Lecture 6

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 9:40 AM

I. Ventricles
Development:
Forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain leading back to the central canal. As the nervous system begins to develop, there is a
ballooning of the telencephalon and the lateral ventricles begin to form (these have an anterior horn, posterior horn, inferior horn, Lecture 6
and the body.

Audio recording started: 9:41 AM Tuesday,

January 31, 2017

Central part = body.

Where the anterior, body, and inferior come together, this is called the atrium or collateral trigone.
There is also a calcarine fissue which creates a bump in the posterior horn which serves as a landmark (this is called the
calcar avis).
The lateral wall of the anterior horn is the caudate nucleus. The medial wall is the septum pellucidum (which is a thin wall of
connective tissue). The roof is the corpus callosum (which carries information from one hemisphere to the other).
The floor of the body is the caudate nucleus. The medial surface is the thalamus. The roof is the corpus callosum.
The floor and later wall of the inferior horn is the collateral eminence. The medial wall is the hippocampus.
The medial surface of the posterior horn is the calcar avis.
These connect through the interventricular foramen to move from the red into the blue area in the image above. This
expands to the third ventricle (between the inferior and anterior), which narrows to become the cerebral aqueduct,
which opens again to the fourth ventricle before becoming the central canal.
See slides for the detailed pictures. Also note the coloring book.
Fourth Ventricle:
The floor of this ventricle shows the medulla and the pons. On either side of this are the peduncles and at the top are the colliculi.
Cerebral Aqueduct:
This is surrounded by the periaqueductal gray area. The cells here produce endogenous opioids.

II. Choroid plexus

Within the body, inferior horn, and atrium, choroid plexus can be found. It is also found in the fourth ventricle; NOT in the anterior or
posterior horn of the lateral ventricle. This appears like a kind of slimy tarp material (congealed connective tissue) that w raps around the
floor of the lateral ventricle. Choroid plexus is innervated by the autonomic nervous system; activation or lesioning of inpu t from these
can modify the production of CSF.
In the gyri, the pia is a bit more loose and allows for the diffusion of blood into the ventricular space through the choroid plexus, which
filters it to make CSF.
Insert charts and information on the capillaries from slides.
This creates CSF, creates a blood-CSF barrier, regulates the ions between the extracellular space and CSF, and stabilizes CSF composition.
III. CSF
Map of where CSF is found within the body is on slides.
We produce about 500-700 ml/day; ~150 ml reside in the ventricles and subarachnoid cisterns; which means that we are producing
more than we can store, which flushes the system, but also means that any blockage in the flow of the CSF causes problems ver y quickly.
Our normal pressure is ~130 mm water (when lying down) and blocking this flow would massively increase this pressure, which g ets
caught in the skull and squishes the brain.
Blockages can be noted in the eyes when they are examined; there is a yellow circle at the back (optic disk) surrounded by red, but
when there is a blockage, the entire area is this same yellow and turns white in areas. This is called papilledema and is a common
sign of a tumor.
Differences between CSF and plasma:
There are no cells in the CSF (generally speaking; if there are, then something is wrong).
There is less protein, calcium, and potassium in CSF than plasma.
The pH of CSF is slightly lower.
CSF protects the CNS; it creates a buoyancy which allows it to kind of float within the skull, allowing for protect against hitting the
calls. It also helps maintain chemical composition, collects waste from neurons and glia, and serves for transporting hormones and

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 calls. It also helps maintain chemical composition, collects waste from neurons and glia, and serves for transporting hormones and
neurotransmitters.
IV. Neuro exam pt. 3 Motor Exam & pt. 4 Reflexes
Terms:
aqueduct
choroid plexus
atrium
septum pellucidum
splenium
calcarine fissure
periaquductal grey
subarachnoid space
buoyancy
collateral eminence
collateral trigone
calcar avis

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