Neuroanatomy Summary

Chapter 1: Introduction and Organization of the Nervous System

 Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems

The nervous system - divided into two main parts:
1. central nervous
-brain and spinal cord
-correlation and integration of nervous information occur
- composed of large numbers of excitable nerve cells and their processes (neurons), supported
by specialized tissue (neuroglia)
-the long processes of a nerve cell are called axons or nerve fibers.
-interior of CNS is organized into gray matter (nerve cells embedded in neuroglia) and white
matter (nerve fibers embedded in neuroglia, lipid material in the myelin sheaths)

2. peripheral nervous system

-cranial and spinal nerves and their associated ganglia
-bundles of nerve fibers or axons
- conduct information to and from the central nervous system
-unprotected and are commonly damaged by trauma.

 Autonomic Nervous System

-Innervation of involuntary structures (heart, smooth muscle, and glands)
-distributed throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems.
-divided into two parts (sympathetic - emergency & parasympathetic – conserving, restoring
energy)

 Major Divisions of the Central Nervous System

1. Spinal Cord
-situated within the vertebral canal of the vertebral column
-surrounded by three meninges (dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater)
-further protection - cerebrospinal fluid - subarachnoid space.
-roughly cylindrical
-begins: foramen magnum in the skull - continuous with the medulla oblongata
-terminates: lumbar region
-tapers off: conus medullaris –apex( prolongation of the pia mater - filum terminate attach to
the back of coccyx)
0-31 pairs of spinal nerves (anterior/motor roots & posterior/sensory
-posterior nerve root - posterior root ganglion - cells of which give rise to peripheral and central
nerve fibers.
  Structure of the Spinal Cord
-inner core of gray matter - outer covering of white matter
-gray matter - H-shaped - united by: gray commissure ( small central canal).
-The white matter (anterior, lateral, and posterior white columns)

 Brain
-divided into three major divisions (hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain)
-hindbrain - medulla oblongata, the pons, & cerebellum.
-forebrain – diencephalon - central part of the forebrain, & cerebrum.
-brainstem - (a collective term for the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain)- remains after
the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum are removed.

 Hindbrain
1. Medulla Oblongata
-conical
-connects the pons superiorly to the spinal cord interiorly
-conduit for ascending and descending nerve fibers.
2. Pons/bridge
-anterior surface of the cerebellum
-inferior to the midbrain
-superior to the medulla oblongata
-transverse fibers on its anterior aspect connecting the two cerebellar hemispheres.
-It also contains many nuclei and ascending and descending nerve fibers.
3. Cerebellum
-posterior cranial fossa of the skull
-posterior to the pons and the medulla oblongata.
-2 lateral hemispheres, vermis
-cerebellum + midbrain - superior cerebellar peduncles
-cerebellum + pons - middle cerebellar peduncles
-cerebellum + medulla - inferior cerebellar peduncles
-peduncles - large bundles of nerve fibers connecting the cerebellum to the remainder of the
nervous system.
-cerebellar hemisphere surface layer - cortex - gray matter(interior), largest: dentate nucleus
- fourth ventricle- surrounded by medulla oblongata, pons, cerebellum
- cerebral aqueduct: 4th v + 3rd v
-interiorly: continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord
 communicates with: subarachnoid space - three openings in the inferior part of the
roof, cerebrospinal fluid within the central nervous system can enter the subarachnoid space.

 Midbrain
- cerebral aqueduct: narrow cavity of the midbrain
- contains many nuclei and bundles of ascending and descending nerve fibers.
Diencephalon
- completely hidden from the surface of the brain
- consists: dorsal thalamus and a ventral hypothalamus
Thalamus
-large, egg-shaped mass of gray matter
-lies on either side of the third ventricle
-anterior end: posterior boundary of the interventricular foramen (opening between the
third and lateral ventricles)
Hypothalamus
- the lower part of the lateral wall and floor of the third ventricle
Cerebrum
-largest part of the brain, 2 cerebral hemispheres, corpus callosum (wm)
-Each hemisphere extends from the frontal to the occipital bones in the skull
-superior: anterior and middle cranial fossae
-posteriorly: above the tentorium cerebelli
-hemispheres are separated by a deep cleft, the longitudinal fissure, into which projects the
falx cerebri
-surface area of the cortex is greatly increased by fissures/sulci
- basal nuclei or ganglia: central core of white matter, containing several large masses of
gray matter
-fan- shaped collection of nerve fibers - corona radiata, converges on the basal nuclei and
passes between them as the internal capsule
-tailed nucleus - medial side of the internal capsule - caudate nucleus
-lens-shaped nucleus - lateral side of the internal capsule - lentiform nucleus
- lateral ventricle - cavity present within each cerebral hemisphere
-lateral ventricles + 3rd ventricle - interventricular foramina
-within the cerebellum: gray cerebellar nuclei
-within the cerebrum: gray thalamic, caudate, and lentiform nuclei.
  Major Divisions of the Peripheral Nervous System
Cranial and Spinal Nerves
-12 pairs of cranial nerves - foramina in the skull
-31 pairs of spinal nerves - intervertebral foramina
-8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal.
-anterior root - nerve impulses away from the central nervous system: efferent/motor fibers.
-cells of origin: anterior gray horn of the spinal cord.
-posterior root : afferent/sensory fibers, that carry nervous impulses to the central nervous
system
-conveying information about sensations of touch, pain, temperature, and vibration
-cell bodies : swelling on the posterior root (posterior root ganglion)
-intervertebral foramina- unite to form a spinal nerve - mixture of motor and sensory fibers
-length of the roots increases progressively from above downward
- upper cervical region – short spinal nerve roots & horizontal
-roots of the lumbar and sacral nerves below the level of the termination of the cord (lower
border of the first lumbar vertebra in the adult) form a vertical leash of nerves around the filum
terminate
-lower nerve roots - cauda equina.
-posterior ramus: muscles and skin of the back
-anterior ramus: muscles and skin over the anterolateral body wall and all the muscles and skin
of the limbs.
Ganglia
-divided into sensory ganglia of spinal nerves (posterior root ganglia) and cranial nerves and
autonomic ganglia.
Sensory Ganglia
-fusiform swellings
-found along the course of cranial nerves V, VII, VIII, IX, and X are called sensory ganglia of these
nerves.
Autonomic Ganglia
-irregular
-found in the paravertebral sympathetic chains around the roots of the great visceral arteries in
the abdomen and close/embedded within, the walls of various viscera.
Early Development of the Nervous System
Entoderm: gastrointestinal tract, the lungs, and the liver
Mesoderm: muscle, connective tissues, vascular system.
Ectoderm (columnar epithelium): entire nervous system.
-third week : becomes thickened to form the neural plate
wider cranially - longitudinal neural groove- deepens - bounded on either side by neural
folds – Fusion @ midpoint (neural tube) – tube cavity + amniotic cavity through neuropores -
anterior neuropore closes first, and 2 days later, the posterior neuropore closes- neural tube
closure is complete within 28 days.
-lateral margin cells: not incorporated in the neural tube – strip (neural crest) of ectodermal
cells between the neural tube and the covering ectoderm - migrate ventrolaterally on each side
around the neural tube - differentiate into the cells of the posterior root ganglia, the sensory
ganglia of the cranial nerves, autonomic ganglia, the cells of the suprarenal medulla, and the
melanocytes - give rise to mesenchymal cells in the head and neck.
- proliferation of cells at the cephalic end of the neural tube - dilate - form three primary brain
vesicles (forebrain vesicle, the midbrain vesicle, and the hindbrain vesicle
-neurotrophic factors -Alzheimer disease.