What are the 4 main mechanisms of brain injury?
- Brain Contusion
- Increased intracranial pressure (ICP)
- Diffuse Axonal Injury (most common)
- Stroke (ischemic and/or hemorrhagic)
What is ablation?
The experimental destruction of neurons or the surgical removal of a part of the brain, which may suggest the functioning of a brain area.
What does anterior mean?
Toward the front
What does autonomic refer to?
Motor system that regulates the internal environment
What does caudal mean?
Toward the tail
What is the cerebral cortex?
The convoluted outer layer of the forebrain that processes sensory information, controls thinking, decision-making, stores and retrieves memory, and initiates motor responses.
What is a coronal section?
Shows views from the front
What does dorsal mean?
Toward the back
What does the epithalamus contain?
Contains habenula (olfactory functions) and pineal gland (produces melatonin).
What does a horizontal section show?
Shows structures viewed from above
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Detects need states (e.g., hunger and thirst), controls the autonomic nervous system, and controls pituitary hormone production and release.
What does inferior mean?
Below a structure
What is the inferior colliculus?
An auditory structure that processes sound information and initiates auditory reflexes.
What does lateral mean?
Away from the midline
What does medial mean?
Toward the midline
What is an MRI scan?
A technique that produces a static image of the brain by passing a strong magnetic field through it, followed by a radio wave, and then measuring the radiation emitted from hydrogen atoms; it provides a three-dimensional view of the brain.
What does parasympathetic refer to?
Maintenance or Recovery
What is a PET scan?
A technique that measures the metabolic activity of a specific structure in the nervous system in order to determine neural functioning.
What is the pituitary gland?
Regulates other glandular activity of the body (often called the ‘master gland’).
What does posterior mean?
Toward the rear
What does rostral mean?
Toward the head
What is a sagittal section?
Divides structures into left and right parts.
What does somatic include?
Includes both sensory and motor (skeletal muscles).
What does superior mean?
Above a structure
