Neuroanatomy Week 9 – The Brain: Anatomy, Protection & Blood Supply

50 vocabulary flashcards covering key structures, functions, and pathologies related to brain anatomy, protection, and blood supply as discussed in Week 9 Neuroanatomy lecture.

Neural Plate

Thickened region of embryonic ectoderm that folds to give rise to the nervous system.

Ectoderm

Outer germ-cell layer that forms both skin and the entire nervous system.

Gray Matter

CNS region made of neuron cell bodies; site of processing and interpretation.

White Matter

Myelinated axons in the CNS; specialized for rapid information transmission.

Cerebrum

Largest brain region (≈85%); handles thinking, planning, language, and sensory integration.

Cerebral Cortex

Outer gray-matter layer of cerebrum divided into two hemispheres and four lobes.

Gyri

Elevated ridges on the cortical surface that increase brain surface area.

Sulci

Shallow grooves between gyri on the cerebral cortex.

Corpus Callosum

Massive white-matter bridge that enables communication between right and left hemispheres.

Basal Ganglia

Deep gray-matter nuclei that program and execute motor functions; affected in Parkinson’s.

Thalamus

Paired gray-matter relay center for sensory information; regulates sleep and alertness.

Hypothalamus

Small ANS control center beneath thalamus; links nervous and endocrine systems.

Pineal Gland

Tiny midline gland that secretes melatonin to regulate sleep-wake cycles.

Frontal Lobe

Largest lobe; governs voluntary movement, personality, emotion, and executive control.

Broca's Aphasia

Expressive language disorder causing impaired speech production with preserved comprehension.

Executive Functions

Higher cognitive skills—planning, organizing, self-monitoring, inhibiting—that rely on frontal lobes.

Parietal Lobe

Superior-posterior lobe specialized for processing somatosensory input and spatial awareness.

Somatosensory Input

Sensory information from touch, pressure, pain, temperature processed in parietal cortex.

Proprioception

Sense of body position and movement mediated by parietal processing even with eyes closed.

Two-Point Discrimination

Parietal-lobe ability to perceive two nearby touch points as distinct.

Balint's Syndrome

Parietal damage causing deficits in visual attention, movement guidance, and perception.

Gerstmann Syndrome

Parietal disorder with left/right confusion, agraphia, acalculia, and finger agnosia.

Temporal Lobe

Lobe behind ears; handles auditory processing, memory encoding, emotion, and aspects of language.

Primary Auditory Cortex

Temporal-lobe area receiving and interpreting sound information from the ears.

Hippocampus

Medial temporal structure essential for forming new memories and learning.

Prosopagnosia

Temporal-lobe related inability to recognize familiar faces (face blindness).

Occipital Lobe

Posterior lobe responsible for visual perception of color, form, and motion.

Primary Visual Cortex (V1)

Occipital region crucial for conscious processing of visual stimuli.

Movement Agnosia

Occipital deficit causing inability to perceive motion of objects.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome

Occipital disturbance with distorted perception of body or object size.

Brainstem

Vital stalk linking brain and spinal cord; controls heart, lungs, arousal, and pathways.

Midbrain

Upper brainstem segment containing substantia nigra and visual/auditory reflex centers.

Substantia Nigra

Midbrain nucleus modulating motor control and reward; degenerates in Parkinson’s disease.

Pons

Middle brainstem structure housing cranial nerves V–VIII; coordinates facial and eye functions.

Medulla Oblongata

Lower brainstem area regulating respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and swallowing.

Cerebellum

Hindbrain organ coordinating voluntary movement, balance, posture, and muscle tone.

Dysarthria

Slurred speech caused by cerebellar or brainstem dysfunction affecting articulation muscles.

Meninges

Three protective connective-tissue layers—dura, arachnoid, pia—surrounding brain and cord.

Dura Mater

Tough, outermost meningeal layer with periosteal and meningeal sheets lining skull.

Arachnoid Mater

Middle avascular meningeal layer overlying subarachnoid space filled with CSF.

Pia Mater

Delicate, vascular inner meningeal layer adhering directly to brain surface.

Extradural Hematoma

Arterial bleed between skull and periosteal dura, often from torn middle meningeal artery.

Subdural Hematoma

Venous bleed between dura and arachnoid caused by torn cerebral veins.

Meningitis

Inflammation of meninges (often bacterial) causing edema, raised intracranial pressure, herniation risk.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Protective liquid cushioning CNS, transporting nutrients, wastes, and maintaining pH buoyancy.

Choroid Plexus

Specialized vascular tissue in ventricles that produces cerebrospinal fluid.

Vertebral Arteries

Paired vessels ascending cervical spine to supply posterior brain and form basilar artery.

Internal Carotid Arteries

Paired branches of common carotids delivering blood to anterior & middle cerebral arteries.

Circle of Willis

Arterial ring at brain base where vertebral and carotid systems (arteries) anastomose for collateral flow.

Blood–Brain Barrier (BBB)

Selective barrier of endothelial cells keeping harmful substances out of brain tissue yet limiting drug entry.