This is an elaborate and complete summary for the course neuropsychology (given by prof. Scherder). This course is offered at the VU in the second year of the bachelor psychology, or in the choice minor psychology. I also included some questions and answers. Using this summary I got a 9.2.
Neuropsychology Lectures
Lecture 1:
Sensory neurons go through the dorsal root. A part of the sensory information ascends to the
supraspinal to higher levels of the CNS. This ascending pathway (via dorsal horn) gives information
about the position of your joints.
Information to your motor neurons goes through the ventral root.
Sensory and motor neurons lay very close by each other. Therefore, it is hardly possible to only have
a sensory or a motor problem. You’ll most likely have problems in both.
Sympathetic: fight and flight (stimulation of the system)
- Has its exits between the first thoracic and second lumbar
Parasympathetic: relaxation and rest
- Has its exit in the brainstem area for the cranial nerves. It also has exists at the sacral spinal
cord.
White matter: connective tissue (white colour comes from myeline, which surrounds the axons. The
more myeline, the faster the speed)
- Figure; the white matter shown is called the corpus callosum which
connect the two hemispheres. This is the case so that the hemispheres
can communicate
Grey matter: brain regions (cortex)
- The neurons/cell bodies are grey matter
Medial: inner layer of the brain
Lateral: outer layer of the brain
Brainstem: important for your vital functions
- Heart regulation
- Respiration
- Blood pressure regulation
So you basically live because of your brainstem
Medulla: The spinal cord; verlengde merg
Cerebellum: kleine hersenen
Reticular formation:
- Is called reticular formation because …
,The cerebellum consists of both white matter and grey matter (cortex).
- Subcortical nuclei also lay within the cerebellum (this is grey matter)
o Subcortical nuclei are for example basal ganglia: they are called subcortical nuclei
because they lay deep into the brain.
o The basal forebrain is also subcortical
- The outer layer of the cerebellar cortex is also grey matter
- The connective tissue within the cerebellar cortex is white matter.
Subcortical: under the cortex. So what you see when you remove the cortex.
- The brainstem is also subcortical
The ventricles are open spaces where cerebrospinal fluid is produced.
In the medial part, there is also cortex. It is not only lateral.
It is clinically relevant whether there is damage in the cortical or the subcortical areas. Because it
leads to different outcomes.
The four lobes:
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Temporal lobe
- Occipital lobe
The cingulate cortex lays above the corpus callosum (white matter).
- Lays in the medial part (cortical).
Most of the white matter lays below the cortex (subcortical).
- Children develop a lot of white matter till the age of 30 on average. A
challenging life and effort (mental and physical effort) helps with the quality
of new white matter.
Ventral: onderkant van het brein.
,Vascularization (doorbloeding) of the brain: 3 major arteries supplying blood to your CNS
- Anterior cerebral artery
o More of the frontal part
and the middle part
(between the
hemispheres) as well.
- Middle cerebral artery
o Large part of the lateral side of
the brain.
o 70% has a stroke
(haemorrhage or
infarct) in the supply of
the middle cerebral artery.
- Posterior cerebral artery
o The occipital lobe (visual cortex). You will be blind if this artery is occluded. Also
supplies a part of the temporal lobe.
These arteries also supply the white matter. So both the white and grey matter are
dependent on the vascularization. The white matter is most dependent on the
vascularization.
Corpus collosum is white matter
The liquor cerebrospinalis will go
from the lateral ventricles, to the
third one and then through the fourth
ventricle into a space around the brain,
but also into the spinal cord. It
circulates in the CNS.
- Cerebrospinal fluid is produced by
the chroroid plexus.
Boxing and matter damage:
- Mohamed ali: he suffered from Parkinson’s disease
o He got punches on the lateral side. But he got Parkinson disease which is in
subcortical. The blows he got onto his head caused a rotation of the brain. This
turning causes rotation of the brain within the skull. The white matter and blood
vessels get elongated because of this. Lesions will be caused in the white matter and
blood vessels (deep in the brain). The diameter of the vessels become smaller, you
will become unconscious for a few seconds, the vessel will restore, the blood will
stream again and you become conscious.
Most white matter is subcortical! Mostly areas deep in the brain informing
the outer areas.
, o He had Parkinson disease: primary problem in the subcortex (in the basal ganglia)
Particularly in the dopaminergic system
- Rugby players with big helmets often still have;
o Slur of speech and slow speech (due to damage in white matter as well; because the
function of white matter is signal transmission. The higher the quality, the higher
the speed)
SO: Damage in the white matter (mostly subcortical, causes slowness in thinking, speech,
information processing)
The scans are bottom up: so the left side on the scan is the right hemisphere.
- Lateral ventricles are seen in the middle
- White means lesions.
o You see white colour around the ventricles which
indicates damage.
- You see white matter damage!
Intracerebral haematoma (bleeding/haemorrhage):
- you see a huge haematoma near the ventricles.
Aneurysm: a very weak part in the wall of the bloodvessel. Not too much pressure or
something can already cause rupture due to the aneurysm. This leads to a bleeding (a
intracerebral haematoma).
Patient:
- Symptoms:
o Tetraparesis: paralyzed in both arms and both legs.
o Severe headache (because the blood is not going anywhere, it pushes against the
braintissue)
The meninges (hersenvliezen) have a lot of painreceptors. The brain itself
doesn’t have pain receptors.
- Cause: He had an aneurysm; a very weak part in the wall of the bloodvessel. Not too much
pressure or something can already cause rupture due to the aneurism. This leads to a
bleeding (a intracerebral haematoma)
- He was lucky because the bleeding was near the ventricles. Thus the blood went into the
ventricles, being absorbed and taken with the cerebrospinal liquor.
o This caused his motor functions to come back and his headache to become less
severe.
This doesn’t happen always!
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