Brain 3: midbrain and Cerebellum Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Brain 3: midbrain and Cerebellum Deck (26)
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0
Q

what is cerebral peduncles

A

anterior of midbrain
paired bundles of axons
axons from
corticospinal tracts - motor area in cerebral cortex to the SC
corticobulbar tracts - motor area in cerebral cortex to medulla
corticopontine tracts - motor area in cerebral cortex to pons

1
Q

What does midbrain contain

A

Cerebral peduncles
Tectum (superior colliculi and inferior colliculi)
substantia nigra
red nuclei

2
Q

What is tectum

A

posteior to midbrain
contains 4 rounded elevations:
Superior colliculi: coordinates movements of head, eyes, trunk in response to visual stimuli (tracking movement)
Inferior colliculi: coordinates movements of head, eyes, trunk in response to auditory stimuli
Startle reflex - sudden movements of head, eyes, trunk that occur when surprised by a loud noise

3
Q

Substantia nigra

A

in Midbrain
Neurons release dopamine and help control subconscious muscle activities
loss of these neurons is associated with Parkinson’s disease

4
Q

Red nuclei

A

in Midbrain
Invovled in voluntary muscle movements
rich blood supply
iron-containing pigment

5
Q

Nuclei associated with cranial nerves in midbrain

A

CN III oculomoter nerves

CNIV trochlear nerves

6
Q

what is Reticular formation

A

Found throughout brain stem
Net like arrangement of grey and white matter
Grey matter - cluster of cell bodies
White matter - small bundles of myelinated axons

7
Q

Reticular activating system (RAS)

A

RISE AND SHINE
consists of sensory axons that project to the cerebral cortex
can be activated by visual, auditory, mental, pain, touch pressure, proprioceptive stimuli
BUT no smell.
involved in consciousness
active during arousal
helps maintain attention and alertness
prevents sensory overload by filtering out insignificant information so that it does not reach consciousness

8
Q

inactivation of RAS produces

A

Sleep. A state of partial consciousness from which an individual can be aroused.

9
Q

damage to the RAS results in

A

Coma: a state of unconsciousness from which an individual cannot be aroused
In the lightest state of coma, people still have brain stem and spinal cord reflexes
in deepest states, those reflexes are lost

10
Q

which drug can affect RAS?

A

Melatonin by induce sleep

Anesthetics turn off consciousness via the RAS

11
Q

what does RAS do to muscle

A

Consists of motor axons that connect to the cerebellum and spinal cord to help regulate muscle tone. )the slight degree of involuntary contraction in normal resting skeletal muscle.
Invovled in regulation of heart rate, BP, respiratory rate.

12
Q

cerebellum

A

Highly folded surface, increasing the surface area of its outer grey matter, allowing for a greater number of neurons

13
Q

how many % of brain mass is the cerebellum

A

a tenth of brain mass but contains half of the neurons

14
Q

what separates the cerebellum from the cerebrum

A

Tentorium cerebelli

Transverse fissure

15
Q

3 cerebellar hemispheres

A

consists of lobes separated by deep and distinct fissures
Anterior lobe and posterior lobe: govern subconscious movement of skeletal muscles
Flocculonodular lobe: Invovled in equibillum

16
Q

cerebellar cortex

A

superficial layer of cortex
Folia: consists of grey matter in a series of folia
Arbor vitae: deep to the folia (grey matter) are tracts of white matter called arbor vitae

17
Q

Cerebellar nuclei

A

Nuclei in white matter

18
Q

3 cerebellar peduncles

A

superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles

19
Q

cerebellum to red nuclei (midbrain) and thalamus

A

superior cerebellar peduncles

20
Q

largest and axons carry impulses for voluntary movements from pontine nucleus to cerebellum

A

middle cerebellar peduncles

21
Q

what does inferior cerebellar preduncles do?

A
  1. axons of spinocerebellar tracts that carry sensory information from proprioceptors in trunk and limbs
  2. axons from vestibular apparatus of inner ear + from vestibular nuclei of medulla and pons
  3. axons from the inferior olivary nucleus of meddula that enter cerebellum and regulate cerebellar neurons
  4. axons that extend from the cerebellum to the vestibular nuclei of medulla and pons
  5. axons that extend from cerebellum to reticular formation
22
Q

Function of cerebellum

A

Primary: to evaluate how well movements initiated by the cerebrum are actually carried out

  • if not carried out correctly, the cerebellum detects the discrepancy and sends feed back signals to the cerebral cortex
  • the feedback signals help correct the errors, smooth the movements and coordinate complex sequences of skeletal muscle contractions
  • also regulates balance and posture
23
Q

Ataxia

A

Loss of ability to coordinate muscle movements
can’t touch the tip of nose, can’t coordinate moments with the proprioceptive info
changed speech pattern due to uncoordinated speech muscles
staggering or abnormal walking gait
alcohol inhibits activity of cerebellum so drunks show signs of ataxia
ataxia can also occur from degenerative disease (MS, Parkinson’s) trauma brain tumors, genetic factors, meds side effects

24
Q

Dysarthria

A

problem with speech

25
Q

Aphasia

A

difficulty to find a word trying to say