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Neuroscience Essentials
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Neuroscience Essentials
Neuroscience Essentials
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1
Question
What are the three basic processes of the nervous system?
Page 1
Answer
Input, processing, and response.
2
Question
What are the folds of the brain called, and what are the crevices called?
Page 1
Answer
Folds are called gyri (singular: gyrus), and crevices are called sulci (singular: sulcus).
3
Question
What is the function of gyri and sulci in the brain?
Page 1
Answer
They increase the surface area of the brain, allowing room for more neuronal cell bodies.
4
Question
What are the imprints left by large brain structures on the inside of the skull called?
Page 1
Answer
Fossa.
5
Question
What is the largest opening in the skull for nerves and blood vessels, and what passes through it?
Page 1
Answer
The foramen magnum, through which the brainstem exits.
6
Question
Name the three meningeal layers protecting the brain and describe each briefly.
Page 1
Answer
Dura Mater (tough fibrous layer after skull), Arachnoid Mater (spider-web appearance with blood vessels and CSF), Pia Mater (thin layer in direct contact with brain surface).
7
Question
What are the functions of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?
Page 1
Answer
It cushions the brain and spinal cord and provides nutrients.
8
Question
Where is CSF produced, and what happens if it cannot drain?
Page 1
Answer
Produced in ventricles in the middle of the brain; if unable to drain, ventricles expand and put pressure on the brain, causing damage.
9
Question
What structures are included in the hindbrain, and what do they regulate?
Page 1
Answer
Brainstem and cerebellum; they regulate basic body processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, sleep, and coordination of body movements.
10
Question
What is the role of the midbrain?
Page 1
Answer
Located in the center of the brain, it communicates between hindbrain and forebrain, integrating sensory and motor processes, particularly vision and hearing.
11
Question
Why is the forebrain particularly large and important in humans?
Page 1
Answer
It is the largest part (cerebrum or cerebral cortex), responsible for sensory processing, motor control, and cognitive processes; more developed forebrain correlates with greater intelligence.
12
Question
How are the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex connected?
Page 2
Answer
By a bridge of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum.
13
Question
What is the contralateral control of body sides by brain hemispheres?
Page 2
Answer
Left hemisphere controls right side of body; right hemisphere controls left side.
14
Question
What is lateralization of function in the brain?
Page 2
Answer
Some processes are controlled by structures in only one hemisphere.
15
Question
What is the primary function of the occipital lobe?
Page 2
Answer
Receives and processes visual information.
16
Question
What structures are in the temporal lobe and their key roles?
Page 2
Answer
Receives auditory information; contains hippocampus (long-term memory storage/retrieval) and amygdala (emotion regulation).
17
Question
What sensory information does the parietal lobe process?
Page 2
Answer
Touch, proprioception, and coordination.
18
Question
What are the functions of the frontal lobe?
Page 2
Answer
Motor control, planning, and higher cognitive functioning.
19
Question
Where is Broca’s area located and what does it control?
Page 2
Answer
Part of primary motor cortex in frontal lobe; coordinates throat and mouth for speech production.
20
Question
Where is Wernicke’s area located and what does it control?
Page 2
Answer
Part of auditory cortex in temporal lobe; processes auditory stimuli into understandable language.
21
Question
How does damage to Broca’s or Wernicke’s area differently affect speech?
Page 2
Answer
Broca’s damage impairs speech production; Wernicke’s impairs language comprehension, producing different aphasias.
22
Question
What functions does the prefrontal cortex handle, and when does it fully mature?
Page 3
Answer
Higher-level thinking: planning, decision making, impulse control, social behavior; matures around 25 years in males, ~2 years earlier in females.
23
Question
What is the limbic system, and what is the role of the hippocampus within it?
Page 3
Answer
Collection of structures for emotion regulation and memory; hippocampus (in temporal lobe) crucial for learning and long-term memory formation/retrieval.
24
Question
Compare CT and MRI brain scans in terms of method and utility.
Page 3
Answer
CT (Computerized Tomography): rotating x-ray for cross-sections, good for tumors/bleeds but poor detail; MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): radio waves/magnets for detailed cross-sections, longer/more expensive.
25
Question
What does a PET scan measure, and how does it work?
Page 3
Answer
Measures blood flow/activity patterns; radioactive tracer injected, scanner detects radiation for 3D image.
26
Question
How does an EEG function in brain assessment?
Page 3
Answer
Electrodes on scalp detect voltage changes, plotted as brain wave patterns to identify normal/abnormal activity.
27
Question
What are applications of brain implants with electrodes?
Page 3
Answer
Record specific activity, direct brain control of computers/robotic limbs, stimulate pleasure or hallucinations.
28
Question
What comprises the central nervous system (CNS)?
Page 3
Answer
Brain and spinal cord, where sensory and motor information processing occurs.
29
Question
Define afferent and efferent pathways in the peripheral nervous system.
Page 4
Answer
Afferent: sending information in (to CNS); efferent: sending out (from CNS).
30
Question
What is the somatic nervous system?
Page 4
Answer
Voluntary branch of PNS: motor neurons for skeletal muscles, sensory neurons for conscious environmental info.