Question | Answer |
rostral | nose/front |
caudal | tail/back |
dorsal | up |
ventral | down |
medial to lateral | moving away from midline |
midsagital/sagital | cut brain along corpus callosum, or parallel to this |
coronal plane | cut brain perpendicular to ground and corpus callosum |
cerebrum | front most and largest part of brain. big, folded, and basically what you think of when you think "brain" |
cerebellum | "little brain." behind cerebrum. as many neurons as cerebrum. primarily a movement control center. controls ipsilaterally. divided in middle by "vermis" |
brain stem | relays info from cerebrum to spinal cord and cerebellum, and vice versa. regulates vital fxns: breathing, consciousness, body temp. primitive and essential. |
dorsal root | info into spinal cord to brain. the somatic sensory axons enter spinal cord via these roots, their somata collecting outside the spinal cord in clusters called "dorsal root ganglia" |
ventral root | info from brain to spinal cord to rest of body branches from these spinal nerves |
somatic PNS | voluntary system of the peripheral nervous system |
visceral/autonomic nervous system | involuntary system of the PNS |
afferent | "carry to" |
efferent | "carry from" |
meninges | layers btwn brain & skull.
1) dura mater- tough, fibrous, outer
2)arachnoid membrane- spider weby. should be no space between this and dura, unless you have a subdural hematoma, and fills w/blood
3)pia mater- separated from arach by cerebrospinal flui |
ventricular system | fluid filled caverns that run through the brain are filled with CSF, which is produced by "choroid plexus". CSF absorbed by blood vessels at "arachnoid villi". |
cortex | any collection of neurons that form a thin sheet, usually at brain surface |
nucleus/substantia | cluster/group of neurons in the brain (substantia are less well delineated) |
ganglion/ia | a collection of neurons in PNS. exception: basal ganglia in the CNS (controls movement) |
lemniscus | a tract of neurons which meanders though the brain like a ribbon. |
commissure | any collection of neurons that connect one side of brain with another |
forebrain | prosencephalon. in development, differentiates into the telencephalon, the two cerebral vessels. in mature adult, forebrain is the seat of the "rational animal" (heh), specifically cerebral cortex |
midbrain | mesencephalon. "tectum" is its roof, which divides into superior and inferior colliculus. SC aka "optic tectum," receives eye input and controls its movement. IC gets ear input. tegmentum is bottom. colorful. in between is cerebral aqueduct, filled w/ CSF |
hindbrain | rhombencephalon. front to back: cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata. |
thalamus | develops from the diencephalon. sensory relay hq, except for smell. connected to white matter by large collxion of axons called "internal capsule". |
hypothalamus | below the thalamus. controls autonomic NS. also: food drink sex motivation. food preference |
corticospinal or pyramidal tract | collection of axons that travel between the cerebral cortex of the brain and the spinal cord. mostly contains motor axons. consists of two separate tracts in the spinal cord: the lateral corticospinal tract and the anterior corticospinal tract. |
decussation | a crossing of axons from one side of brain to other. |
sulci | brain grooves |
gyri | brain bumps |
mamillary bodies | nuclei of the hypothalamus, part of the circuitry that stores memory. receive info from fornix. see slide |
pineal body | right above the sup and inf colliculus, at the top of the brainstem. secretes melatonin |
cerebellar peduncles | bundle of axons which connect cerebellum and brain steam |
basal ganglia | the caudate nucleus, the putamen, and the globus pallidus. these collxions of neurons are important part of movement system. located basal forebrain (slice 1&2). |
precentral gyrus | motor homunculus |
postcentral gyrus | sensation homunculus |
cingulate gyrus/cortex | receives inputs from thalamus and neocortex, and projects to the entorhinal cortex. integral part of the limbic system: emotion formation and processing, learning, and memory, and is also important for executive function and respiratory control. |
Entorhinal cortex | functions as the hub in a widespread network for memory and navigation. The EC is the main interface between the hippocampus and neocortex. |
vpm nucleus | ventral posterior medial nucles, a portion of the thalamus that deals w/sensory info from the head |