neuroanatomy lecture

Cerebrum

Main part of the brain

Cerebellum

“Small brain” for movement coordination

Brainstem

Connects brain to spinal cord

Cranial nerves

Control head/neck movement and sensation

Medulla

Regulates breathing

Pons

“Bridge” connects cerebellum and brainstem

Midbrain

Top brainstem

Superior colliculus

Receives visual input

Inferior colliculus

Receives auditory input

Tectum

“Roof”

Tegmentum

Contains serotonergic and dopaminergic nuclei

Dorsal

Toward back (spinal cord) or top (brain)

Caudal

Toward posterior or tail end

Rostral

anterior / front

Ventral

inferior

Sagittal

left and right

Midsagittal

Divides brain into two hemispheres

Coronal

Divides brain front to back

Horizontal

Divides brain top to bottom

Forebrain

Anterior brain

Cerebral cortex

Outer layer of brain hemispheres

Limbic system

Emotion

Hippocampus

Memory formation

Amygdala

Emotional responses and memory content

Cingulate cortex

Emotion and decision-making regulation

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory input

Hypothalamus

Controls pituitary

Basal ganglia

Motor movement and emotional processing

Gyrus

Ridge on cerebral cortex

Sulcus

Groove on cerebral cortex

Occipital lobe

Primary visual cortex

Temporal lobe

Auditory processing

Parietal lobe

Somatosensory processing

Frontal lobe

Voluntary movement generation

Precentral gyrus

Primary motor cortex

Postcentral gyrus

Primary somatosensory cortex

Primary sensory/motor cortex

Initial input/output processing

Association cortex

Complex processing

Prefrontal cortex

Planning

Corpus callosum

Connects two cerebral hemispheres

Commissures

Smaller connections between hemispheres

Skull

Protects brain

Meninges

Three layers protecting brain

Cerebrospinal fluid

Cushions brain

Lesions

Brain injuries for research

EEG

Measures electrical activity directly

Alpha waves

8–12 Hz brain oscillations

MEG

Measures magnetic fields from neural activity

fMRI

Measures blood flow

BOLD signal

Blood oxygen-level dependent fMRI signal

Structural MRI

Imaging brain anatomy

DTI

Maps white matter fiber tracts

Gray matter

Cortex

White matter

Brain connectivity fibers