CNS - Brain & Cranial Nerves

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the anatomy and functions of the brain and central nervous system.

Cortex

The surface layer of gray matter in the brain.

Nuclei

Deeper masses of gray matter within the brain.

Tracts

Bundles of axons that form white matter in the brain.

Rostral

Direction toward the nose.

Caudal

Direction toward the tail.

Gyri

Thick folds of the brain.

Sulci

Shallow grooves of the brain.

Dura mater

The outermost, tough membrane surrounding the brain.

Arachnoid mater

The middle layer of the meninges, which has a web-like structure.

Pia mater

The thin, vascular layer that adheres to the contours of the brain.

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Clear liquid that fills ventricles and surrounds the brain, providing cushioning.

Blood-Brain Barrier

Regulatory barrier that controls what substances can enter the brain from the bloodstream.

Medulla Oblongata

The part of the brainstem responsible for regulating vital functions such as heart rate and breathing.

Thalamus

A mass of gray matter that relays sensory information to the cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

Region of the brain that controls several autonomic functions, including temperature regulation and hormone release.

Limbic System

A loop of structures involved in emotional responses and memory.

Cognition

The mental processes associated with awareness, perception, thinking, knowledge, and memory.

Aphasia

Language deficits resulting from lesions in specific brain areas associated with language.

What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease where the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers, leading to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes the brain to shrink and brain cells to die, resulting in memory loss and cognitive decline.

What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, causing tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder that causes recurrent seizures due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)?

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control.

What is Cerebral Lateralization?

Cerebral Lateralization refers to the tendency for some neural functions or cognitive processes to be more dominant in one hemisphere of the brain than the other.

What are the primary functions associated with the left hemisphere of the brain?

The left hemisphere is primarily associated with language, logical reasoning, analytical tasks, and mathematical skills.

What are the primary functions associated with the right hemisphere of the brain?

The right hemisphere is generally associated with creativity, spatial ability, artistic skills, and recognizing faces and emotions.

What is the role of the corpus callosum in cerebral lateralization?

The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, facilitating communication between them.

How does cerebral lateralization affect handedness?

Cerebral lateralization is often linked to handedness, with most right-handed individuals having a left-hemisphere dominance for language and motor functions.

What effect does cerebral lateralization have on perception?

Cerebral lateralization can affect perception and processing of information, leading to differences in how language and visual-spatial tasks are handled by the brain.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is a condition characterized by muscular incoordination resulting from damage to the brain during fetal development.

What is a Concussion?

A Concussion is a type of brain injury caused by a blow to the head, leading to loss of consciousness and disturbances in vision and equilibrium.

What is Encephalitis?

Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain due to infection, which can cause neuronal degeneration and necrosis, leading to delirium, seizures, and death.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden massive discharge of neurons resulting in seizures, which can be triggered by trauma, tumors, drugs, infections, or congenital brain malformations.

What is a Migraine Headache?

A Migraine Headache is a severe, recurring headache often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and light aversion.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a thought disorder involving delusions, causing significant disruptions in thought processes and perception.

What is Wernicke’s Area?

Wernicke’s Area is a region in the brain that allows for the recognition of spoken and written language and helps in developing a plan for speech.

What is Broca’s Area?

Broca’s Area is responsible for generating the motor program necessary for the movements of the larynx, tongue, cheeks, and lips used in speech.

What is the effect of lesions in the Affective Language Area?

Lesions in the Affective Language Area can produce aprosodia, resulting in flat, emotionless speech.

What is the relationship between information management and memory?

Information management involves learning, memory, and forgetting, which is essential to eliminate trivial or unimportant information.

What are the effects of a pathological inability to forget on reading comprehension?

Individuals with a pathological inability to forget may have difficulty with reading comprehension due to overwhelming amounts of retained information.

What is Anterograde Amnesia?

Anterograde Amnesia is a condition where an individual cannot store new data or form new memories.

What is Retrograde Amnesia?

Retrograde Amnesia is a condition where an individual cannot remember old data or past memories.

What is the role of the Hippocampus in memory?

The Hippocampus is crucial for organizing sensory and cognitive information into a memory; lesions to this area result in an inability to form new memories.

How does the Cerebellum contribute to memory?

The Cerebellum is involved in learning motor skills, which is an important aspect of procedural memory.

What is the function of the Amygdala in relation to memory?

The Amygdala plays a significant role in emotional memory, helping to encode and store memories that have an emotional component.

What is Contralateral Neglect Syndrome?

Contralateral Neglect Syndrome is a condition associated with lesions in the parietal lobe, where individuals are unaware of objects or limbs on one side of their body.

