context
spatial navigation
what is the study into the hippocampus (rats with the calculator and football)?
rats placed into one room that contains a calculator and a different room that contains a football
memory of what objects is in which room
then tested in one of the rooms
in room with calculator, rats show lots of interest in football
indicates didn’t expect football but remembered that calculator had appeared in this room before
pattern of behaviour is one rats who don’t have hippocampus don’t show
what is the relationship between the hippocampus and spatial navigation?
some evidence that cells in hippocampus respond when animal is in a particular place, position, or move in a particular direction
what does the amygdala do?
emotion memory
fear-related behaviour
what have studies in monkeys shown about the amygdala?
removal of amygdala results in monkeys showing less fear of things they are normally afraid of like snakes
what is the SM study into the amygdala?
amygdala damage from calcium build-up
took SM to exotic pet store (containing snakes) and walked them through a (so-called) haunted house and they showed no fear
had been in dangerous situations (like being held up at gunpoint) and reports feeling angry upset but not afraid
what are the principle structures of the diencephalon?
thalamus
hypothalamus
what is the thalamus?
two lobes separated by messa intermedia (bridge of neural tissue)
acts like a relay
receives information from and sends information to (project) the cortex (relay)
receives sensory information and sends it to cortex
receives information from cortex that is directed to other parts of cortex
divided into nuclei that receive input from a particular sensory system
what are the nuclei that the thalamus is divided into?
lateral geniculate nucleus - receives fibres from retina, projects to visual cortex
medial geniculate nucleus
ventrolateral nucleus
what is the hypothalamus?
ventral to thalamus
widespread connections
important for physiological processes
controls automatic nervous system - involuntary physiological processes (receives and sends information to body organs)
connected to pituitary gland (makes hormones) - sends information
what are the principle structures in the mesencephalon (midbrain)?
tectum
tegmentum
what are the divisions of the tectum?
superior colliculi
inferior colliculi
