Neuroscience Anatomy

Question 1

Somatic Nervous System

Answer 1

peripheral nerve fibers send sensory information to the CNS
• motor nerve fibers send information to skeletal muscles
• somatic motor neurons travel directly to skeletal muscle without intervening synapses
controls voluntary movements and provides the ability to sense touch, smell,
sight, taste, and sound
• all five senses are influenced by the SNS

Question 2

Limbic System

Answer 2

corpus collosum, olfactory tract, mammillary bodies, fornix, thalamic nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus, aprahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, hypothalamic nuclei

• involved in the control and expression of mood and emotion, processing and storage of recent memory, olfaction, control of appetite, and emotional responses to food
• lesions to the limbic system can also result in a variety of behaviors including aggression, extreme fearfulness, altered sexual behavior, and changes in motivation

Question 3

Frontal lobe (function and impairment)

Answer 3

Function:
* voluntary movement, intellect, orientation
* Broca’s area (typically located in the left hemisphere): speech, concentration
personality, temper, judgment, executive functions, reasoning, behavior, self-awareness

Impairment:
* contralateral weakness
* perseveration, inattention
* personality changes, antisocial behavior
* Broca’s aphasia (expressive deficits)
* delayed or poor initiation, emotional lability

Question 4

Parietal lobe

Answer 4

Function:
*associated with sensation of touch, kinesthesia, perception of vibration, and temperature
* receives information from other areas of the brain regarding hearing, vision, motor, sensory, and memory
* interprets language and words
* spatial and visual perception
* provides meaning for objects

Impairment:
* dominant hemisphere (typically located in the left hemisphere):
agraphia, alexia, agnosia
* non-dominant hemisphere (typically located in the right hemisphere): dressing apraxia, anosognosia
* contralateral sensory deficits
* impaired language comprehension

Question 5

Temporal lobe

Answer 5

Function:
primary auditory processing and olfaction
* Wernicke’s area (typically located in the left hemisphere): ability to understand and produce meaningful speech, verbal and general memory, assists with understanding language
*the rear of the temporal lobe enables humans to interpret other people’s emotions and reactions

Impairment:
* learning deficits
* Wernicke’s aphasia (receptive deficits)
* antisocial, aggressive behaviors
* difficulty with facial recognition
* difficulty with memory, memory lOss
* inability to categorize objects

Question 6

Occipital Lobe

Answer 6

Function:
* main processing center for visual information
* processes visual information regarding colors, light, and shapes
* judgment of distance, seeing in three dimensions

Impairment:
* homonymous hemianopsia
* impaired extraocular muscle movement and visual deficits
* reading and writing impairment
* cortical blindness with bilateral lobe involvement

Question 7

What are the meninges

Answer 7

3 layers of connective tissue covering the brain and spinal cord.

Provide protection from contusion and infection.

There are blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the meninges.

Question 8

What are the 3 types of meninges

Answer 8

*dura mater: outermost meninx; has four folds; lines the periosteum of the skull and protects the brain; subdural space separates this from the arachnoid mater

*arachnoid mater: the middle meninx; the arachnoid is impermeable; surrounds the brain in a loose manner; subarachnoid space separates this from the pia mater

• pia mater: innermost meninx; covers the contours of the brain;
  forms the choroid plexus in the ventricular system

Question 9

What are the dural spaces

Answer 9

• epidural space: an area between the skull and outer dura mater that can be abnormally occupied; also the area in the spinal cord between the dura mater and the periosteum of the vertebrae
• subdural space: the area between the dura and arachnoid meninges
• subarachnoid space: the area between the arachnoid and pia mater that contains CSF and the circulatory system for the cerebral cortex

Question 10

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Answer 10

• clear, fluid-like substance
• cushions the brain and spinal cord from injury and provides mechanical buoyancy and support.
• produced constantly: 500-700 ml/day.
• Provides nutrition to the central nervous system, serves as a conduit for removal of metabolites, and is constantly being absorbed and replenished within the brain and spinal cord.

Question 11

Blood brain barrier

Answer 11

• consists of the meninges, protective glial cells, and capillary beds of the brain.
• It is responsible for exchange of nutrients between the central nervous system and the vascular system.
• Provides protection for the CNS by restricting certain molecules from crossing the barrier while others are able to do so freely.

Question 12

Right hemisphere specialization/dominance

Answer 12

• Nonverbal processing
• Process information in a holistic manner
• Artistic abilities
• General concept comprehension
• Hand-eye coordination
• Spatial relationships
• Kinesthetic awareness
• Understand music
• Understand nonverbal communication
• Mathematical reasoning
• Express negative emotions
• Body image awareness

Question 13

Left hemisphere specialization/dominance

Answer 13

• Language
• Sequence and perform movements
• Understand language
• Produce written and spoken language
• Analytical
• Controlled
• Logical
• Rational
• Mathematical calculations
• Express positive emotions such as love and happiness
• Process verbally coded information in an organized, logical, and sequential manner

Question 14

Hippocampus

Answer 14

• in the lower temporal lobe
• responsible for forming and storing new memories of personal hx and other declarative memory.
• sends memories to appropriates areas of the cerebral hemispheres for long-term storage.

