Cerebrum Slide- NAna

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of the sensory areas in the cerebral cortex?

Contribute to emotional responses

Process sensory information and contribute to perception (correct)

Integrate complex functions such as memory and reasoning

Control voluntary movements

Which area of the cerebral cortex is primarily responsible for speech articulation?

Wernicke’s area

Sensory association area

Broca’s speech area (correct)

Primary motor area

What characteristic of the primary motor area allows for specific muscle contractions?

It has a dedicated cortical region for each muscle group (correct)

It solely activates the respiratory muscles

It integrates sensory and motor functions

It is located in the occipital lobe

In which hemisphere is Broca’s speech area predominantly located?

Left hemisphere Signup and view all the answers

What types of areas are included in Brodmann's classification of the cerebral cortex?

Motor areas and sensory areas Signup and view all the answers

What does the primary motor area primarily control?

Voluntary muscle contractions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following structures does not directly contribute to muscle activation for speech?

Cerebellum Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes the relationship between cortical area size and muscle function?

More cortical area is dedicated to muscles involved in precise movements Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the precentral gyrus?

Contains primary motor area Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following structures separates the frontal lobe from the temporal lobe?

Lateral cerebral sulcus Signup and view all the answers

What is the main role of commissural tracts in the brain?

Conduct nerve impulses between gyri of opposite hemispheres Signup and view all the answers

Which tract is the largest commissural tract in the brain?

Corpus callosum Signup and view all the answers

The internal capsule is primarily composed of which type of tracts?

Projection tracts Signup and view all the answers

Where is the insula located in relation to the other lobes of the cerebrum?

Deep within the lateral cerebral sulcus Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about association tracts is true?

They conduct impulses between gyri in the same hemisphere Signup and view all the answers

How are projection tracts characterized?

Conduct impulses from the cerebrum to lower areas of the CNS Signup and view all the answers

Which structure contributes more cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the 4th ventricle?

Choroid plexus Signup and view all the answers

What is the normal rate of reabsorption of CSF into the blood?

20 mL/hr Signup and view all the answers

Through which openings does CSF enter the subarachnoid space?

Foramen of Magendie and foramen of Luschka Signup and view all the answers

What structure primarily reabsorbs CSF into the blood?

Arachnoid villi Signup and view all the answers

Why is the pressure of CSF normally constant?

Formation and reabsorption rates are equal Signup and view all the answers

What structure does the pia mater merge with at the level of the 2nd sacral vertebra?

Dura mater Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following functions does cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NOT perform?

Acts as a neurotransmitter Signup and view all the answers

Where do the lateral ventricles communicate with the third ventricle?

Through the foramen of Monroe Signup and view all the answers

Which structure lies between the right and left halves of the thalamus?

Third ventricle Signup and view all the answers

What is the shape of the fourth ventricle in the brain?

Diamond Signup and view all the answers

How does the fourth ventricle communicate with the subarachnoid space?

Through lateral and median apertures Signup and view all the answers

What type of tissue primarily composes the pia mater?

Connective tissue Signup and view all the answers

Which part of the brain is situated above the lateral ventricles?

Thalamus Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the premotor area in the brain?

To generate nerve impulses for learned motor activities. Signup and view all the answers

Damage to which area would likely prevent a patient from recognizing familiar faces despite having a functioning visual field?

Visual association area Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following areas is directly involved in controlling the voluntary scanning movements of the eyes?

Frontal eye field area Signup and view all the answers

Where do primary sensory areas primarily receive sensory information?

In the posterior half of both cerebral hemispheres. Signup and view all the answers

What role do secondary sensory areas play in processing information?

They integrate sensory experiences into meaningful patterns. Signup and view all the answers

What occurs if the primary somatosensory area is damaged?

Loss of some or all tactile sensations. Signup and view all the answers

Which sensory area is primarily associated with the sense of taste?

Primary gustatory area Signup and view all the answers

Which brain structures communicate with the premotor area?

Primary motor cortex, sensory association areas, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Signup and view all the answers

Which substances easily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB)?

Alcohol Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of the hippocampus within the limbic system?

Formation of long-term memories Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is primarily involved in regulating autonomic functions like heart rate and blood pressure?

Cingulate gyrus Signup and view all the answers

The amygdala is primarily associated with which kind of stimuli?

Motivationally significant stimuli such as fear Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following structures is considered part of the limbic system?

Hippocampus Signup and view all the answers

Which area is primarily responsible for creating new memories and regulating happiness?

Dentate gyrus Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is important for the formation of memory within the hypothalamus?

Mammillary body Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the parahippocampal gyrus?

