Neuroanatomy – Psych/Neuro116A (Summer 2025)

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering major pathways, structures, and functional concepts from the Neuroanatomy lecture.

According to the Bell–Magendie Law, the _ root is somatosensory.

dorsal

According to the Bell–Magendie Law, the ventral root is primarily _.

somatomotor (motor)

Modalities conveyed by the dorsal column system include epicritic touch, proprioception, two-point discrimination, and _ across time.

touch

First-order neurons of the dorsal column system have cell bodies in the .

dorsal root ganglion

Lower-body epicritic information ascends in the _ gracilis.

fasciculus

Upper-body epicritic information ascends in the _ cuneatus.

fasciculus

Axons of the dorsal column system decussate in the _ medulla.

lower (caudal)

Spinothalamic tract fibers decussate in the .

spinal cord (anterior white commissure)

The spinothalamic tract carries temperature and _ pain sensations.

protopathic

Second-order neurons for the spinothalamic tract are mainly in the .

substantia gelatinosa

Somatosensory information from the body synapses in the _ nucleus of the thalamus.

ventral posterolateral (VPL)

The primary somatosensory cortex is located on the _ gyrus.

postcentral

The primary motor cortex resides in the _ gyrus.

precentral

Corticospinal upper motor neuron axons pass through the _ capsule.

internal

Most corticospinal fibers decussate in the medulla at the .

pyramidal decussation

Lower motor neurons are located in the _ horn of the spinal cord.

ventral (anterior)

The inferior cerebellar peduncle carries mainly _ (afferent) fibers from the spinal cord.

input

Cortical signals reach the cerebellum via pontine nuclei and the _ cerebellar peduncle.

middle

The superior cerebellar peduncle contains chiefly _ (efferent) fibers leaving the cerebellum.

output

Olfactory bulb projections travel via the lateral olfactory tract to the primary _ cortex (pyriform cortex) and amygdala.

olfactory / pyriform

Inter-bulbar connections pass through the _ commissure.

anterior

In the Papez circuit, the hippocampus projects to the mammillary bodies through the _.

fornix

Signals leave the mammillary bodies for the anterior thalamic nucleus via the _ tract.

mammillothalamic

The major fiber bundle connecting the amygdala to the hypothalamus is the .

stria terminalis

Degeneration of the mammillary bodies due to thiamine deficiency produces _ syndrome.

Korsakoff's

Patient H.M. lost the ability to form new memories after resection of large parts of his _ temporal lobe.

medial

The hippocampus was named for its resemblance to a _.

seahorse

The fasciculus cuneatus carries dorsal column input from the _ half of the body.

upper

Pacinian corpuscles are rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors sensitive to high-frequency _.

vibration (pressure)

The dorsal column nuclei consist of nucleus and nucleus .

gracilis; cuneatus

Uncrossed corticospinal fibers descending in the anterior funiculus form the _ corticospinal tract.

anterior (ventral)

In the motor homunculus, the _ is represented most laterally, while the leg lies medially.

face

Climbing fibers reaching the cerebellar cortex originate from the .

inferior olivary nucleus

The ventral (anterior) spinocerebellar tract enters the cerebellum via the _ cerebellar peduncle.

superior

The spinoreticular pathway ascends to the _ formation and periaqueductal gray, influencing arousal and pain modulation.

reticular