Behavioral Neuroscience

Week 2
Neuroanatomy

I. The Nervous system

CNS PNS

- Any portion of the Nervous - Nerves and ganglia (grouping

system that is inclosed in Bone of cell bodies) ​not​ inclosed in
(Brain + Spinal Chord) bone
- Cephalized - Nerves = a collection of
- Brain and spinal chord neurons/axons
represent a collection of - Somatic nerves =
interneurons and thus spinal+cranial nerves
Cephalized - Nerves = control body
- Brain and spinal chord are movement and receive
centralized sensory info from environment
- Bilateral symmetry - Spinal nerves
- Segmentation - Cranial nerves
- Spinal chord keeps grey - Autonomic nerves = controls
matter/whitematter going involuntary physiological
- Cranial nerves (7 cranial/31 responses
spinal)
- Cranial nerves sit on
ventral surface of the
brain
- Spinal nerves have
sensory neurons and
motor neurons

II. Organization of the Spinal Nerves

A. Dorsal root - somatosensory (“bodily sensations” ​via ​sensory neurons)
1. AFFERENTS
2. Carry info TOWARDS and arrives within the CNS
B. Ventral root - somatomotor (“bodily movement” ​via​ muscle/effector cells
(motor neurons))
1. EFFERENTS (E for Exit)
2. Carry information AWAY from CNS
III. Cranial Nerves
A. 12 pairs of cranial nerves
B. Pairs because of symmetry
C. Described in relations to their function
 D. Found on the ventral surface of the brain (under)

IV. Anatomy of the head

A. Scalp
↓
Fascia
↓
Skull
↓
Meninges (3: Pia mater, dura mater, arachnoid mater)
↓
Brain

V. How we describe the brain

VI. Major Divisions of the brain
VII. Definitions
A. Gyrus/gyri
1. Wölbung/fold/ridge of cerebral cortex
B. Sulcus/sulci
1. Groove
2. Fissure is like a sulcus but BIG
C. Grey matter
1. = cerebral cortex
2. =outside
3. = dense in neurons
D. White Matter
1. =inside
2. =white
3. = axonal fibers
E. Ventricles
1. Are remnants of neural tube from last lecture
2. Filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
F. Landmarks of the brain
1. Lobes refer to plates of the skull
2. Central sulcus and lateral fissure run parallel to where the plates
are and discern the different lobes of the brain
a) Sheep brains don’t have a central sulcus but they have a
cruciate fissure to seperate the frontal lobe from the
parietal lobe
3. Central sulcus = function deliniation of primary somatosensory
cortex and primary motor cortex, under that below is the primary
auditory cortex
G. There is homogenity in organizationof both sides of the homunculus
H. Longitudinal fissure
1. Divides both hemispheres

Left hemisphere Right hemisphere

- Spech - Synthesizing
- Audition information
- Writing - Reading maps
- Element processing - Constructing objections

2. Animals dont tend to have hemisphere specialization

I. Corpus Callosum
1. Major bundle of fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres
2. Made of axons
3. Multidirectional highway
J. Limbic system
1. Portion of the telencephalon that sits in media apsect of cerebral
hemisphere surrounding the thalamus
2. Involved in emotions and memory
3. Includes
a) Limbic cortex=cingulate gyrus
b) Fornix
c) Mammillary body
d) Amygdala
e) Hippocampus
K. Diencephalon

Thalamus Hypothalamus

- LGN = Lateral geniculate - Sits just above pituitary

nucleus ⇒ visual gland
processing - Sends neurons that project
- Medial geniculate nucleus into pituitary gland =>
⇒ auditory processing releasing pituitary hormons
- Ventral posterior Lateral (e.g. oxytocin and
(VPL) Thalamus ⇒ vasopressin)
somatosensory - Important production of
gonadotropic hormons and
adrenocorticotropic
hormons (ACTH - to
facilitat the release of
corticostron stress related
hormon)
- Organizes behaviors
related to 4fs:
- Feeding
- Fleeing
- Fighting
- fucking

L. Midbrain-Mesencephalon
1. Comprimised of
a) Tectum housing
(1) Superior colliculi (visual)
(2) Inferior colliculi (auditory)
b) Tegmentum housing
(1) Reticular formation (receives sensory info)
(2) Periaqueductal gray matter (survivial behaviors)
(3) Red nucleus (motor output spinal chord)
 (4) Substantia nigra (parkinsons disease)
M. Hindbrain - Rhombencephalon
1. Metencephalon
a) Cerebellum
b) Pons (relay of info to the cerebellum)
2. Myencephalon
a) Medulla oblongata