Neuroanatomy and Nervous System Overview

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering neuroanatomy of the brain, brain stem, cerebellum, limbic system, meninges, and spinal cord based on lecture notes.

Pre-frontal Cortex

The front portion of the frontal lobe that holds personality and helps with judgment and restraint.

Complex Learning and Intellect

Functions involved with the pre-frontal cortex used for reasoning and planning.

Cognitive Abilities

Mental processes that can be affected by strong emotions due to the pre-frontal cortex being closely linked to emotional parts of the brain.

Wernickes area

A region in the superficial lobes that helps comprehend language.

Localization

A function of the superficial lobes that helps localize us in our environment.

Recognition

A function of the superficial lobes used to recognize familiar patterns, such as a face.

Cingulate gyrus

A structure used to allow conscious stimuli to have an emotional impact on us and help develop proper emotions as we understand a situation.

Hippocampal gynos

A structure in the brain involved in forming memories of traumatic events.

Association tracts

Fiber tracts that stay within the same hemisphere.

Commissural tracts

Fiber tracts that run between two hemispheres.

Corpus Callosum

The largest commissural tract in the brain.

Projection tracts

Fiber tracts that leave the cerebral hemispheres to lower brain areas like the diencephalon, brain stem, and cerebellum.

Diencephalon

A central part of the brain consisting of the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus.

Thalamus

The largest part in the middle of the diencephalon that acts as a relay station to filter and sort incoming sensory information.

Hypothalamus

The anterior portion of the diencephalon which serves as the main visceral control center of the body.

Homeostasis

The internal balance regulated by the hypothalamus through several effects.

Pituitary gland

The endocrine gland controlled by the hypothalamus.

Satiety and food intake

Homeostatic functions regulated by the hypothalamus.

Body temperature

A physiological factor regulated by the hypothalamus.

ANS

The Autonomic Nervous system, which is controlled by the hypothalamus.

Epithalamus

The posterior portion of the diencephalon containing the pineal gland.

Pineal gland

A gland in the epithalamus that secretes melatonin.

Melatonin

A hormone secreted by the pineal gland that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

Cerebral peduncle

A myelinated motor tract found in the superior portion of the brain stem.

Substantia nigrat

A dark patch of melanin in the midbrain that serves as a source for tyrosine.

Tyrosine

A precursor to neurotransmitters found in the substantia nigrat.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter produced in high amounts by the substantia nigrat; a decrease in this causes body tremors.

Basal nuclei

Structures that become over-excited and cause tremors when dopamine levels decrease.

Corpoa quadrigemina

Standardized structure in the midbrain containing the superior and inferior colluci.

Superior colluci

Structures involved in a reflex that tracks moving objects with the head and eyes.

Inferior colliculi

Structures involved in a reflex that turns the head toward a loud noise that startles.

Pons

The middle portion of the brain stem located between the midbrain and the medulla.

Medulla Oblongata

The inferior portion of the brain stem containing crucial autonomic centers.

Pyramids

Somatic motor pathways located at the anterior surface of the medulla.

Decussation of the pyramids

The crossing over of somatic motor pathways in the medulla.

Cerebellum

The brain structure divided into left and right hemispheres, each with three lobes, responsible for agile movements.

Anterior lobe

One of the three lobes of the cerebellum.

Posterior lobe

One of the three lobes of the cerebellum.

Flocculonodular lobe

One of the three lobes of the cerebellum.

Cerebellar peduncles

The three pairs of structures produced by the cerebellum.

Cerebellum Precise Timing

Function of the cerebellum providing coordination for patterns of muscle movements.

Primary motor cortex feedback

The process where the cerebellum compares planned movements with actual performance and suggests adjustments.

Ipsilateral control

The type of control the cerebellum has over the body.

Homunculus

The arrangement of neurons in the primary motor cortex and cerebellum.

Amygdala

The structure that assesses objects for danger and recognizes angry or fearful facial expressions.

Fearful response

An emotional response elicited by the amygdala.

Aggressive response

An emotional response elicited by the amygdala.

Gestures

The physical expression of emotions facilitated by the cingulate gyrus.

Olfactory senses

Senses linked to emotional responses, allowing smells to elicit deep emotions.

Limbic system

The 'emotional brain' which has a center for rage, intense pleasure, and fear.

