Neuroanatomy and Clinical Neurology Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering neuroanatomy, spinal/cranial nerves, Alzheimer's symptoms, action potential phases, and headache types based on lecture notes.

White matter

Composed of myelinated axons (fatty myelin sheath); found beneath the cortex in the brain and surrounding the gray matter in the spinal cord; functions in communication between gray matter areas and conducting nerve impulses.

Gray matter

Contains neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, unmyelinated axons, glial cells, and synapses; found in the outer layer and deep nuclei of the brain and inner butterfly shaped regions of the spinal cord; functions in processing information, integrating signals, and executing functions.

Frontal lobe

A brain lobe responsible for the production of speech and the motor cortex.

Parietal lobe

A brain lobe responsible for the sensory cortex and sensory association.

Temporal lobe

A brain lobe responsible for auditory association and Wernicke’s area (understanding speech).

Occipital lobe

A brain lobe responsible for visual association.

Three meninges

The protective layers of the brain comprising the Dura, Arachnoid, and Pia mater (which includes CSF that cushions the brain).

Limbic system

A system including the Amygdala, hippocampus, nuclei within the hypothalamus, and the cingulate gyrus (surrounding the corpus callosum); responsible for motion perception and regulation.

Axon

A projection from the cell body that can be short distance ($\text{interneurons}$) or long distance ($\text{projection neurons}$).

Axon terminals

The swelling at the end of an axon containing mitochondria and small transmitter-filled synaptic vesicles; they release transmitters onto the postsynaptic target cell across a narrow synaptic cleft.

Myelin

An insulating membrane that supports the propagation of the action potential.

Synapse

A point of contact between the presynaptic terminal of one neuron axon and the post-synaptic membrane of the target neuron.

Amnesia

Memory loss; one of the 5’s of Alzheimer’s.

Agnosia

Forgetting the purpose of familiar objects in the environment; one of the 5’s of Alzheimer’s.

Apraxia

Forgetting how to perform familiar functions; one of the 5’s of Alzheimer’s.

Apathy

Lack of concern for lost abilities; one of the 5’s of Alzheimer’s.

Aphasia

Lack of sensible speech or being mute; one of the 5’s of Alzheimer’s.

Depolarization

An action potential phase occurring when sodium rushes in and the charge becomes more positive (around $+30\,mV$).

Repolarization

An action potential phase occurring when potassium rushes in, pushing sodium out and returning the charge to negative.

Hyperpolarization

A state where the action potential becomes too negative for a brief time before returning to a resting state.

Ionotropic receptors

Receptors utilized for rapid transmission (e.g., GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine).

Metabotropic receptors

Receptors utilized for slow transmission (e.g., GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine, amines and peptides).

Afferent pathways

Neural pathways going towards the brain.

Efferent pathways

Neural pathways going away from the brain.

Dorsal horn

The posterior region of the spinal cord’s gray matter that processes sensory information including pain, touch, and temperature.

Spinal nerves

Consist of 31 levels: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal.

CN I (Olfactory)

The cranial nerve responsible for the sense of smell; not routinely tested.

CN II (Optic)

The cranial nerve responsible for vision.

CN III (Oculomotor)

The cranial nerve responsible for pupillary constriction, eyelid elevation (opening the eye), and most extraocular movements.

CN IV (Trochlear)

The cranial nerve responsible for downward and internal rotation of the eye.

CN V (Trigeminal)

Motor: temporal and masseter muscles (jaw clenching), lateral pterygoids (lateral jaw movement). Sensory: facial sensation.

CN VI (Abducens)

The cranial nerve responsible for lateral deviation of the eye.

CN VII (Facial)

Motor: facial movements (facial expression, closing eye/mouth). Sensory: taste (salty, sweet, sour, bitter) on anterior two-thirds of the tongue and sensation from the ear.

CN VIII (Vestibulocochlear)

The cranial nerve responsible for hearing (cochlear division) and balance (vestibular division).

CN IX (Glossopharyngeal)

Motor: pharynx. Sensory: pharynx and larynx.

CN X (Vagus)

Motor: palate, pharynx, and larynx. Sensory: pharynx and larynx.

CN XI (Spinal accessory)

The cranial nerve responsible for the motor function of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius.

CN XII (Hypoglossal)

The cranial nerve responsible for the motor function of the tongue.

Tension headaches

The most common type of headache; lasts minutes to days; bilateral with mild to moderate pressure; no nausea/vomiting; associated with photophobia and phonophobia.