Neuroanatomy

  • Gyri/Gyrus: Ridges or bumps on the cerebral cortex.

  • Sulci/Sulcus: Grooves or valleys between the gyri.

  • Coronal Plane: A vertical plane that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) sections.

  • Sagittal Plane: A vertical plane that divides the body into left and right sections.

  • Horizontal Plane: A plane that divides the body into upper and lower sections.

  • Anterior: Toward the front.

  • Posterior: Toward the back.

  • Dorsal: Toward the back or top.

  • Ventral: Toward the front or bottom.

  • Contralateral: On the opposite side.

Frontal Lobe:

  • Function: Responsible for higher-level cognitive functions like decision-making, problem-solving, planning, and personality.

  • Location: Anterior part of the brain.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty with decision-making, impulsivity, changes in personality, and motor difficulties.

Occipital Lobe:

  • Function: Primarily responsible for visual processing.

  • Location: Posterior part of the brain.

  • Damage Symptoms: Visual impairments, such as blindness or difficulty recognizing objects.

Parietal Lobe:

  • Function: Involved in sensory processing, spatial awareness, and attention.

  • Location: Between the frontal and occipital lobes.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty with spatial awareness, sensory processing disorders, and difficulties with attention.

Temporal Lobe:

  • Function: Involved in auditory processing, memory, and emotion.

  • Location: Lateral part of the brain, below the lateral fissure.

  • Damage Symptoms: Hearing loss, difficulty with language comprehension, memory problems, and emotional disturbances.

Cerebellum:

  • Function: Coordinates movement, balance, and posture.

  • Location: Posterior to the brainstem.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulties with balance, coordination, and motor control.

Medulla Oblongata:

  • Function: Controls vital functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.

  • Location: Lower part of the brainstem.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, heart problems, and death.

Pons:

  • Function: Involved in sleep, arousal, and sensory motor functions.

  • Location: Above the medulla oblongata.

  • Damage Symptoms: Sleep disturbances, sensory motor deficits, and difficulty with facial expressions.

Thalamus:

  • Function: Relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex.

  • Location: Above the brainstem.

  • Damage Symptoms: Sensory disturbances, motor difficulties, and difficulty with sleep.

Hypothalamus:

  • Function: Regulates homeostasis, including body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sleep.

  • Location: Below the thalamus.

  • Damage Symptoms: Disruptions in hormone regulation, eating disorders, sleep disturbances, and temperature regulation problems.

Hippocampus:

  • Function: Involved in memory formation and spatial navigation.

  • Location: Within the temporal lobe.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty forming new memories, anterograde amnesia.

Amygdala:

  • Function: Involved in emotional processing, particularly fear and aggression.

  • Location: Within the temporal lobe.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty recognizing and processing emotions, particularly fear.

Corpus Callosum:

  • Function: Connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

  • Location: Beneath the cerebral cortex.

  • Damage Symptoms: "Split-brain" syndrome, difficulty coordinating tasks between the two hemispheres.

Nucleus Accumbens:

  • Function: Involved in reward and motivation.

  • Location: In the basal forebrain.

  • Damage Symptoms: Reduced motivation, anhedonia (inability to experience pleasure).

Broca's Area:

  • Function: Involved in language production.

  • Location: Frontal lobe, typically in the left hemisphere.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty producing speech, Broca's aphasia.

Wernicke's Area:

  • Function: Involved in language comprehension.

  • Location: Temporal lobe, typically in the left hemisphere.

  • Damage Symptoms: Difficulty understanding language, Wernicke's aphasia.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex (Post-central gyrus):

  • Function: Processes sensory information from the body.

  • Location: Posterior to the central sulcus.

  • Damage Symptoms: Sensory loss or impairment in the corresponding body part.

Primary Motor Cortex (Pre-central gyrus):

  • Function: Controls voluntary movement.

  • Location: Anterior to the central sulcus.

  • Damage Symptoms: Weakness or paralysis in the corresponding body part.

Split-Brain Surgery / Callosotomy:

  • Function: Surgical procedure to sever the corpus callosum.

  • Effects: Difficulty integrating information between the two hemispheres, leading to various cognitive and perceptual impairments.