Brain
Major partsWHAT
of brain
2 THINGS DOES
THE PONS CONNECT?
1. Brain stem – continuous with spinal
cord; includes:
1. medulla oblongata- most inferior; a hard
blow can be fatal; responsible for heart rate,
breathing, reflexes: vomiting, coughing,
swallowing, hiccupping, sneezing
2. Pons – superior to medulla; a “bridge”
3. Midbrain – reflex center for eyes/ears
(tracking moving things/startle reflex), a
“bridge”
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE
NEURAL PATHWAY
FOR “TRACKING”?
2. cerebellum:
regulates posture
and balance.
3. Diencephalon
Includes:
1. thalamus – “bridge”
2. hypothalamus – inferior to thalamus; major
regulator of homeostasis (monitor glucose levels,
hunger/thirst, control of body temp, sleep patterns,
drives/emotions)
3. epithalamus – contains pineal gland
4. cerebrum
“seat of intelligence”; speech,
memory, logical and
emotional response,
interpretation of sensation,
voluntary movements
Lobes: parietal, temporal,
frontal, occipital
Protection of the brain
1. Cranium
2. Meninges: dura mater, arachnoid mater,
pia mater
3. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) – tight junctions
of brain capillary cells preventing
permeability of many substances (lipid
soluble substances – O2, CO2, alcohols
can cross)
4. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF): shockabsorbing medium and allows exchange of
nutrients and waste products between the
blood and nervous tissue
What are the parts of the
diencephalon?
a. Midbrain, thalamus, pons
b. Thalamus, hypothalamus,
epithalamus
c. Midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata
d. Cerebellum, midbrain, brainstem
What are the parts of the
brainstem?
a. Medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain
b. Diencephalon, pons, cerebellum
c. Thalamus, hypothalamus,
epithalamus
d. Pineal body, pituitary gland, cerebral
aqueduct
What is the overall
function of the brainstem?
a. Processing/interpreting
information
b. Timing of skeletal
muscles/coordination
c. Producing CSF
d. Controlling vital signs
What is the order of meninges
from CLOSEST to the brain to
the skull (from deep to
superficial)?
a. Arachnoid mater, pia mater, dura
mater
b. Pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura
mater
c. Dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia
mater
d. Pia mater, dura mater, arachnoid
mater
Cerebrum anatomy
Cerebral hemispheres: right and left
Cerebral cortex: outer rim of gray matter
Gyri: folds of brain
Fissures: deepest grooves (longitudinal
fissure – separates right and left
hemispheres)
Sulci: shallower grooves
Lobes of cerebrum
frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
Separated by different sulci (ex: central
sulcus separates frontal and parietal lobes)
2 main gyri:
– precentral gyrus- anterior to central sulcus; part
of frontal lobe; primary motor area (voluntary
muscle contractions)
– Postcentral gyrus – posterior to central sulcus;
part of parietal lobe; primary somatosensory
area (pain, touch, temperature, tickle, itch, etc)