Question 15

Basal Ganglia

Answer 15

• includes: caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, and subthalamic nuclei.
• voluntary movement, regulation of ANS, posture, m tone, and control of motor responses
• Dysfunction: PD, Huntington’s disease, tourette’s syndrome, ADD, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, and many addictions

Question 16

Amygdala

Answer 16

• in the temporal lobes
• emotional and social processing.
• Involved in fear and pleasure responses, arousal, processing of memory, and formation of emotional memories

Question 17

Thalamus

Answer 17

• relay or processing station
• coordinates sensory perception and mvmt with other parts of the brain and SC.
• Receives info from cerebellum, BG, and all sensory pathways except olfactory tract.
• Then relays to appropriate association cortex
• can produce thalamic pain syndrome where there is spontaneous pain on the contralateral side of the body to the thalamic lesion.

Question 18

Hypothalamus

Answer 18

• receives and integrates info from ANS and assists with regulating hormones
• controls functions such as hunger, thirst, sexual behavior, and sleeping.
• Regulates temperature, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and other vital activities.

Impairments:
* Obesity, sexual disinterest, poor temperature control, and diabetes insipidus.

Question 19

Subthalamus

Answer 19

• regulating movement produced by skeletal m.
• Has association with the basal ganglia and substantia nigra.

Question 20

Epithalamus

Answer 20

• pineal gland

*secretes melatonin and involved in circadian rhythm (internal clock), selected regulation of motor pathways, and emotions.

Question 21

Midbrain

Answer 21

• large relay area for info passing from cerebrum, cerebellum, and SC
• also reflex center for visual, auditory, and tactile responses

Question 22

Cerebellum

Answer 22

• responsible for fine tuning of movement and assists with maintaining posture and balance, controlling m tone and positioning of the extremities in space
• control ability to perform rapidly alternating movement
• Damage to one side of cerebellum will produce IPSILATERAL deficits.
• Lesion produces: ataxia, nystagmus, tremor, hypermetria, poor coordination, and deficits in postural reflexes, balance, and equilibrium.

Question 23

Pons

Answer 23

• regulation of respiration rate and orientation of the head in relation to visual and auditory stimuli
• CN V- CV VIII

Question 24

Medulla Oblongata

Answer 24

• influences ANS and regulates respiration and HR.
• reflex centers for vomiting, coughing, and sneezing are found in medulla.
• responsible for relaying somatic sensory information for internal organs and the control of arousal and sleep
• Damage produces contralateral impairment.
• CN IX, X, XI, XII

Question 25

Anterior Cerebral Artery (ACA)

Answer 25

* anterior frontal lobe * medial surface of frontal and parietal lobe

Question 26

Anterior Cerebral Artery (ACA) expected possible impairment based on extent of vascular involvement

Answer 26

* Contralateral lower extremity motor and sensory involvement * Loss of bowel and bladder control * Loss of behavioral inhibition (personality changes) * Significant mental changes * Neglect * Aphasia * Apraxia and agraphia * Perseveration * Akinetic mutism with significant bilateral involvement

Question 27

Middle Cerebral Artery (ACA) supplies

Answer 27

Most of outer cerebrum * Basal ganglia * Posterior and anterior internal capsule * Putamen * Pallidum * Lentiform nucleus

Question 28

Middle Cerebral Artery (MCA) expected possible impairment based on extent of vascular invovlement

Answer 28

* Most common site of a CVA * Wernicke's aphasia in dominant hemisphere * Homonymous hemianopsia * Apraxia * Flat affect with right hemisphere damage * Contralateral weakness and sensory loss of face and upper extremity with lesser involvement in the lower extremity * Impaired spatial relations * Anosognosia in non-dominant hemisphere * Impaired body schema

Question 29

Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA) supplies

Answer 29

Most of outer cerebrum * Basal ganglia * Posterior and anterior internal capsule * Putamen * Pallidum * Lentiform nucleus

Question 30

Posterior Cerebral Artery (PCA) expected possible impairment based on extent of vascular involvement

Answer 30

* Contralateral pain and temperature sensory loss * Contralateral hemiplegia (central area), mild hemiparesis * Ataxia, athetosis or choreiform movement Quality of movement is impaired * Thalamic pain syndrome * Anomia * Prosopagnosia with occipital infarct * Hemiballismus * Visual agnosia * Homonymous hemianopsia * Memory impairment * Alexia, dyslexia * Cortical blindness from bilateral involvement

Question 31

Vertebral-basilar artery supplies

Answer 31

* Lateral aspect of pons and midbrain together with superior surface of cerebellum * Cerebellum - branches from the basilar artery (posterior inferior cerebellar, anterior inferior cerebellar, and superior cerebellar arteries) . Medulla - posterior inferior cerebellar artery, smaller branches from the vertebral arteries . Pons - branches from the basilar artery . Midbrain and thalamus - posterior cerebral arteries . Occipital cortex - posterior cerebral artery, basilar artery

Question 32

Vertebral-basilar artery expected possible impairment based on extent of vascular involvement

Answer 32

* Loss of consciousness * Hemiplegia or tetraplegia * Comatose or vegetative state * Inability to speak * Locked-in syndrome * Vertigo * Nystagmus * Dysphagia * Dysarthria * Syncope * Ataxia Wallenberg syndrome secondary to lateral medullary infarct - ipsilateral facial pain and temperature impairment, ipsilateral ataxia, vertigo, contralateral pain and temperature impairment of the body.