Neuroanatomy Week 10 – Central Nervous System Overview

Fifty vocabulary flashcards summarizing key CNS structures, regions, and functions from Week 10 Neuroanatomy lecture.

Association Tracts

Cerebral white-matter fibers that conduct impulses between gyri within the same hemisphere.

Commissural Tracts

White-matter fibers that connect corresponding gyri of the two hemispheres, e.g., the corpus callosum.

Projection Tracts

Fibers conveying impulses between the cerebrum and lower CNS centers such as thalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord.

Limbic System

Ring of structures on the inner cerebral border and diencephalon floor; the brain’s main center for emotion, memory, and smell.

Basal Nuclei

Three deep cerebral gray-matter masses (globus pallidus, putamen, caudate nucleus) that help initiate and regulate movement.

Globus Pallidus

Basal nucleus nearest the thalamus that regulates muscle tone for specific movements.

Caudate Nucleus

Basal nucleus adjacent to the cerebral cortex that anticipates eye movement.

Putamen

Comma-shaped basal nucleus that anticipates body movement.

Corpus Striatum

Collective term for the globus pallidus, putamen, and caudate nucleus.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Postcentral gyrus area that perceives touch, pressure, vibration, pain, temperature, and proprioception.

Sensory Homunculus

Body map within the primary somatosensory cortex whose size reflects receptor density rather than body part size.

Primary Auditory Area

Temporal-lobe region that receives and interprets sound information.

Primary Gustatory Area

Insular cortex region that receives and perceives taste stimuli.

Primary Olfactory Area

Medial temporal-lobe region that receives and perceives smell.

Primary Motor Area

Precentral gyrus region controlling execution of voluntary skeletal-muscle movements.

Motor Homunculus

Body map in the primary motor cortex where regions control muscles on the opposite side, scaled by movement complexity.

Somatosensory Association Area

Parietal region that integrates tactile input to recognize objects by touch and stores past somatic sensory memories.

Visual Association Area

Occipital-lobe region that relates past and present visual stimuli to recognize what is seen.

Facial Recognition Area

Inferior temporal-lobe area (often right-dominant) that stores facial images for identifying people.

Auditory Association Area

Temporal-lobe area that enables recognition of speech, music, and other sounds.

Orbitofrontal Cortex

Lateral frontal-lobe area (right dominant) that identifies and discriminates odors.

Wernicke's Area

Left temporal-parietal region that interprets speech meaning and adds emotional tone; damage causes fluent aphasia.

Common Integrative Area

Multimodal cortical region that receives impulses from several sensory areas and synthesizes them into thought.

Prefrontal Cortex

Anterior frontal-lobe area responsible for personality, intellect, judgment, planning, and abstract reasoning.

Premotor Area

Frontal region anterior to the primary motor cortex that sequences learned movements and serves as a motor memory bank.

Frontal Eye Field

Frontal-lobe region that controls voluntary scanning eye movements.

Brain Waves

Combined electrical impulses generated by active neurons throughout the brain.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Recording of brain waves obtained via scalp electrodes; used in sleep studies and diagnosis of brain disorders.

Diencephalon

Central brain region surrounding the third ventricle; composed of thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus.

Thalamus

Large diencephalic relay station for all sensory input except smell; also involved in motor, consciousness, and sleep functions.

Thalamic Nuclei

Seven groups of thalamic nuclei (anterior, medial, lateral, ventral, intralaminar, midline, reticular) linked to emotion, learning, pain, and cognition.

Hypothalamus

Small but crucial homeostatic center linking nervous and endocrine systems; regulates ANS, hormones, hunger, thirst, temperature, and emotions.

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Hypothalamic nucleus that establishes circadian rhythm through rhythmic changes in clock-protein levels.

Epithalamus

Diencephalic roof consisting of the pineal gland and habenular nuclei.

Pineal Gland

Pea-sized gland that secretes melatonin in a circadian pattern (low by day, high at night).

Habenular Nuclei

Epithalamic nuclei involved in emotional responses to odors.

Circumventricular Organs (CVOs)

Diencephalic areas lacking a blood-brain barrier that sample blood chemistry and coordinate endocrine–neural homeostasis.

Cerebellum

Second-largest brain structure that evaluates motor output, maintains posture and balance, and contributes to cognition and language.

Arbor Vitae

Tree-like pattern of white matter inside the cerebellum.

Vermis

Central constricted region of the cerebellum that separates its two hemispheres.

Ataxia

Loss of coordinated muscle movements caused by cerebellar damage or alcohol inhibition.

Brainstem

Brain region connecting cerebrum and spinal cord; composed of midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

Midbrain

Upper brainstem segment between pons and diencephalon containing nuclei, tracts, and the cerebral aqueduct.

Cerebral Peduncles

Anterior midbrain bundles carrying corticospinal, corticobulbar, and corticopontine motor fibers.

Superior Colliculi

Paired tectum nuclei that serve as visual reflex centers for tracking objects.

Inferior Colliculi

Paired tectum nuclei that relay auditory information and mediate the startle reflex.

Substantia Nigra

Midbrain nucleus with dopamine neurons that influence basal nuclei; degeneration leads to Parkinson’s disease.

Red Nucleus

Highly vascular midbrain nucleus where cerebellar and cortical axons synapse to help control muscle movement.

Pons

Middle brainstem 'bridge' containing nuclei and tracts; houses the pontine respiratory group.

Medulla Oblongata

Lowest brainstem part continuous with spinal cord; contains vital cardiovascular and respiratory centers and motor pyramids.