Central Nervous System Overview & Anatomy

Comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards detailing cellular elements, structural organization, cortical regions, anatomical terminology, and spinal cord features covered in the CNS overview lecture.

Astrocytes

CNS support cells responsible for maintaining an appropriate chemical environment to permit electrical signaling in neurons and helping maintain the blood-brain barrier.

Oligodendrocytes

Glial support cells in the central nervous system that produce myelin to insulate neuron axons.

Microglia

CNS support cells that function as macrophages and clear debris following central nervous system damage.

Dendrites

Specialized neuronal structures responsible for receiving information from other cells.

Cell Body (Soma)

The region of a neuron that serves as the site of action potential initiation.

Axon

The specialized neuronal structure that conducts electrical information to its target.

Afferent Neuron

A sensory neuron that brings incoming information into the central nervous system.

Efferent Neuron

A motor neuron that carries outgoing information away from the central nervous system to target muscles or organs.

Interneuron

A neuron within the CNS that relays signals between afferent and efferent pathways and can change the type of action, such as providing inhibition.

Extracellular Recording

A method of measuring neural activity that detects action potentials but misses smaller changes in potential that are not strong enough to fire.

Intracellular Recording

A method of measuring neural activity that detects both action potentials and smaller subthreshold potential changes.

Ganglia

Structures in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) comprised of clusters of nerve cell bodies.

Nerve

A structure in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) comprised of bundles of axons.

Gray Matter

Central nervous system tissue made up of neuronal cell bodies, organized into nuclei clusters or cortex layers.

White Matter

Central nervous system tissue made up of axons, organized into ascending and descending tracts or pathways.

Axial (Transverse/Horizontal) Plane

An anatomical plane parallel to the rostral/caudal axis of the brain, dividing structures into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) portions.

Sagittal Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the cerebral hemispheres into right and left portions.

Coronal (Frontal) Plane

An anatomical plane parallel to the face, dividing brain structures into front (anterior) and back (posterior) sections.

Foramen Magnum

The large opening at the base of the skull through which the medulla, vertebral arteries, and posterior spinal arteries pass.

Fontanelles

Gaps between the cranial bones in a newborn that allow the skull to compress during passage through the birth canal before closing.

Gyrus

An elevated ridge on the surface of the cerebrum.

Sulcus

A cleft or groove on the surface of the cerebrum.

Frontal Lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible primarily for motor processing and movement.

Parietal Lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible primarily for somatosensory processing.

Occipital Lobe

The cerebral lobe located posteriorly that is dedicated to visual processing.

Temporal Lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible for hearing and memory processing.

Central Sulcus

The sulcus separating the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe, lying between the precentral and postcentral gyri.

Sylvian Fissure (Lateral Sulcus)

The prominent lateral fissure separating the temporal lobe from the frontal and parietal lobes.

Precentral Gyrus

The gyrus located anterior to the central sulcus that functions as the primary motor area (Brodmann Area 4).

Postcentral Gyrus

The gyrus located posterior to the central sulcus that functions as the primary sensory area (Brodmann Areas 3, 1, and 2).

Expressive Aphasia

A condition caused by lesions in Broca's area where a patient can understand language but cannot speak.

Brodmann Area 44, 45

Anatomical region known as Broca's area, responsible for language expression.

Brodmann Area 17

Primary visual cortex located along the calcarine sulcus in the occipital lobe.

Brodmann Area 41, 42

Heschl's gyri, functioning as the primary auditory cortex.

Brodmann Area 22

Anatomical region known as Wernicke's area, responsible for language reception.

Tectum

The dorsal region of the midbrain composed of the superior and inferior colliculi.

Conus Medullaris

The tapered lower end of the spinal cord terminating at the L1 vertebra level.

Cauda Equina

The collection of spinal nerve roots filling the vertebral column inferior to the L1 vertebra.

Dorsal Root Ganglion

A structure on the dorsal root containing the cell bodies of sensory neurons entering the spinal cord.

Myotome

The collection of muscles innervated by the motor neurons of a single spinal cord segment.

Dermatome

An area of skin innervated by sensory neurons whose cell bodies lie within the dorsal root ganglion of a single spinal cord segment.