Neuroanatomy Lecture Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering gross anatomical terminology, structural divisions, and specific regions of the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems based on Lecture 3 notes.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The structural division of the vertebrate nervous system composed of the brain and the spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The division of the nervous system that connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Somatic Nervous System

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary muscles and conveys sensory information to the CNS.

Autonomic Nervous System

A subdivision of the peripheral nervous system that regulates automatic bodily behaviors and controls organs such as the heart and intestines.

Anterior

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the front.

Posterior

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the back.

Superior

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the top of the body, or above.

Inferior

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the bottom of the body, or below.

Medial

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the middle.

Lateral

Anatomical directional term meaning away from the middle, toward the outside.

Rostral

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the nose.

Caudal

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the tail.

Dorsal

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the back.

Ventral

Anatomical directional term meaning toward the belly.

Ipsilateral

Anatomical term indicating a location on the same side of the body.

Contralateral

Anatomical term indicating a location on the opposite side of the body.

Bilateral

Anatomical term indicating presence on or relation to both sides.

Unilateral

Anatomical term indicating presence on or relation to only one side.

Lamina

A row or layer of cell bodies separated from other cell bodies by a layer of axons and dendrites.

Column

A set of cells perpendicular to the surface of the cortex that share similar properties.

Tract

A set of axons within the CNS, also known as a projection.

Nerve

A set of axons in the periphery, extending either from the CNS to a muscle or gland or from a sensory organ to the CNS.

Nucleus (in Neuroanatomy)

A cluster of neuron cell bodies located within the CNS.

Ganglion

A cluster of neuron cell bodies usually located outside the CNS, such as in the sympathetic nervous system.

Gyrus

A protuberance or raised ridge on the surface of the brain.

Sulcus

A fold or groove that separates one gyrus from another.

Fissure

A long, deep sulcus.

Dorsal Root

The branch of a spinal nerve containing ascending axons that carry sensory information up toward the brain.

Ventral Root

The branch of a spinal nerve that carries descending motor information away from the spinal cord.

Sympathetic Nervous System

An excitatory autonomic subsystem dominant under stress ("fight or flight") that dilates pupils and airways, accelerates heart rate, pumps blood to the limbs, and inhibits digestion.

Parasympathetic Nervous System

An autonomic subsystem responsible for "rest and digest" functions; it constricts pupils, slows heart rate, increases digestion, returns blood circulation to baseline, and turns on sexual arousal.

Medulla

A hindbrain structure that controls vital autonomic reflexes including breathing, heart rate, vomiting, salivation, coughing, and sneezing.

Pons

A hindbrain structure involved in breathing, REM sleep, chewing, swallowing, bladder control, eye movements, and facial expressions; surrounded by the 12 cranial nerves.

Decussation

The anatomical crossover of muscle fibers and motor neurons from one side of the body to the other, occurring at the level of the pons.

Cerebellum

A hindbrain structure that regulates motor movement, balance, and coordination, tracks body position, and assists in shifting attention between auditory and visual stimuli.

Tectum

The roof of the midbrain, comprising the superior and inferior colliculi.

Superior and Inferior Colliculi

Midbrain swellings situated on the tectum that process sensory information for vision (superior) and hearing (inferior).

Tegmentum

An intermediate midbrain region containing cranial nerves and part of the reticular formation.

Substantia Nigra

A midbrain dopaminergic structure that facilitates readiness for movement by producing dopamine; its degradation is linked to Parkinson's disease.

Limbic System

A network of interlinked subcortical structures bordering the brainstem that governs emotion, motivation, consciousness, and awareness.

Olfactory Bulb

A structure of the limbic system that processes the sense of smell and plays a role in evoking smell-associated memories.

Hippocampus

A forebrain and limbic structure heavily involved in creating new memories, though not serving as the permanent storage site for memories.

Amygdala

A limbic structure essential for emotional expression (particularly anger and fear), interpreting emotions in others, alerting survival responses, and responding to potential sexual partners.

Cingulate Gyrus

Fiber layers located immediately inferior to the cerebral cortex that participate in learning about the environment, shifting attention to salient stimuli, and evaluating actions as good or bad.

Thalamus

A subcortical sensory relay station that serves as the main source of input to the cerebral cortex, processing all senses except smell.

Hypothalamus

A subcortical forebrain structure that monitors the bloodstream, coordinates the "4 F's" (fighting, fleeing, feeding, mating), and directs the pituitary gland to release hormones.

Diencephalon

The forebrain division formed jointly by the thalamus and the hypothalamus.

Basal Ganglia

A group of deep subcortical structures (caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus) that require dopamine to plan motor movements, memory, attention, and emotional expression.

Basal Forebrain

A group of structures on the dorsal surface of the forebrain containing the nucleus basalis; it supplies acetylcholine to the cerebral cortex to promote arousal, wakefulness, attention, and memory.

Nucleus Basalis

A key component of the basal forebrain that receives input from the hypothalamus and basal ganglia and projects acetylcholine-releasing axons to the cerebral cortex.

Ventricular System

A network of internal brain cavities (lateral ventricles, third ventricle, and fourth ventricle) devoid of cognitive function that acts as a physical cushion and clears unneeded proteins.

Choroid Plexus

A specialized vascular structure situated inside the brain ventricles that produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

A cushioning fluid produced by the choroid plexus that fills the ventricular system and surrounds the brain to protect it from mechanical impacts.

Occipital Lobe

The posterior cerebral lobe primarily dedicated to vision and the processing of visual information.

Parietal Lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible for processing touch sensations (in the postcentral gyrus) and representing spatial information regarding where things are located.

Temporal Lobe

The lateral cerebral lobe housing the hippocampus and amygdala; it plays major roles in memory formation, auditory processing/language comprehension, and object recognition.

Frontal Lobe

The cerebral lobe specialized in motor planning, voluntary output, selective attention, and complex executive functions such as reasoning and problem-solving.

Precentral Gyrus

The motor strip in the posterior frontal lobe that receives planned movement signals and transmits action potentials down to muscles to execute actions.