Psychosomatic illness

Physical illness caused by strong emotional reactions linked through the hypothalamus.

Physical emotional reactions

Bodily changes such as heart rate, breathing rate, and sweating stimulated by the hypothalamus.

RAS

The Reticular Activating System, which is stimulated by incoming information to keep the cerebral hemisphere awake.

Sharp or sudden stimuli

Specific types of information that the RAS is especially sensitive to.

Sleep centers

Internal mechanisms that depress the Reticular Activating System.

Alcohol

A substance that depresses the Reticular Activating System.

Meninges

Protective membranes with three layers: Dura mater, Arachnoid mater, and Pia mater.

Dura mater

The outermost and most durable layer of the meninges, composed of two layers of fibrous connective tissue.

Dural sinuses

Spaces within the dura mater layers.

Arachnoid mater

The intermediate meninx that is thin and elastic.

Arachnoid granulations

Structures that can absorb CSF (Cerebrospinal Fluid).

Pia mater

The innermost layer of the meninges, which is thin like ice and wraps the brain tightly.

Vascularization of Pia Mater

Describes the pia mater as being richly filled with blood vessels.

Choroid plexus

A knot of blood vessels surrounded by epyndemal cells that produces CSF in the hollow ventricles.

Epyndemal cells

Cells that surround blood vessels in the choroid plexus to take select components from blood to create CSF.

Total CSF Volume

The amount of CSF in the whole body at one time, which is exactly $150\,mL$.

CSF Replacement

The process of renewing cerebrospinal fluid, which occurs about every $8$ hours.

Chemical barrier

The blood-brain barrier which excludes microorganisms, chemicals in food, and the immune system from the brain.

Hydrophobic interior

The property of the chemical barrier that prevents nonpolar substances from easily passing through.

Epidural space

The space superficial to the dura mater around the spinal cord, filled with soft tissue and padding.

Conus medullaris

The rounded inferior end of the spinal cord.

L1

The lumbar level where the conus medullaris is located, near the iliac crest.

Filum terminale

A fibrous extension of the pia mater that anchors the spinal cord to the coccyx.

Coccyx

The structure to which the filum terminale anchors.

Cauda equina

Translating to 'horse's tail', it is a mass of spinal nerve roots extending beyond the conus medullaris.

Ventral median fissure

The deep groove that helps divide the spinal cord into left and right halves on the front side.

Dorsal median sulcus

The shallow groove that helps divide the spinal cord into left and right halves on the back side.

Multipolar neuron cell bodies

The types of cells contained within the gray matter of the spinal cord.

Gray matter horns

The H-shaped arrangement of gray matter in the spinal cord, consisting of dorsal, lateral, and ventral portions.

Root

A bundle of axons produced by each horn of the spinal cord.

Gray Commissure

The thin strip of gray matter that connects the two sides of the spinal cord gray matter.

Dorsal horn

The part of the gray matter containing afferent (sensory) cell bodies.

Ventral horn

The part of the gray matter containing efferent (motor) cell bodies for the somatic nervous system.

Lateral horn

The part of the gray matter containing efferent (motor) cell bodies for the autonomic nervous system.

Dorsal root

The bundle containing only sensory (afferent) axons.

Ventral root

The bundle containing only motor (efferent) axons.

Spinal nerve

The structure formed when the dorsal and ventral roots fuse together.

Mixed nerve

A term for a spinal nerve because it carries both sensory and motor axons.

31 pairs

The number of spinal nerves produced by the body.

Cervical enlargement

A thickened area of the spinal cord where nerves for the upper limbs attach.

Lumbar enlargement

A thickened area of the spinal cord where nerves for the lower limbs attach.

Brain Stem

The region of the brain consisting of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

Melanin

The pigment that gives the substantia nigrat its dark color.

Graceful movements

The result of the cerebellum comparing planned movements with actual performance.

Limbic center

The part of the limbic system that handles intense emotions like pleasure and rage.

Meninx

The singular form of meninges, referring to one of the protective layers of the brain.

Ventricles

Hollow spaces in the brain where choroid plexuses are found and CSF is produced.

Iliac crest

A hip landmark used to enter below $L1$ to sample CSF.

Somatic pathways

Pathways found at the anterior surface of the medulla.

Autonomic centers

Crucial centers located in the medulla oblongata.