Neuro Notes #4: Internal Anatomy of the Brain

Part 1—Table of Internal Anatomy

Review your PowerPoints (slides and notes sections), your own class notes, and any other reputable sources regarding the internal anatomy of
the brain. Develop the following table into a reference guide regarding the structures of the internal anatomy of the brain and what happens
when they are damaged. This is your reference guide for future study and clinical practice, so make it your own. I encourage you to include
information that I did not cover in lecture, especially if important to clinical practice. You will need to expand the table as you work, and some
landmarks/structures will have considerably more information than others. Occasionally, there will be a space that you may not complete; you
may need to eliminate or add lines as you work. Enjoy!

LANDMARK OR LOCATION FUNCTION(S) OTHER INTERESTING INFO PATHOLOGY

STRUCTURE Anatomical Description Symptoms Produced When
Anatomical Damaged, including impact on
Name(s) communication and swallowing
CEREBRUM
Precentral gyrus On medial surface of Motor control of legs/feet Stroke
brain

Postcentral gyrus On medial surface of Sensory control of legs/feet loss of proprioception,

brain astereognosis, loss of
vibratory sense, and loss of
two-point discrimination in
the trunk or extremities

https://
www.sciencedirect.com/
topics/neuroscience/
postcentral-gyrus
Cingulate gyrus Spans frontal, parietal, helps regulate emotions cognitive, emotional, and
and temporal lobes and pain. It is also behavioral disorders
involved in predicting and
avoiding negative https://
consequences www.thoughtco.com/
cingulate-gyrus-and-the-
https://dnalc.cshl.edu/ limbic-system-4078935
view/2106-Cingulate-
Gyrus-.html
Parahippocampal Superiormost gyrus memory encoding and Difficulty in memory retrieval
gyrus retrieval and encoding
Medial surface of
temporal lobe https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Uncus is on the Parahippocampal_gyru
anterior part of gyrus s

Parieto-occipital Boundary between marks the boundary

sulcus parietal and occipital between the cuneus and
lobes precuneus, and also
Barely visible on between n/a
lateral surface the parietal and occipital 
lobes
Runs vertically
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Parieto-occipital_sulcus
Calcarine Fissure Runs horizontally from subserves the superior contralateral homonymous
the parieto-occipital visual field and the hemianopia
sulcus to occipital superior banks the inferior
poles visual field

https://
www.sciencedirect.com/
topics/neuroscience/
calcarine-fissure
Transverse Base of cerebrum links regions of the limbic
fissure system ('emotional' brain) n/a
together

https://people.wou.edu/
~lemastm/Teaching/BI335/
Laboratory%2001%20-
%20Brain%20Anatomy.pdf
Diencephalon Thalamus Relays sensory and motor - amnesia
- structurally info in between brain - interrupts the flow of
continuous regions, controls autonomic info between key
with midbrain functions of PNS, connects memory structures
endocrine system with the
Hypothalamus CNS, and works with limbic
- connected systems; homeostasis
with limbic
system Thalamus
- Relays nearly all of
Epithalamus sensory and motor
- dorsal part of info between brain
diencephalon and body
Subthalamus Hypothalamus
- coronal - Controls internal
section of state of body
cerebrum (homeostasis).
- Receives info from
 internal organs and
blood vessels.
- Monitors blood
flow, blood
pressure, blood
glucose levels, body
temperature,
cellular metabolism,
body growth, sexual
function, childbirth,
breast milk
production.
- Plays role in learning
new responses to
the environment
based upon
memories of
previous experience
- allows a cognitive
override of
automatic behavior
due to connections
with association
cortices of frontal
lobes.
- Influences sleep
cycles and states of
arousal due to links
with reticular
activating system.
Epithalamus
- secretes melatonin
—regulates
circadian rhythm;
 sleep-wake cycles

Subthalamus
- plays role in
modulation of
movement
Pituitary Gland Part of hypothalamus - master gland of the - hypopituitarism
endocrine system - interferes with
- hormone hormone production
secretion/balance

