1st McClure Test

So I am now in McClure's lecture! If it is drastically different from McVay let me know.

1. Name components of central and peripheral nervous system. Compare
compositions and functions of gray and white matter. Define the following terms:
nucleus, ganglion, nerve, and nerve tract. Explain the general structure of brain
and the spinal cord.
CNS- brain and spinal chord
PNS- everything else...
Gray- unmyelinated fiber tracts; used for neuronal processing
White- myelinated fiber tracts; carries information through the brain
Nucleus- a brain structure consisting of a relatively compact cluster of neurons
Ganglion- a cluster of axons found outside of the CNS
Nerve- any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
Nerve Tract- a cluster of axons found inside of the CNS

2. Define the term cephalization-
an evolutionary trend, whereby nervous tissue, over many generations, becomes concentrated toward one end of an organism. This process eventually produces a head region with sensory organs.


3. Briefly describe embryonic development of the brain: name and identify main
components of forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
Forms from ectoderm, neural plate invaginates and seals on dorsal side eventually becoming the neural tube.
The top of this neural tube becomes the forebrain (telencephalon and diencephelon), mesenephelon (undivided midbrain), and hindbrain (metencephelon and myelencephelon).

4. Identify five lobes of cerebral hemispheres. Define the terms basal nuclei, cortex,
gyrus, sulcus, and fissure.
Five Lobes: Frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, and that one in the middle underneath the temporal...
The basal ganglia (or basal nuclei) are a group of nuclei of varied origin (mostly telencephalic embryonal origin, with some diencephalic and mesencephalic elements) in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and other brain areas. The basal ganglia are associated with a variety of functions, including voluntary motor control, procedural learning relating to routine behaviors or "habits," eye movements, and cognitive,^[1] emotional functions.
Cortex- the tissue forming the outer layer of an organ or structure in plant or animal
Gyrus- brain ridge
Sulcus- the valleys of the brain
Fissure- crevice: a long narrow depression in a surface


5. Explain hemisphere dominance and lateralization. Give examples of functions
performed by the cortex of only right hemisphere and only left hemisphere. Name
brain structures that connect two hemispheres. Explain the function of motor,
sensory, and association cerebral corteses.
Dominance- whatever side of the brain takes over most of the time
Lateralization- brain doing different things but working together
Right- insight, visual-spatial skills, intuition, artistic skills (creativity)
Left- language, math , logic (logic is a good word here)
Brain structures-

Motor-
Sensory-
Association-

6. Identify the location and explain the functions of primary (somatic) motor cortex,
premotor cortex, Broca’s area, and frontal eye field. What does motor
homunculus represent?
PMC- anterior to central sulcus; conscious movement
PC- anterior to PMS; learned motor skills, sequential action
Broca's- one side (dominant) above temporal; speech
FEF- anterior PC; voluntary eye movement
Homunculus- shows number of neurons/ability of fine control

7. Identify the location and explain the function of primary somatosensory cortex.
Compare primary corteses with association corteses for the following areas:
somatosensory, visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and vestibular. Explain the
difference between the sensation and perception.

8. Identify the location and explain the function of the following association areas of
the cerebral cortex; anterior association area, posterior association area and limbic
association area.
All are centered around the temporal lobe, but do stretch up to the parietal and back to the occipital.
Anterior- intellect, cognition, personality, recall, working memory (judgement, conscience), and develops from environmental feedback
Posterior- recognizing patterns and faces, localizes us in space, and understanding language (written and spoken)
Limbic- establishes memories by associating emotions

9. Name three types of fibers found in CNS and explain their function.
Commissures- connect the two brain hemispheres together
Association fibers- connect different parts within the same hemisphere
Projection fibers- connect the hemispheres with the spinal cord and associated areas

10. What are basal nuclei? Name and identify their components. What is the
function of basal nuclei?
They are "subcortical nuclei." A group of nuclei in the brains of vertebrates, situated at the base of the forebrain.
Consists of caudate and lentiform nuclei.
Function include muscle control, preventing unnecessary action, assist with cognition, and fine-tune learned movements.


11. Name three parts of diencephalon. Identify them on anterior, lateral, and
posterior views of the brain.
Three parts: thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus.

12. Explain the role of thalamus in sensory pathways.
Thalamus sorts information and mediates most of what comes into the brain in one way or another.

13. List and identify the components of hypothalamus. What is its function?
Hypothalamus controls autonomic functions and emotions. Auto: body temp, food and water intake/balance, sleep, controls hormones released by anterior pituitary, and produces posterior pituitary hormones.

14. List and identify the components of epithalamus. What is its function?
Epithalamus contains pineal gland, which produces melatonin (sleep cycle). Found on dorsal side of thalamus.

15. Name the three components of the brainstem and explain their function. Explain
its relation to the ventricular system of the brain.
Three components: Midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
Supports and surrounds the ventricular system.

16. Explain the function of the following parts of the midbrain: cerebral peduncles,
superior and inferior colliculi of corpora quadrigemina, substantia nigra, and red
nucleus. List the cranial nerves associated with midbrain, pons, and medulla
oblongata.
Cerebral peduncle- contain pyramidal motor tracts
Superior colliculi of corpora- visual reflex center
Inferior colliculi of corpora- auditory relay center
Substantia nigra- linked to basal nuclei in function; also produces dopamine
Red nucleus- relay for some descending motor pathways
Cranial nerves associated- trigeminal V, abducens VI, and facial VII

17. Review the gross anatomy of cerebellum. Explain the role of cerebellum in motor
coordination and cognition.
Fine-tunes muscle contractions. All fibers are ipsilateral. Three paired fibers connect to rest of brain.
Initiates voluntary muscle contraction, informs body of position and momentum, calculates smoothest muscle contractions, and sends "blueprints" of coordinated movements out.
Recognizes and predicts the outcome of complex movement. Assists with word association and puzzle solving.