What is Agnosia related to the Temporal Lobe?

Agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize objects, often resulting from lesions in the temporal lobe.

What is Prosopagnosia?

Prosopagnosia is a specific type of agnosia where an individual has an inability to recognize faces, typically due to lesions in the temporal lobe.

What are the effects of Frontal Lobe lesions?

Lesions in the frontal lobe can lead to problems with personality, as well as an inability to plan and execute appropriate behavior

What is a temporary state of unconsciousness?

A temporary state of unconsciousness refers to periods such as sleep, where the individual is not fully alert or aware of their surroundings.

What is sleep paralysis?

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon characterized by the inhibition of muscular activity during the transition between wakefulness and sleep, leading to temporary inability to move or speak.

What is the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep?

The suprachiasmatic nucleus acts as the biological clock to set our circadian rhythm, regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

Which brain structures control sleep?

Sleep is controlled by several brain structures, including the hypothalamus, reticular formation, thalamus, and cerebral cortex.

What is the restorative effect of sleep?

The restorative effect of sleep includes an increase in brain glycogen levels and the reinforcement or elimination of synaptic connections that strengthen memories.

What is REM sleep?

REM sleep, occurring about 5 times a night, features rapid eye movements, increased vital signs, and an EEG similar to an awake state. It is associated with vivid dreams and may help strengthen memories.

What are the four types of brain waves?

The four types of brain waves are alpha, beta, theta, and delta.

When do alpha waves occur?

Alpha waves occur when a person is awake and resting with eyes closed.

What are beta waves associated with?

Beta waves occur when the eyes are open and the individual is performing mental tasks.

What do theta waves indicate?

Theta waves occur during sleep or emotional stress.

When do delta waves occur?

Delta waves occur during deep sleep

What are the three main categories of brain tracts?

The three main categories of brain tracts are ascending tracts, descending tracts, and commissural tracts.

What do ascending tracts do?

Ascending tracts carry sensory information from the peripheral nervous system to the brain.

What is the function of descending tracts?

Descending tracts transmit motor commands from the brain to various muscles.

What are commissural tracts?

Commissural tracts connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain, facilitating communication between them.

What is the corticospinal tract?

The corticospinal tract is a major descending tract involved in movement control.

What is the corpus callosum?

The corpus callosum is a key commissural tract that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

What is the insula lobe?

The insula lobe, located deep within the lateral sulcus of the brain, is involved in functions related to perception, emotion, and homeostasis regulation. It plays a key role in interoceptive awareness, the perception of internal body states.

Inferior collicus

If you hear a book drop at the back of the room, the __ is responsible for the reflex action of turning your head in response to the sound?

Theta

Which brain wave occurs during sleep or emotional stress?

Broca’s area

A stroke patient can understand you when you give him a written or verbal command, but cannot speak clearly to you in response. What area of the brain is damaged?

crucial for memory formation and spatial navigation.

The hippocampus

Oculomotor nerve (III)

A drooping eyelid and dilated pupil would probablt indicate a problem with which cranial nerve?

Visceral Motor System

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) aka

glands, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and regulates unconcious processes that maintain homeostasis

What does the ANS control?

Biofeedback

conscious control of the ANS

Visceral Reflexes

receptors, afferent neurons, efferent neurons, effectors

Receptors

detect internal stimuli (stretch, blood chemicals)

Afferent neurons

transmit sensory signals to interneurons in the CNS

Efferent neurons

carry motor signals to effectors and ANS is the efferent nurons of these REFLEX ARCS

Effectors

glands, smooth or cadiac muscles. ANS modifies effector activity

presynaptic neuron

cell body located in CNS (brain or spinal cord)

postsynaptic neuron

cell body in peripheral ganglion

Baroreceptors

detect BP changes and provide feedback to the CNS to regulate blood pressure. (e.g. neg feedback loop)

Sympathetic division

(thorocolumbar division) “fight or flight”

parasympathetic division

(craniosacral division) “rest and digest”

Autonomic Tone

the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity that regulates bodily functions.

Sympathetic tone

keeps most blood vessels partially constricted/dialated- maintains blood pressure

Myelinated preganglionic fibers

the axons of autonomic neurons that are covered in myelin, allowing for faster transmission of nerve impulses. They are typically found in the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, connecting the central nervous system to ganglia.

Unmyelinated postganglionic fibers

the axons of autonomic neurons that lack myelin sheaths, resulting in slower transmission of nerve impulses. They are found in both sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, transmitting signals from ganglia to target organs.