Pineal Body Part of epithalamus - secretes the - hormone imbalance

hormone melatonin - disruption in sleep
patterns

Basal Ganglia Caudate Nucleus Caudate Nucleus - controlling speech,

- connected to - motor function of movement, and
putamen arms/legs/head posture
Putamen - Parkinson’s disease
Putamen - motor functions of - Huntington’s Chorea
- connected to arms/legs/head - Dystonia
caudate Global Pallidus - dyskinesia
nucleus - regulate posture
and movement
 Globus Pallidus
- coronal
section;
appears
medial to
putamen
Limbic System Amygdala Amygdala - Kluver-Bucy syndrome
- attached to - responsible for - pica
the tail of the drive, motivation, - fearlessness
dentate gyrus and emotional - hypersexuality
and control - loss of aggressiveness
hippocampus Hippocampus - severe anterograde
- responsible for memory deficits
Hippocampus memory and - failure to remember
- formed by an learning recent events
infoldings of Cingulum
the cerebral - learning, memory,
cortex of the and emotional
temporal lobe control
into the Fornix
lateral - routes info from
ventricle brain to limbic
system
Cingulum
- subcortical

Fornix
- inferior to the
corpus
callosum in
the limbic
region of the
diencephalon
Substantia nigra Upper part of Motor movements in the Parkinson’s disease
midbrain body

Cerebral Corpus Callosum Corpus Callosum - Literally every

connections - visible - Fibers of corpus problem in the
medially in callosum allow universe because all
the brain communication of these connections
between R and L work together to
Arcuate Fasciculus memory and communicate to
- Part of the cognitive centers different parts of the
superior Arcuate Fasciculus brain.
longitudinal - Connects Broca’s
fasciculus and Wernicke’s area
Anterior commissure
Anterior commissure - Connects the middle
- Connects the and inferior
middle and temporal gyri of the
inferior two hemispheres
temporal gyri Posterior Commissure
of the two - Connects midbrain
hemispheres and diencephalon
- structures
Posterior commissure Hippocampal commissure
- front of and - Links posterior
above the columns of fornix
superior
colliculi

Hippocampal
commissure
 - hippocampus
BRAINSTEM
Ventricles Third Ventricle - Cerebrospinal fluid - hydrocephalus
- lies between is produced by the
and is choroid plexus - important to normal
continuous located in each functions of the central
with the ventricle of the nervous system
lateral brain - shock absorber against
ventricles of - Cerebrospinal fluid head trauma
the cerebrum circulates within the
and fourth third ventricle to
ventricle of cushion the
the brainstem cerebrum from
Fourth ventricle injury, as well as to
- visible on a provide
mid-sagittal nourishment and
section of the waste removal for
brainstem. It the brain
lies just - fourth ventricle
inferior to the contains
cerebral cerebrospinal fluid,
aqueduct and serves to
along its nourish the
dorsal aspect brainstem and
remove its
metabolic waste
Tectum dorsal portion of the - contains the - visual info is routed via - inability to turn head
midbrain superior and inferior the optic tract to lateral reflexively in response
colliculi geniculate nuclei of the to stimuli
superior thalamus and the superior http://
- visual processing colliculi www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu
and directing head - HIGHER HILLS /Bs97/TEXT/P23/ov.htm
and eye movement - Tinnitus
relative to what is - Hyperacusis
 seen
inferior https://
- receives input from www.sciencedirect.com/
both ears on way up science/article/pii/
to primary auditory S1672293013500055
cortex in temporal
lobe

LOWER HILLS
Tegmentum ventral portion of the - contains the crus Contains descending efferent Cognitive, sensory, and
midbrain cerebri fibers of the corticospinal and emotional difficulties
Crus cerebri corticobulbar tracts
- Serves as the bridge
that connects each
cerebral hemisphere
CEREBELLUM
Gray/White Sagittal sections White matter carries - problems with
Matter through the information between the problem solving,
cerebellum cerebellum, brainstem and memory, and focus
cerebrum via the cerebellar
peduncles

