Neuropsychology Brain Basics

The two divisions of the NS

Central NS & Peripheral NS

What systems are apart of the CNS

brain & spinal cord

average weight of the brain

1.3-1.4 kg/ 3lbs

how many neurons and glia are there?

8 billion nerve cells/ trillions of glia (support cells)

length of spinal cord

43cm (women)/ 45cm (men)

Weight of spinal cord

35-40g

length of vertebral column

around 70 cm

What systems are apart of the PNS

Automatic & somatic

what does the SNS do?

its consist of peripheral nerve fibers that send sensory info to the CNS and motor nerve

What does the SNS have?

fibers that project to the skeletal muscles

Where is the SNS cell body located and what does it do?

either in the brain or spinal cord & project to spinal cord

What are the 3 parts of the ANS

Sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric

What does the ANS do?

controls smooth muscle of internal organs (viscera) and glands

Where is the preganglionic neuron located?

brain/spinal cordd

What does the preganglionic neuron do?

projects to an automatic ganglion and then projects to a target organ (basically sends messages to other neuron the the organ)

What does the ENS do?

it is a meshwork of nerve fibers that inner rate the viscera (gastrointestinal, pancreas, gall bladder)

The 3 sections of the Brain

Forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain

The sections in the forebrain

telencephalon & diencephalon

Sections in the telencephalon

cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, hippocampus, amygdala

Sections in the diencephalon

Thalamus, hypothalamus

Section of the midbrain

Mescencephalon

sections of the mesencephalon

tectum, tegmentum

Section of the hindbrain

metencephalon & myelencephalon

Sections of the Metencephalon

pons, cerebellum

Section of the myelencephalon

medulla

How do the 2 hemispheres of the brain communicate

through the corpus callosum & smaller fiber bundle (anterior commissure)

What are the differences between the CNS and PNS

CNS= nuclei, PNS= ganglia

CNS= axons are tracts, PNS= axons are nerves

PNS through Sensory (afferent)

Carries info INTO CNS from SENSE organs

PNS through motor (efferent)

carries info AWAY from CNS (MUSCLE control)

PNS through cranial function

connects brain with periphery

PNS through spinal function

connects spinal with periphery

PNS through somatic function

connects skin or muscles with CNS

PNS through visceral function

connects organs with CNS

cerebral cortex

“bark”; a sheet of tissue that makes up outer layer of the brain, 2-6mm

Cerebral cortex function

thought, voluntary mov, lang, reasoning, preception

Cerebellum

“little brain”; behind the brain stem, has hemispheres and cortex that surrounds the hemispheres

Cerebellum functions

mov, balance, posture

Brain stem

area between thalamus and spinal cord

brain stem structures

pons, medulla, oblangata, tectum, reticular formation, tegmentum

Brain stem functions

breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, living basics

hypothalamus

located below thalamus in the base of the brain, 1/300 weight of the brain, controls pituitary

hypothalamus functions

body temp, emotions, hunger, thirst, circadian rhythm

limbic system

group of structures: amygdala, hippocampus, mammillary bodies, cingulate gyrus

limbic system functions

emotions and memory

hippocampus

part of limbic important for memory and learning

basal ganglia

group of structures: globus palidus, caudate nucleus, subthalamic nucleus, putamen, subterminal nigra

basal ganglia function

coordination of movement

mid brain

structures that are inferior and superior colliculi and rea nucleus

mid brain function

vision, audition, eye movement, body movement

What are the 4 lobes of the brain?

Frontal, temporal, occipital, parietal

the total surface area of the brain

324 in^2

Frontal lobe location

front of central sulcus

frontal lobe concentration

reasoning, planning, speech, mov, emotions, prob-solving

Temporal lobe location

below lateral fissure

what’s the difference between fissure, gyri, sulci

sulci=groove; gyri=bump; fissure= deepest groove

Temporal lobe concentration

perception, recognition of auditory stimuli, memory (hippocampus), vision

Parietal lobe location

behind central sulci

parietal lobe concentration

preception of stimuli, movement through somatosensory (pain, temp, touch, pressure,) x

Occipital lobe location

back of brain behind temporal and parietal

Occipital lobe concentration

vision

Prefrontal cortex/gyrus function

problem solving, emotion, complex thought

motor association cortex function

coordination of complex movpri

primary motor cortex function

initiation of voluntary mov

primary somatosensory cortex function

receives tactile info form the body

sensory association area function

processing of multisensory info

visual association area function

complex processing of visual info

visual cortex

detection of simple visual stimuli

wernicke’s area function

lang comprehension

auditory association area function

complex processing of auditory infoa

auditory cortex function

detection of sound quality

broca’s area

speech production articulation

How many cranial nerves are there? and what are they?

(hint): On Old Olympus Towering Top A Famous Vocal German Viewed Some Hops

12

1 cranial nerve

olfactory nerve

olfactory nerve function

smell

II cranial nerve

Optic Nerve

Optic nerve function

vision

III cranial nerve

Oculomotor nerve

Oculomotor nerve function

eye movement/ pupil constriction

IV cranial nerve

Trochlear nerve

Trochlear nerve function

eye mov

V cranial nerve

Trigeminal nerve

Trigeminal nerve function

somatosensory info form face to head muscles (chewing)

VI cranial nerve

Abducens nerve

Abducens nerve function

eye mov

VII cranial nerve

facial nerve

facial nerve function

taste (anterior 2/3 of tongue), somatosensory info (ear), controls facial exsp

VIII cranial nerve

vestibulocochlear nerve

vestibulocochlear nerve function

hearing/balance

IX cranial nerve

Glossopharyngeal nerve

glossopharyngeal nerve function

taste (posterior 1/3 of tongue), Somatosensory info (tongue), tonsil, pharynx, controls muscles (swallowing)

X cranial nerve

Vagus nerve

vagus nerve function

somatosensory automatic function of viscera

XI cranial nerve

spinal accessory nerve

spinal accessory nerve function

controls muscles in head mov

XII cranial nerve

Hypoglossal nerve

Hypoglossal nerve function

controls muscles of the tongue

What is CSF

Cerebrospinal fluid

What provides CSF

choroid plexus in the lateral 3rd and 4th ventricles

How does CSF flow

from lateral 1s t& 2nd ventricle through interventricular foramen; then through 3rd & 4th cerebral aqueduct; then to subarachnoid; then to foraming of Luschkla; then to formamen of magendie (1)

Where is CSF absorbed in the bllod stream?

Superior sagittal sinus through arachnoid villi structures