Brain Structure Notes

Front: Myelencephalon (medulla) — main role
Back: Vital autonomic functions (cardio-respiration) & reticular formation (arousal/attention). Analogy: life-support control room.

2
Front: What is the reticular formation & why care?
Back: Network running through brainstem; keeps you awake/alert (ascending reticular activating system). Analogy: brain’s on/off switch + dimmer for alertness.

3
Front: Metencephalon parts
Back: Pons (bridge of white-matter tracts + cranial nerve nuclei) & Cerebellum (fine-tuning, timing, motor learning). Analogy: pons = highway hub; cerebellum = orchestra conductor.

4
Front: Cerebellum function
Back: Adjusts movement using sensory & vestibular feedback; also helps with motor learning & timing. Analogy: live sound engineer fine-tuning the band.

5
Front: Mesencephalon = midbrain main roof & floor
Back: Tectum (roof): SC = visual reflexes, IC = auditory reflexes.
Tegmentum (floor): PAG = pain & freeze; Red Nucleus = motor feedback; Substantia Nigra = dopamine → striatum (Parkinson’s).

6
Front: PAG role
Back: Pain suppression (opioids/endorphins) + defensive freezing. Analogy: panic-room control hub around the brain’s plumbing.

7
Front: Substantia nigra function & disease
Back: Sends dopamine to striatum for smooth voluntary movement; loss → Parkinson’s. Analogy: dopamine fuel station — runs dry → tremor & stiffness.

8
Front: Red nucleus role
Back: Motor feedback loop to cerebellum (less tested but know it exists). Analogy: relay office sending reports back to conductor.

9
Front: Diencephalon major parts
Back: Thalamus (relay hub to cortex — LGN vision, MGN audition, VPL/VPM somatosensory, MD→PFC).
Hypothalamus (drives: feeding, sex, temp, stress; controls pituitary hormones).

10
Front: Thalamus — sensory nuclei map
Back: LGN → vision; MGN → audition; VPL/VPM → somatosensation; MD → cognition/PFC. Analogy: airport hub with terminals for each sense.

11
Front: Hypothalamus → pituitary → adrenal (HPA) axis
Back: CRF → ACTH → cortisol/epinephrine (stress response). Analogy: CEO sends email → manager → factory pumps stress hormones.

12
Front: Telencephalon = what two big systems?
Back: Cerebral cortex (neocortex: lobes, gyri) + Subcortical systems (limbic system & basal ganglia).

13
Front: Key cortical landmarks
Back: Longitudinal fissure = hemispheres; Central fissure = motor (precentral) vs sensory (postcentral); Lateral fissure = temporal vs frontal/parietal.

14
Front: Neocortex layers — sensory vs motor
Back: 6 layers; sensory cortex → thick input (III/IV); motor → thick output (V/VI). Analogy: sensory = giant inbox; motor = giant outbox.

15
Front: Limbic system main pieces & functions
Back: Hippocampus = explicit/spatial memory; Amygdala = fear/emotion; Cingulate = attention/emotion link; Fornix = ACh tract; Mammillary bodies = memory (Korsakoff’s damage).

16
Front: Basal ganglia key structures
Back: Striatum (caudate + putamen) = movement selection/initiation; Globus pallidus = output; Nucleus accumbens = reward; SN provides dopamine. Analogy: movement approval board + reward office.

17
Front: Corpus callosum role
Back: Main commissure connecting hemispheres; damage → split-brain effects.

18
Front: Which brain part fine-tunes movement with sensory/vestibular feedback?
Back: Cerebellum ✅

19
Front: Midbrain structure where opioids act for pain relief
Back: Periaqueductal Gray (PAG) ✅

20
Front: Which thalamic nucleus handles visual info?
Back: Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN) ✅