1 - Head and Neck 2026

Skin

Part of the scalp that is thick, has many sweat and sebaceous glands, and hair follicles?

Dense Connective tissue

What is the very vascular subcutaneous layer of the scalp?

Epicranial aponeurosis

Tendinous sheet covering the calvaria

Loose (areolar) connective tissue

What contains emissary veins that connect the cranial venous sinuses to extracranial veins?

Periosteum

Part of the scalp where a hematoma is possible under it, but limited to each bone?

Parietal

Temporal

What are the paired cranial bones?

Vomer

Mandible

What are the unpaired facial bones?

Squamous

Tympanic

Petrous

What are the 3 parts of the temporal bone?

Body Lesser wing

Greater wing

Pterygoid process

What are the 4 parts of the sphenoid bone?

Bregma

Coronal + sagittal suture

Lambda

Lambdoid + sagittal suture

Pterion

Frontal + temporal + parietal + greater wing of sphenoid

Asterion

Parietal + temporal + occipital

Nasion

Frontal + Nasal

18 months old

The anterior fontanelle closes at what age?

Cribriform plate

The olfactory nerve passes through what aperture?

Oculomotor nerve (CN III)

Trochlear nerve (CN IV)

Ophthalmic nerve (CN V1)

Abducens nerve (CN VI)

What cranial nerves exit through the superior orbital fissure?

Foramen rotundum

The maxillary nerve (CN V2) passes through what aperture?

Foramen spinosum

The middle meningeal artery and vein pass through what aperture?

Crista galli

Frontal crest

What provides attachment for the falx cerebri?

Falx Cerebri

What is a sickle-shaped fold that lies midline between the two cerebral hemispheres?

Tentorium cerebelli

What is the crescent-shaped fold that supports the occipital lobes of the cerebral hemisphere?

Dura mater

Arachnoid mater

Pia mater

What are the three meninges?

Le Fort I

What Le Fort fracture is characterized by a horizontal fracture superior to the maxillary alveolar process?

Le Fort II

What Le Fort fracture is described as the central part of the face being separated from the cranium.

Le Fort III

What Le Fort fracture is characterized by the maxilla and zygomatic being separated from the cranium

Trigeminal nerve

What provides sensory supply above the tentorium cerebelli?

1st 3 cervical nerves

What provides sensory supply below the tentorium cerebelli?

Arachnoid mater

What is the membrane found between the Pia mater internally and the Dura mater externally?

Subarachnoid space

What is the actual space filled with CSF called?

Forebrain (Prosencephalon)

Midbrain (Mesencephalon)

Hindbrain (Rhombencephalon)

What are the three primary brain vesicles?

Telencephalon

Diencephalon

The forebrain gives rise to what secondary brain vesicles?

Diencephalon

The retina is derived from what secondary brain vesicle?

Metencephalon

The pons is derived from what secondary brain vesicle?

Cerebral aqueduct

Which part of the CSF Ventricular System develops within the mesencephalon?

Wernicke/Sensory aphasia

Type of aphasia where the patient can hear but does not understand.

Broca/Motor aphasia

Type of aphasia where the patient knows what he wants to say, but speech is not fluent.

Conduction aphasia

Type of aphasia where patient can comprehend and can speak fluently, but cannot repeat words.

Arcuate fasciculus

What structure is affected in conduction aphasia?

Global aphasia

Broca's aphasia + Wernicke's aphasia

Right-left disorientation

Agraphia

Acalculia

Finger agnosia

Components of Gerstmann syndrome?

Commissural fibers

What type of white matter fiber connects structures from one hemisphere to the other?

Pyramidal decussation

Decussation of the corticospinal tract that occurs at the junction of the medulla oblongata and spinal cord is called?

Basal ganglia

It refers to the interconnected nuclear masses deep within the cerebral hemispheres, diencephalon, and midbrain

Caudate nucleus

Putamen

What is the neostriatum composed of?

Putamen

Globus pallidus externa

Globus pallidus interna

What is the lentiform/lenticular nucleus composed of?

Thalamus

What is an important relay center for sensation located deep within the cerebral white matter?

Olfaction

What is the only sensation not relayed to the thalamus?

Hypophysial pouch (Rathke's pouch)

What is the origin of the anterior pituitary lobe (adenohypophysis)?

Superior hypophyseal artery

What is the arterial supply of the adenohypophysis?

MSH (Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone)

The Pars intermedia secretes what hormone?

Epiphysis cerebri

The pineal gland is also called what?

Corpora arenacea/ Brain sands

What are the calcified secretions of the pineal gland?

Anterior lobe (Paleocerebellum or spinocerebellum)

What lobe of the cerebellum maintains coordination of limb movements?

