Brain Study Guide

Question 1

what is the CNS composed of?

Answer 1

contains the brain and spinal cord

Question 2

cephalization

Answer 2

the evolutionary development of rostral (anterior) portion of the CNS

Question 3

what are the adult brain regions?

Answer 3

1. cerebral hemispheres
2. diencephalon
3. brain stem
4. cerebellum

Question 4

cerebrum/cerebral hemispheres

Answer 4

mainly responsible for thoughts, movements, and emotions - often to linked to HIGHER MENTAL THINKING CAPACITY
- has many surface features of FISSURES, GYRI, SULCI
- two hemispheres are connected by the CORPUS CALLOSUM

Question 5

diencephalon region

Answer 5

consists of the hypothalamus, thalamus, & epithalamus
- known as the FUNCTIONAL LINK between the CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES
- responsible as being the “relay system” for processing sensory input

Question 6

brain stem

Answer 6

consists of the midbrain, pons, & medulla oblongata
- mainly responsible for BASIC LIFE PROCESSES & MAINTAINING VISCERAL ACTIVITY

Question 7

cerebellum

Answer 7

• responsible for BALANCE & POSTURE
• helps with “INSTRUCTIONS” for smooth and coordinated skeletal muscle movements
• processing info from the cerebral motor cortex and other proprioceptors
• the site of “MUSCLE MEMORY”
• contains over 50% of the brain’s neurons

Question 8

brain anatomy

Answer 8

• mixture of areas with various gray matter (myelinated) & white matter (unmyelinated)
• within the cerebral hemispheres & cerebellum
• OUTER GRAY MATTER: CORTEX

Question 9

cortical gray matter

Answer 9

• helps localize and interpret sensory input
• controls voluntary and skilled skeletal muscle activity
• helps in functions of intellectual & emotional processing

Question 10

basal nuclei (ganglia)

Answer 10

• subcortical motor centers
• helps control skeletal muscle movements

Question 11

how many lobes make up the cerebrum?

Answer 11

five lobes;
1. frontal lobe
2. parietal lobes
3. occipital lobe
4. temporal lobe
5. insular lobe

Question 12

surface markings

Answer 12

GYRI - shallow ridges/elevated bumps
SULCI - superficial grooves
FISSURES - deep grooves

Question 13

cerebral cortex

Answer 13

• made up of gray matter and billions of neurons
• deep to the cortex - made of WHITE MATTER/ASTROCYTES/NEURONS - connects brain to spinal cord
• significant in site of the CONSCIOUS MIND (memory, sensory perception, understanding etc…)

Question 14

corpus callosum

Answer 14

• a bundle of white matter that connects the R & L hemispheres of the cerebrum

Question 15

what areas make up the cerebral cortex?

Answer 15

• motor areas
• sensory areas
• association areas
  *hemispheres concerned with CONTRALATERAL side of body

Question 16

motor areas

Answer 16

control voluntary movement

Question 17

sensory areas

Answer 17

awareness of sensations

Question 18

association areas

Answer 18

integrates various and diverse info

Question 19

our FRONTAL cerebral cortex is divided into how many functional areas? (MOTOR AREA)

Answer 19

(order from most anterior to most medial portion of the brain)

1. FRONTAL EYE FIELD
   - voluntary rapid eye movement
2. PREMOTOR/SUPPLEMENTARY MOTOR CORTEX
   - planning/coordination of movement; concise & skilled movements
3. PRIMARY MOTOR CORTEX
   - voluntary muscle movement
4. BROCA’S AREA (more in the lateral portion of the brain/most dominant hemisphere)
   - helps with muscles of speech
   - production of speech

Question 20

our PARIETAL CEREBRAL CORTEX is divided into how many functional areas? (SENSORY AREA)

Answer 20

our PARIETAL cerebral cortex is divided into THREE FUNCTIONAL AREAS:
——————————————————————–
(order from most medial to posterior portion of the brain)

1. PRIMARY SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX
   - awareness of somatic sensations/capable of spatial discrimination
   - touch, pain, & temp.
2. SOMATOSENSORY ASSOC. CORTEX
   - helps with processing/analyzing somatic sensations
   - the memory of such sensations
   - recognition of sensations
   proprioception/determines SIZE, TEXTURE, & RELATIONSHIP of PARTS
3. POSTERIOR ASSOC. AREA
   - meeting place of visual, auditory, and somatosensory areas *due to this this area heavily processes various types of stimuli from each area!
   - spacial awareness of body

Question 21

our OCCIPITAL cerebral cortex is divided into how many functional areas? (SENSORY AREA)

Answer 21

(order from most medial to most posterior)

1. VISUAL ASSOC. CORTEX
   - processes/analyzes visual info
   - understand, recognizes, and memorization of visual stimuli
   - uses past visual memory
2. PRIMARY VIRUTAL CORTEX
   - awareness of visual stimuli
   - gets input from retinas

Question 22

our TEMPORAL cerebral cortex is divided into how many functional areas?

Answer 22

(order from most superior to most inferior)

1. PRIMARY AUDITORY CORTEX
   - awareness of auditory stimuli
   - inner ear interpretation of pitch, loudness, & location
2. AUDITORY ASSOC. CORTEX
   - process, analyze, understand, recognize, & memory of sounds
3. *WERNICKE’S AREA (lateral to PAC & superior to AAC) [w/in parieto-occipitotemporal area]
   - comprehends/understands written & spoken language
4. PRIMARY OLFACTORY/ASSOC. CORTEX
   - awareness of smell
   - processing of smell

Question 23

our MULTIMODAL ASSOCIATION CORTEX is divided into how many areas?

