Bio Sci N165: Brain Disorders - Unit

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical terminology, directional axes, brain structures, and cellular components from the Unit 1a lecture.

Gyrus

A ‘ridge’ of cerebral cortex

Sulcus

A ‘valley’ of cerebral cortex

Cortical sheet

The outer, surface covering of cerebral cortex, composed of gray matter (neuron cell bodies)

Cerebral cortex

The large, folded part of the brain that sits above the cerebellum and brainstem, made up of gray and white matter

Cerebellum

(Latin for "little brain") the small, highly ridged portion of brain that sits inferior to the cerebral cortex and posterior to the brainstem

Anterior

Towards the front of the brain

Posterior

Towards the back of the brain

Superior

Towards the top of the brain

Inferior

Towards the bottom of the brain

Lateral

The view of the brain that shows the surface of a cerebral hemisphere under the ears

Medial

The view of the brain showing the inner surface of a cerebral hemisphere

Dorsal

Towards the top of the brain (towards the back surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord)

Ventral

Towards the bottom of the brain (towards belly surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord)

Rostral

Towards the front of the brain (towards the top surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord; means "beak")

Caudal

Towards the back of the brain (towards the bottom surface of the body in the brainstem and spinal cord; means "tail")

Sagittal

A vertical slice of the brain cut down the center, from anterior to posterior, giving a view from left or right

Coronal

A vertical slice of the brain cut from superior to inferior, giving a view from the front or back of the brain

Axial

A horizontal slice of the brain cut from left to right, giving a view from the top or bottom of the brain

Central nervous system (CNS)

Composed of the brain and spinal cord

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Composed of peripheral nerves that connect the CNS to the limbs, trunk, and internal organs

Autonomous nervous system (ANS)

A subdivision of the PNS that controls visceral functions; includes parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems

Cranial nerves

A set of 12 specialized nerves that act as the PNS (motor control and sensory info) to the head and neck

Meninges

The three protective layers of tissue between the brain and the skull

Dura mater

The durable, leathery outer protective layer of the meninges

Arachnoid mater

The spider web-like middle protective layer of the meninges that is filled with cerebral spinal fluid

Pia mater

The thin, shiny, inner protective layer of the meninges that "shrink-wraps" the brain

Frontal lobe

The anterior portion of cerebral cortex, involved in emotion, cognition, and executive control

Parietal lobe

The superior posterior portion of cerebral cortex, superior to the occipital and temporal lobes, posterior to the frontal lobe

Temporal lobe

The inferior portion of cerebral cortex, anterior to the occipital lobe and inferior to the others

Occipital lobe

The posterior portion of cerebral cortex, primarily involved in vision processing

Central sulcus

The sulcus dividing the frontal and parietal lobes, surrounded on each side by motor and sensory cortex

Lateral fissure

The gap that divides the temporal from the frontal and parietal lobes; also known as a large sulcus

Parieto-occipital sulcus

The sulcus that divides the parietal and occipital lobes

Pre-occipital notch

The notch that serves as the bottom point of the imaginary dividing line between the temporal and occipital lobes

Brodmann’s Areas

$\sim 50$ cytoarchitectural areas defined according to cell size, cell density, number and thickness of cortical layers, and density of myelinated axons

Gray matter

Outer ‘bark’ of the cerebral cortex composed of neuronal cell bodies where computations happen, typically consisting of six layers

White matter

Inner region of cerebral cortex composed of the axons of the neurons; acts as the ‘wiring’ connecting regions of gray matter

Neuron

The basic cell in the brain that processes and transmits information in the form of electrical and chemical signals

Dendrite

The branched portion of a neuron which receives inputs from synapses and sends small depolarizations towards the cell body

Cell body

The "main" portion of a cell containing the nucleus, mitochondria, and other organelles necessary for survival

Axon hillock

The base of the axon where it meets the cell body; the site where action potentials are initiated

Axon

The long cell structure that carries depolarizations (action potentials) away from the cell body to the synapse

Node of Ranvier

The small gaps between myelin sheaths in myelinated axons involved in fast action potential propagation

Synapse

The region/space across which information flows from one neuron to another; the space itself is the synaptic cleft

Axon terminal

The end of a branch of an axon specialized to release neurotransmitters from vesicles into the synapse

Glial cell

Support cells providing myelination; most abundant type in CNS (oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, ependymal cells, microglia) and PNS (satellite cells, Schwann cells)

Myelin sheath

A layer of protective tissue wrapped around axons of neurons to hasten the transmission of action potentials

Corpus callosum

The main connection of white matter integral for communication between the two cerebral hemispheres