Principles of Neuroanatomy

Question 1

What is the coronal plane?

Answer 1

Plane that divides anterior from posterior

Question 2

What is sagittal or median plane?

Answer 2

Plane that is medial to show 2 lateral parts

Question 3

What is transverse or horizontal plane?

Answer 3

Plane that divides superior from inferior

Question 4

What is meant by medial?

Answer 4

Closer to middle

Question 5

What is meant by lateral?

Answer 5

Closer to sides

Question 6

What is meant by dorsal?

Answer 6

Refers to back

Question 7

What is meant by ventral?

Answer 7

Refers to the front or abdominal region

Question 8

How do dorsal + ventral differ between brain + spinal chord? Why?

Answer 8

Axis shifts for brain because humans walk upright:
Dorsal = superior portion of brain
Ventral = inferior portion of brain

Question 9

What is meant by rostral?

Answer 9

Towards the nose

Question 10

What is meant by caudal?

Answer 10

Towards the tail

Question 11

How do rostral + caudal differ between brain + spinal chord? Why?

Answer 11

Axis shifts for brain because humans walk upright:
Dorsal = anterior portion of brain
Ventral = posterior portion of brain

Question 12

What are the 2 subdivisions of the nervous system?

Answer 12

→ central

→ peripheral

Question 13

What does the CNS consist of?

Answer 13

Brain + spinal chord

→ contains majority of nerve cell bodies + synaptic connections

Question 14

What does the PNS consist of?

Answer 14

All of the nerve fibres that originate from the CNS

→ is the link between CNS and periphery of the body

Question 15

What are the subdivisions of the PNS?

Answer 15

→ somatic

→ autonomic

Question 16

What does the somatic nervous system do?

Answer 16

Voluntary control of skeletal muscles + detection of changes in the external environment

Question 17

What does the automatic nervous system do?

Answer 17

Involuntary control of automatic processes + detection of changes of the viscera

Question 18

What are the 2 subdivisions of the ANS?

Answer 18

→ sympathetic

→ parasympathetic

Question 19

What is the purpose of the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 19

Acts to stimulate + mobilise energy eg flight or fight response

Question 20

What is the purpose of the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 20

Acts to conserve energy eg rest + digest processes

Question 21

What are afferent neurones?

Answer 21

Sensory neurones - Carry info from peripheral receptors to the CNS

Question 22

What are efferent neurones?

Answer 22

Motor neurones - Carry impulses away from the CNS

Question 23

What is grey matter?

Answer 23

Nerve cell bodies (e.g. central portion of spinal chardlt surface of cerebral hemisphere)

Question 24

What is white matter?

Answer 24

Nerve processes - often myelinated axons

Question 25

What is a nuclei?

Answer 25

Nerve cell bodies W/ similar anatomical connections + functions located together in a group

Question 26

What is a nervous tract?

Answer 26

Nerve processes w/ com mon connections + functions running in pathways or tracts.

Question 27

What are the 3 general divisions of the brain?

Answer 27

→ midbrain → forebrain → hindbrain

Question 28

What does the midbrain do?

Answer 28

→ Helps regulate movement → process auditory + visual info → connects forebrain + hindbrain

Question 29

What does the forebrain consist of?

Answer 29

Cerebral hemispheres + diencephalon

Question 30

What does the forebrain do?

Answer 30

→ Processes sensory info → helps W/ reasoning +' problem-solving → regulates autonomic + endocrine + motor functions

Question 31

What does hindbrain consist of? What does it do?

Answer 31

→ helps to regulate autonomic functions + relay sensory information, coordinate movement + maintain balance + equilibrium → medulla + pos + midbrain

Question 32

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 32

The surface of the 2 cerebral hemispheres

Question 33

What are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 33

→ frontal → parietal → temporal → occipital

Question 34

What does the frontal lobe do?

Answer 34

the higher functions e. g. decision-making + reasoning + planning + intelligence + attention + language processing + consciousness of emotion + voluntary motor control.

Question 35

What does the parietal lobe do?

Answer 35

responsible for sensation + awareness of surroundings + concerned w/ orientation (contains primary somatosensory cortex )

Question 36

What does the occipital lobe do?

Answer 36

processes the visual sensory information (contains the | visual cortex)

Question 37

What does the temporal lobe do?

Answer 37

too much! but contains hippocampus + amygdala, Wernicke's area, auditory cortex, etc.