The four major regions of the brain are - ✔✔ cerebrum
dienchephalon
brainstem
cerebellum
Our skull volume limits the size of the brain, so
... [Show More] what happens - ✔✔ the outer brain tissue of the cerebrum folds in on itself (gyri) so that more neurons can fit within the cranium
The shallow depressions between gyri are called
The deep groovers are named - ✔✔ sulci
fissures
The cerebellum is ____ to the cerebrum - ✔✔ inferior
The brainstem has what three regions - ✔✔ midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata
The diencephalon is organized into what three regions (+ facts) - ✔✔ epithalamus = posterior roof and covers third ventricles. posterior portion houses the pineal gland and habenular nuclei
thalamus = forms super-lateral walls of third ventricle. Sensory nerve signals from all conscious senses (except olfaction) converge on the thalamus and synapse in at least one of its nuclei. Final relay point for incoming sensory info
hypothalamus = anteroinferior region. Master control of autonomic NS, endocrine system, and other functions related to body comfort
What is the pineal gland?
What does it secrete? - ✔✔ an endocrine gland that secretes melatonin (regulates body's circadian rhythm)
What are the two direction terms often used to describe relative positions of brain anatomy - ✔✔ Anterior is synonymous with rostral
posterior is synonymous with caudal
What does the habenular nuclei do? - ✔✔ relay signals from the limbic system to the midbrain.
Involved in visceral and emotional responses to odors
What is a contusion in relation to the brain - ✔✔ a traumatic brain injury where there's bruising of the brain due to trauma that causes blood to leak from small vessels into the subarachnoid space
The nervous system is derived from what primary germ layer? - ✔✔ ectoderm
The formation of nervous tissue begins in the embryo during
with? - ✔✔ the third week of development
with a thickening of a portion of the ectoderm
The developing neural tube forms the _____
In particular... - ✔✔ the CNS
in particular, the cranial part expands to form the brain and the caudal part expands to form the spinal cord
What is anencephaly? - ✔✔ substation or complete absence of a brain as well as the bones making up the cranium
What is spina bifida? - ✔✔ when the caudal portion of the neural tube fails to close (often in lumbar or sacral region)
What are the two forms of spina bifida and which is more severe?
Which is more common? - ✔✔ cystica and occulta
cystica is more severe - paralysis of lower limbs
occulta more common
One indication that a general brain structure is composed of brain matter is that these areas are often designated with what two layers - ✔✔ a superficial layer called the cortex
an inner layer made up of clusters of neuron cell bodies called the nucleus
The _____ within the gray matter allow for integration and processing to occur - ✔✔ synapses
The anatomic structure of white matter derives its color from...
What are they called? - ✔✔ bundles of myelinated axons that compose it
called tracts and are located either superficially or deep
White matter in the spinal cord is subdivided into - ✔✔ funiculi and white commisures
What is the general function of white matter? - ✔✔ relay nerve signals
What protective CT membrane surrounds and partitions portions of the brain? - ✔✔ meninges
From deep (closest to brain) to superficial, what are the three cranial meninges layers
What are they made of? - ✔✔ pia mater (areolar CT)
arachnoid mater (collagen and elastic fibers - termed arachnoid trabeculae)
dura mater (dense irregular CT)
Immediately deep to the arcachnoid mater is the ____ which contains... - ✔✔ subarachnoid space
contains CSF
What is a hematoma - ✔✔ a pooling of blood outside a vessel [Show Less]