Formation of spatial memory Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Overview of the Nervous System (Part 1)

The nervous system is categorized into central and peripheral systems.
The central nervous system (CNS) encompasses the brain and spinal cord.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) comprises peripheral nerves (cranial and spinal), ganglia, and receptors.
The brain is composed of four major parts: brainstem, diencephalon, cerebrum, and cerebellum.

Brain Structures

Cerebrum: Seat of intelligence, responsible for reading, writing, speaking, and numerous other higher mental functions like making calculations, composing music, remembering the past, planning for the future, sensory perception, and initiating/coordinating skeletal muscle contractions.
Divided into five lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula. Each lobe is named after the bone that covers it.
Lobes and Functions
- Frontal: Voluntary motor functions, eye movements, planning, mood, smell, and social judgement.
- Parietal: Receives and integrates sensory information (touch, pain, temperature, etc.), interprets speech.
- Temporal: Areas for hearing and smell (auditory and olfactory perception). Involved in learning, memory, and emotional behaviours.
- Occipital: Visual center and visual perception.
- Insula: Deep within the lateral cerebral sulcus, not visible at the surface of the brain.
Sulci and Fissures:
- Central sulcus: Separates frontal and parietal lobes
- Longitudinal fissure: Separates cerebrum into two hemispheres
- Lateral cerebral sulcus: Separates frontal and temporal lobes
- Parieto-occipital sulcus: Separates parietal and occipital lobes
Cerebral Cortex: Outer layer of the cerebrum (gray matter) composed of billions of neurons, including cell bodies. Embryonic development of the brain shows the gray matter enlarging faster than the white matter. This causes the cerebral cortex to fold which fits better in the cranial cavity.
Gyri and Sulci: Gyri (folds) and sulci (shallow grooves) increase surface area.
Hemispheres: Left and right hemispheres are connected by the corpus callosum. The Corpus Callosum is the largest fiber bundle in the brain with roughly 300 million nerve fibers.
Internal Capsule: A v-shaped structure of white matter located between the lenticular nuclei (lateral) and thalamic/caudate nuclei (medial). Contains ascending and descending projection tracts.
Genu: Part of the internal capsule, contains corticobulbar/corticonuclear tracts originating in the primary motor area for head and facial movement & terminating at brainstem cranial nuclei (III, IV, V, VI, VII, IX, X, XI, XII).
Anterior Limb: Located between the lenticular nuclei and caudate nuclei. Contains major tracts for communication between the thalamus and frontal lobe (thalamocortical/thalamofrontal).
Posterior Limb: Largest structure in the internal capsule, it contains ascending and descending tracts, Includes corticospinal, somatosensory, optic radiation, and auditory fibers.

Ventricles and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

Four ventricles within the brain: two lateral, one third, and one fourth ventricle.
CSF: Colorless liquid that protects the brain and spinal cord, providing shock absorption and nutrient delivery while removing waste.
CSF composition: Glucose, proteins, lactic acid, urea, cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+), anions (Cl− and HCO3−), and some white blood cells.
CSF circulation: Produced in choroid plexus. Flows from lateral to third and then fourth ventricles through the cerebral aqueduct and then into the subarachnoid space. CSF is reabsorbed into the venous circulation.
Functions: Mechanical protection, chemical protection, and circulation (nutrients, waste). Involved in homeostasis.

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)

The BBB protects brain cells from harmful substances and pathogens by preventing their passage from blood into brain cells.
It primarily consists of the endothelial cells in the choroid plexus.
Tight junctions and astrocyte processes maintain the permeability characteristic.
Some substances pass through by active transport (e.g., glucose). Others (e.g., creatinine, urea, & most ions) cross slowly.

Limbic System

A complex system of structures in the cerebrum and diencephalon.
Functions: Emotions, memory, olfaction (smell).
Key structures include: cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, amygdala, fornix, septal nuclei, mammillary bodies, olfactory bulbs.
Plays a role in spatial memory formation, long-term memories, and emotional responses like fear and aggression.

Basal Ganglia

A group of nuclei deep within the cerebral hemispheres that play a role in regulating movement and posture. The basal ganglia include the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic nucleus, and substantia nigra
Essential for motor control, procedural learning, and motor response selection.

Hemispheric Lateralization

Functional specialization of brain hemispheres.
Typically the left hemisphere is dominant for language, reasoning, and logical functions; the right hemisphere is dominant for spatial awareness, recognizing faces, and emotional content.

Learning Outcome Breakdown

Describe the organization/function of the CNS, PNS, limbic system.
Explain brain protection (meninges, CSF, BBB) and blood supply.

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