Posterior lobe (Neocerebellum or cerebrocerebellum)

What lobe of the cerebellum coordinates voluntary movement?

Flocculonodular lobe (Archicerebellum or Vestibulocerebellum)

What lobe of the cerebellum is responsible for the coordination of the paraxial muscles associated with equilibrium?

CN IX, X, VII, III (1973)

What are the cranial nerves with parasympathetic nerves?

CN IV (Trochlear nerve)

It is the only cranial nerve that exits the brain dorsally and also has the longest intracranial course

CN VI (Abducens nerve)

What cranial nerve has the longest vertical intracranial course and is prone to injury during increased intracranial pressure?

CN III (Oculomotor nerve)

What cranial nerve passes between the posterior cerebral artery and the superior cerebellar artery?

CN VII (Facial nerve)

What cranial nerve innervates the stapedius muscle?

CN IX (Glossopharyngeal nerve)

What cranial nerve innervates the stylopharyngeus muscle?

Internal acoustic meatus

CN VIII exits via what foramen?

CN X (Vagus nerve)

What is the only cranial nerve that reaches the thorax and abdomen?

Cranial nerve XI (Spinal accessory nerve)

Injury to this cranial nerve causes paralysis of the SCM and the descending fibers of the trapezius

Hindbrain (between the cerebellum and pons/medulla)

Where is the 4th ventricle located?

0.5ml/min

What is the rate of production of CSF?

60-150mm of water

What is the normal pressure of CSF?

130-150ml

Total volume of CSF

Brudzinski sign

What sign is positive when passive forward flexion of the neck causes the patient to involuntarily raise his knees or hips in flexion?

Kernig sign

What meningeal sign is positive if the leg extension causes pain?

Anterior cerebral artery

The cortical areas controlling the legs are supplied by which cerebral artery?

Basilar artery

Bilateral vertebral arteries merge to form what artery?

O - Oculomotor nerve

T - Trochlear nerve

O - Ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve

M - Maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve

C - Carotid artery (Internal)

A - Abducens nerve

T - Trochlear nerve

(O TOM CAT)

What are the structures in the cavernous sinus?

Anterior part of the Circle of Willis (Anterior communicating, Posterior communicating, or MCA)

Most common location of berry aneurysms?

Posterior cerebral artery

What cerebral artery supplies the occipital lobe?

Middle meningeal artery

Extradural hematomas are usually caused by injuries to what artery?

Convex shaped

What is the CT scan appearance of an epidural hematoma?

Bridging veins

Subdural hematomas are usually caused by injuries to what vessel?

Crescent shaped

What is the CT scan appearance of a subdural hematoma?

Facial vein

The danger triangle of the face is drained by what vein?

Facial nerve (CN VII)

All facial muscles are supplied by what nerve?

Zygomaticus

This muscle is used for smiling

Orbicularis oris

This muscle is used for kissing

Buccinator

This muscle is used for blowing/sucking

Mandibular division of the Trigeminal nerve (V3)

All muscles of mastication are supplied by what nerve?

Lateral pterygoid muscle (opens mouth)

All muscles of mastication work to close the mouth EXCEPT

Superior oblique muscle

Which muscle is supplied by CN IV (Trochlear nerve)?

CN VI (Abducens nerve)

The lateral rectus muscle of the eye is supplied by what nerve?

Whitnall ligament

It is where the levator palpebral superioris muscle splits into the levator aponeurosis and Müller's muscle (superior tarsal muscle)

Hyoglossus

This extrinsic muscle acts to depress the tongue

Palatoglossus

This extrinsic muscle acts to elevate the tongue

Genioglossus

This extrinsic muscle acts to protrude the tongue

Palatoglossus (innervated by CN X)

All are innervated by the hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), except which muscle?

Tensor Veli Palatini

What muscle opens the Eustachian tube during swallowing and yawning?

Tensor Veli Palatini (innervated by CN V3)

All muscles of the palate are innervated by the Vagus nerve (CN X) EXCEPT which muscle?

Stylopharyngeus

(innervated by Glossopharyngeal nerve CN IX)

All muscles of the pharynx/deglutition are innervated by the Vagus nerve (CN X), EXCEPT which muscle?

V1: Ophthalmic

What division of CN V (Trigeminal nerve) innervates the area superior to the upper eyelid and dorsum of the nose?

V2: Maxillary

What division of CN V (Trigeminal nerve) innervates the lower eyelids, nasal cavity, lateral nose, maxillary teeth, upper lip, and palate?

V3: Mandibular

What division of CN V (Trigeminal nerve) innervates the area below the nose and provides somatic innervation from the anterior 2/3 of the tongue?