LEC 8a, 8b

What are the 4 major anatomical regions of the brain?

Cerebrum, Diencephalon, Brain stem, and Cerebellum

What are the two regions in the diencephalon?

Thalamus and hypothalamus

What are the three regions of the brain stem?

Midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata

Why is proper nutrition important to the brain, and what is the main nutrient it requires?

brain can only use glucose to produce ATP

APT=energy

no GLUCOSE=no FUNCTION

What region of the brain is responsible for logical thought and conscious awareness?

Cerebrum

What region of the brain is responsible for the highest sensory and motor activity?

Cerebrum

What is the purpose of gyri and sulci in the brain?

They increase surface area for information processing

What structure separates the two cerebral hemispheres?

Longitudinal fissure

What is the largest portion of the brain?

Cerebrum

What is the second largest portion of the brain?

Cerebellum

Is the cerebrum made of grey or white matter?

Grey matter

What is grey matter made of?

Cell bodies/soma, dendrites, unmyelinated axons, and neuroglia

What is white matter made of?

Myelinated axons

What are the two halves of the cerebrum called?

Cerebral hemispheres

What connects the right and left hemispheres?

Corpus callosum

What happens if the corpus callosum is cut?

hemispheres cant communicate directly

speech may be temporarily affected

vision, hearing, and movement remain intact

What disorder involves hemisphere communication issues?

Autism involves differences in communication between cerebral hemispheres

What does the left brain control?

Critical thinking

What does the right brain control?

Emotions

What part of the brain filters sensory information?

Thalamus

What region controls homeostasis?

Hypothalamus

What is the main visceral control center?

Hypothalamus

What does the hypothalamus control?

Temperature

sleep

hunger

thirst

hormone regulation

autonomic reflexes

What are the three parts of the brain stem?

Midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata

What controls fight-or-flight automatic behavior?

Midbrain

What controls visual and auditory reflexes?

Corpora quadrigemina

What is the substantia nigra responsible for?

Movement initiation

dopamine production

What neurotransmitter does substantia nigra secrete?

Dopamine

What disease results from substantia nigra damage?

Parkinson’s disease

What are two symptoms of Parkinson’s disease?

Tremor at rest

difficulty initiating movement

What connects cerebellum and cerebrum sensory info?

Pons

What controls breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure?

Medulla oblongata

What maintains consciousness?

Reticular formation

What does melatonin do?

Regulates circadian sleep-wake cycles

What gland produces melatonin?

Pineal gland

What is the biological clock?

Pineal gland

What is the cerebellum responsible for?

Balance and coordination

What does the primary motor cortex contain?

Upper motor neurons

What does the motor association area do?

Plans learned movements

Where is the motor homunculus located?

Precentral gyrus

What is the motor homunculus?

Map of BODY REPRESENTATION in the MOTOR CORTEX

Are all body parts equally represented in motor cortex?

No

hands and face = most rep

What is the primary somatosensory cortex responsible for?

Touch

pressure

temperature

pain

What is the somatosensory association area responsible for?

Interpreting sensory information

Where is the visual cortex located?

Occipital lobe

What is the primary visual cortex responsible for?

Receiving visual input from CN II

What is the visual association area responsible for?

Interpreting visual input

What happens if Brodmann areas 18 and 19 are damaged?

Visual recognition is impaired

What is the primary auditory cortex responsible for?

Sound reception

What is the auditory ASSOCIATION area responsible for?

Sound interpretation

What is Broca’s area responsible for?

Speech production

What (disorder) happens if Broca’s area is damaged?

Aphasia (inability to speak)

What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?

Language comprehension

Where is taste processed?

Insula of parietal lobe

Which lobe handles planning and judgment?

Frontal lobe

What is a frontal lobotomy?

Surgical cutting of frontal lobe connections

Do neurons regenerate?

No

What structure controls memory formation?

Hippocampus

Where are memories stored?

Distributed across cerebral CORTEX and cerebellum

What is anterograde amnesia?

Inability to form new memories

What is retrograde amnesia?

Inability to recall past memories

What is a stroke?

Interruption of blood flow causing brain damage

What most commonly causes amnesia?

Stroke

What is dementia?

Loss of memory function

symptom not a disease

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Most common form of dementia

What system links memory, emotion, and smell?

Limbic system

What are mammillary bodies?

Diencephalon structures involved in memory

What do mammillary bodies do?

Link smell with memory processing

What damages mammillary bodies?

Thiamine (B1) deficiency or alcohol (Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome)

What does the fornix do?

Connects hippocampus to mammillary bodies

What controls balance?

Cerebellum

What is dura mater?

Tough outer meningeal layer

What is arachnoid mater?

Middle meningeal layer

What is pia mater?

Inner layer following brain surface

Where is CSF found?

Ventricles

subarachnoid space

What is the subarachnoid space?

Space between arachnoid and pia mater

What is an epidural?

Injection outside dura mater

What produces CSF?

E PEN DY MAL cells in choroid plexus

What does CSF do?

Cushions brain

provides buoyancy

removes waste

What causes hydrocephalus?

cerebral aqueduct=blocked

What causes meningitis?

Viral or bacterial infection

What is the main symptom of meningitis?

Headache

What test diagnoses meningitis?

Spinal tap

What is encephalitis?

Brain infection

What causes subdural hemorrhage?

Bleeding between dura and brain

What are the ventricles?

Lateral, third, cerebral aqueduct, fourth

What is CSF similar to?

Blood plasma

Where is CSF made?

Choroid plexus

What are brain waves measured by EEG?

Alpha, beta, theta, delta

What are alpha waves?

Relaxed wakefulness

What are beta waves?

Active thinking

What are theta waves?

Light sleep

What are delta waves?

Deep sleep

What treats brain tumors?

Gamma knife or AVA STIN

What does Avastin do?

Blocks VEGF

What is VEGF?

Protein promoting blood vessel growth

What part of brain is first affected by alcohol?

Cerebellum

What is fetal alcohol syndrome?

Developmental BRAIN DAMAGE from alcohol exposure

What does nicotine do?

Addictive stimulant

increases heart rate and blood pressure

What does cocaine do?

Depletes dopamine