31/08/2012

FACULTY OF SCIENCE
School of Biomedical Sciences (SBMS)

ANAT1005
CNS I Brain

Lecturer: Tracey Langfield

Email: t.langfield@uq.edu.au
Phone: 07 3365 2700
Office: Otto Hirschfeld Building #81, Room 425A,

Monday, 3rd September 2012

Anatomical subdivisions of the nervous system

Major regions of the CNS
1. Central nervous system (CNS) Brain
• brain:
– Cerebrum
Brain Spinal cord Spinal cord
higher cognitive functions, conscious thought, intellect, memory, initiate
complex movement sequences

Nerves – Diencephalon
2. Peripheral nervous system (PNS) • Thalamus gatekeeper for sensory relay / motor information
• Hypothalamus controls body homeostasis (ANS & endocrine)
• Epithalamus (pineal, habenular nuclei)
Cranial nerves Spinal nerves
– Brainstem (midbrain, pons & medulla oblongata)
Connected to brain Connected to spinal cord • Conduit, respiratory & cardiovascular reflex centres, cranial nerve nuclei
Innervate the head* Innervate the rest of the
body!
– Cerebellum role in posture & movement via cortex

• spinal cord

CNS
Neural plate
Development of the nervous system

Neural groove

Neural tube

Neural tube
.... CNS
(brain/spinal cord)
Kandel et al 2000

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Differentiation of the rostral neural tube:

5 weeks
Human brain during development
Red = cerebrum Right lateral view:
Week 14 Week 24

12 weeks
8 weeks

28 weeks

1 Occipital pole
2 Temporal pole Insula cortex
3 Frontal pole

Schuenke et al 2010

Human brain during development Orientation of the brain

(R) Lateral view central sulcus

lateral sulcus
Insula Gyri & sulci
increase
surface area

Frontal cerebellum
lobe
found
posteriorly
**Note that the insular cortex becomes buried deep in the lateral fissure during development!
Rohen et al. 2011

What if cerebellum has been removed

from the specimen?

A P

Rohen et al. 2011

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Lateral view:
External features of the cerebrum
• central sulcus
• hemispheres
• sulcus (plural sulci)
• gyrus (plural gyri)
• longitudinal fissure
• central sulcus • lateral sulcus
– precentral gyrus
– postcentral gyrus

Rohen et al. 2011

Rohen et al. 2011

Inferior view:
anterior

cerebrum

cerebellum

Rohen et al. 2011

Rohen et al. 2011

ANTERIOR
THE DISTRIBUTION OF WHITE & GREY MATTER DIFFERS BETWEEN THE
BRAIN & THE SPINAL CORD
white matter = myelinated axons/ fibres grey matter = cell bodies / synapses

Rohen et al. 2011

Schuenke 2010

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CONNECTING FIBRES: Projection fibres: internal capsule and corona radiata

projection fibres higher to & from lower centres
association fibres within 1 hemisphere
commissural fibres left to right

Rohen et al. 2011

Martini & Nath, 2009

Corpus callosum

Joins left & right hemispheres

Rohen et al. 2011

Rohen et al. 2011

Lobes of the cerebrum – lateral

• each hemisphere receives
and sends information
from/to the other
(contralateral) side of the
body

FRONTAL
OCCIPITAL

Rohen et al. 2011

Rohen et al. 2011
Lobes are less defined on the medial surface!

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Sensory homunculus Motor homunculus

Different areas of the cortex are associated with Primary somatosensory cortex Primary somatomotor cortex
different functions post central gyrus parietal lobe Precentral gyrus frontal lobe
Receives somatic sensory input
Sends motor commands to
Touch, pressure, temperature, pain,
skeletal muscles
conscious proprioception

Parietal lobe = sensation

Frontal lobe
Motor & abstract
intellect
Occipital lobe = vision
Insula cortex

Temporal lobe = auditory, memory

Martini & Nath, 2009

PRIMARY AREAS receive information

ASSOCIATION AREAS interpret or initiate & coordinate complex motor patterns
Martin 2012

The hemispheres are not the same

thalamus

Speech centre
b
writing Analysis by touch r
a
i
Spatial visualisation
Language and maths n
and analysis
s
t
e
Martini , 2012
m
Martini & Nath, 2009

diencephalon

thalamus

Hypothalamic sulcus

hypothalamus

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Thalamus – (2!!) Dorsal view of brainstem & thalamus

the gatekeeper prevents or enhances the passage of information

•All sensory information (except olfactory) passes through the thalamus before
reaching the cortex
•Relays motor information from the basal ganglia & cerebellum to the cortex
•Modulates flow of information between different areas of the cortex
•Bidirectional communication with cortex
•Connections with reticular formation
Pineal body
•Connections with limbic system Superior colliculi
•(emotions & memory) Inferior colliculi
Cerebral peduncle

Schuenke et al. 2010 Medulla oblongata

thalamus
thalamus

Haines, 2012 Rohen et al. 2011

Brainstem = midbrain + pons + medulla oblongata Brainstem = midbrain + pons + medulla oblongata
Functions:
• Conduit for ascending (sensory) & descending (motor) tracts
• Reticular formation (consciousness) reticula = network
• Reflex centres for respiratory & cardiovascular systems
• Contains nuclei of cranial nerves III to XII
Location:
Hence, a small lesion here may result in significant deficits!
•Occupies basal portion of occipital bone
•Continuous with diencephalon rostrally
diencephalon •Connected to cerebellum posteriorly
•Continuous with spinal cord caudally
mesencephalon

pons

Medulla
oblongata Rohen 2011
Schuenke 2010

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Ventral aspect (base) of the brainstem:

Dorsal aspect of the brainstem (cerebellum removed):
Midbrain:
•Cerebral peduncles
•CN III Midbrain:
•Superior colliculi (little hills)
•Inferior colliculi
•CN IV
Pons:
•Transverse fibres
•CN V Pons:
•CN VI •Floor of the 4th ventricle
•CN VII & VIII

Medulla oblongata:
•Anterior median fissure
•Pyramids
•Decussation of pyramids Medulla
•Olives
•CN IX, X, XI
•CN XII

Schuenke 2010 Schuenke 2010

Which is dorsal? Which is ventral? CEREBELLUM

“little brain”

Left & right hemispheres

Joined by the vermis “little worm”

REFERENCES
•Kandel ER, Schwartz JH & Jessell TM (2000) Principles of Neural Science. McGraw Hill,
USA.

•Martin JH (2012) Neuroanatomy text and atlas. McGraw Hill, USA.

•Martini FH, Nath JL & Bartholomew EF (2012) Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology.
9th Edition. Pearson Benjamin Cummings, USA.

•Rohen JW, Yokochi C & Lutjen-Drecoll E (2011) Colour atlas of anatomy. Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins, USA.

•Schuenke M, Schulte E & Schumacher U (2010) Atlas of anatomy, Head and

Neuroanatomy. Thieme, Germany.