Answer 23

1. ANTERIOR ASSO. AREA
   - also known as the PREFRONTAL CORTEX
   - takes age development to age 25 to coordinate properly
   - many functions of personality, intellect, ideas, complex reasoning etc…
2. POSTERIOR ASSO. AREA
   - contains the WERNICKE’s AREA
   - helps recognize faces/patterns
3. LIMBIC ASSO. AREA
   - has the GYRUS, PARAHIPPOCAMPAL GYRUS, & HIPPOCAMPUS
   - helps provide emotional impact and memory establishment
   - emotional balance/environmental adaptation

Question 24

thalamus

Answer 24

• RELAYS sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex to interpret
• MEMORY processing
• RELAYS impulses between cerebral motor cortex and other motor centers

Question 25

hypothalamus

Answer 25

- integration center for ANS - reg. of BODY TEMP, FOOD INTAKE, WATER BALANCE - ENDOCRINE ORGAN, creation of ADH & OXYTOCIN - reg. of hormonal output of pituitary gland

Question 26

limbic system

Answer 26

- emotional response - memory processing

Question 27

midbrain

Answer 27

- contains visual and auditory reflex centers - contains NUCLEI for CN III & IV - contains projection fibers

Question 28

pons

Answer 28

- RELAYS info from CEREBRUM to CEREBELLUM - helps control RESPIRATORY RATE & DEPTH - nuclei for CN V-VII - contains projection fibers

Question 29

medulla oblongata

Answer 29

- controls HEART RATE, BV diameter, VOMITING, COUGHING etc.. - relays sensory info to CEREBELLUM through inferior olivary nuclei - contains nuclei of CN VIII-X & XII - relaying sensory pathway from SKIN/PROPRIo. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- has OLIVES/OLIVARY NUCLEI: relay centers - PYRAMIDS: these MOTOR FIBER TRACTS from the CEREBRAL CORTEX (form X shape - DECUSSATION)

Question 30

reticular formation

Answer 30

- filters out repetitive stimuli - regulation of skeletal and visceral muscle activity - maintains cerebral cortical alertness

Question 31

interventricular foramen

Answer 31

allows circulation of CSF from lateral ventricles to third ventricle

Question 32

third ventricle

Answer 32

within the diencephalon between the R & L THALAMUS; EPITHALAMUS forms the ROOF; HYPOTHALAMUS forms the FLOOR

Question 33

cerebral aqueduct

Answer 33

connects the third & fourth ventricle

Question 34

what helps protect & support the brain?

Answer 34

A. Bones of the skull B. Cranial meninges C. Blood-brain barrier D. Cerebrospinal fluid

Question 35

what are the cranial meninges?

Answer 35

A. DURA MATER - "hard mother" - made of DENSE FIBROUS TISSUE; also has DURAL SINUSES (large veins that drain to jugular vein) B. ARACHNOID MATER - "spider mother" - TRANSPARENT membrane made of collagen/fibrous tissue with suspended BV C. PIA MATER - "soft mother" - DELICATE membrane, highly VASCULARIZED, many BV connected to the brain

Question 36

what are some dural folds?

Answer 36

A. FLAX CEREBRI - separates the R & L cerebral hemispheres B. TENTORIUM CEREBELLI - separates the cerebrum from cerebellar hemispheres C. FALX CEREBELLI - separates the two cerebellar hemispheres

Question 37

blood-brain barrier

Answer 37

CHARACTERISTICS: - highly regulated transport of certain chemicals - ASTROCYTES help maintain TRANSPORT - has TIGHT JUNCTIONS - only LIPID-SOLUBLE CMPDs move through easily LOCATIONS: - HYPOTHALAMUS PARTS has more PERMEABILITY - PINEAL GLAND allows PINEAL SECRETIONS - CHOROID PLEXI sites of CSF PRODUCTION - ARACHNOID GRANULATION reabsorption of CSF

Question 38

what is the production & circulation of CSF?

Answer 38

1. CHOROID PLEXUS: - where CSF is produced - has many special EPENDYMAL CELLS for PRODUCTION 2. CILIATED EPENDYMAL CELLS - NO PUMP for CSF; dependent on CILIATED EPDENDYMAL CELLS that LINE all PASSAGES 3. ARACHNOID GRANULATIONS - various regions of PENETRATION between ARACHNOID/DURA MATER, where CSF LEAVES

Question 39

cerebellum anatomy

Answer 39

VERMIS: TWO HEMISPHERES connected by a layer - FOLIA: CEREBELLAR CORTEX FLODS - ARBOR VITAE: TREE-LIKE STRUCTURE w/ WHITE MATTER - CEREBELLAR PEDUNCLES: has MYELINATED & UNMYELINATED NEURONS (help convey info to CEREBELLUM & BRAIN STEM, CEREBRUM, & SPINAL CORD)

Question 40

important features for the MIDBRAIN

Answer 40

- CORPORA QUADRAGEMINA: two pairs of SENSORY NUCLEI on MIDBRAIN ROOF - INFERIOR COLLICULI: auditory info, control reflexes to auditory stimuli - SUPERIOR COLLICULI: visual info, control reflexes to visual stimuli - RED NUCLEUS: receives INFO from CEREBRUM + CEREBELLUM aids in SUBCONSCIOUS CONTROL of UPPER LIMB POSITION/MUSCLE TONE - SUBSTANTIA NIGRA: small, dark NUCLEI that aid in REWARD, ADDICTION, & MOVEMENT (asso. with PARKINSONS DISEASE) - CEREBRAL PEDUNCLES: NERVE FIBER BUNDLES (WHITE MATTER) - for VOLUNTARY MOTOR COMMANDS