Gray matter regulates the

flow of information to the
deep nuclei of the
cerebellum
Cerebellar Cortex the cerebellum consi receives information from - uncoordinated
sts of grey matter most parts of the body, movement
and white matter: and from many other - tremors
Grey matter regions of the brain - muscle spasms
– located on the https://
surface of www.sciencedirect.com/
the cerebellum. It is topics/engineering/
tightly folded, cerebellar-cortex
forming
the cerebellar cortex

https://
teachmeanatomy.info
/neuroanatomy/
structures/
cerebellum/
Folia throughout both increase the surface area n/a
cerebellar and thereby
hemispheres and the accommodate an
vermis increase in cell number,
which in turn facilitated
the acquisition of more
complex functional circuit
s

https://
neuraldevelopment.biomed
central.com/articles/
10.1186/1749-8104-2-26
Reticular visible on a cross modulate awareness and - impairs consciousness
formation section of the arousal - coma
cerebellum - vegetative state

part of the pons https://

www.neuroscientificallychalle
 nged.com/blog/know-your-
brain-reticular-formation
Deep cerebellar lie within the white relay stations for sensory - damage to blood
nuclei matter of the and motor impulses that are supply
cerebellum routed through the
cerebellum

SPINAL CORD
Dorsal/ventral Doral (posterior) and innervate extrafusal muscle Afferent fibers enter the dorsal Muscle atrophy
horns ventral (anterior) fibers root/horn
horns innervate intrafusal muscle
fibers within muscle
spindles
Central canal Spinal cord contains CSF Narrow cavity Osteoarthritis in neck region

Dorsal median Spinal cord Fasciculus gracilis and Divides the spinal cord into n/a
sulcus fasciculus cuneatus lie symmetrical halves
lateral to the dorsal medial
sulcus—ascending sensory Efferent fibers exit the ventral
tracts root/horn
Ventral median Spinal cord Motor and sensory tracts lie Divides the spinal cord into n/A
fissure lateral to this fissure symmetrical halves
 Reference

Bailey, R. (2020, January 31). What Is the Cingulate Gyrus? ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/cingulate-gyrus-and-the-limbic-

system-4078935. 

BS 23. Superior Colliculus - Overview. (n.d.). http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/Bs97/TEXT/P23/ov.htm. 

CSHL DNA Learning Center. (n.d.). Cingulate Gyrus :: CSHL DNA Learning Center. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning
Center. https://dnalc.cshl.edu/view/2106-Cingulate-Gyrus-.html. 

Love , R. J., & Webb, W. G. (1992). Calcarine Fissure. Calcarine Fissure - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/calcarine-fissure. 

Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2013). Brain Anatomy. Western Oregon University. Human Anatomy & Physiology by Marieb and
Hoehn (9th ed.). 

Neurosci. (2021, January 26). Know Your Brain: Reticular Formation. Neuroscientifically Challenged.
https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-reticular-formation. 

Sudarov, A., & Joyner, A. L. (2007, December 3). Cerebellum morphogenesis: the foliation pattern is orchestrated by multi-cellular
anchoring centers. Neural Development. https://neuraldevelopment.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1749-8104-2-26. 

Venturini, S. (2018). The Cerebellum. TeachMeAnatomy. https://teachmeanatomy.info/neuroanatomy/structures/cerebellum/. 

Wei, S. (2014, December 18). Peripheral Hearing Loss Causes Hyperexcitability of the Inferior Colliculus. Journal of Otology.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1672293013500055. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, April 5). Parahippocampal gyrus. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parahippocampal_gyrus. 

Wikimedia Foundation. (2021, May 7). Parieto-occipital sulcus. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parieto-occipital_sulcus. 

Zilles, K., & Palomero-Gallagher, N. (2020). Postcentral Gyrus. Postcentral Gyrus - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/postcentral-gyrus.