The brain
Nan Stalker in Pain Control, 2018
This chapter describes the topic of the structure and function of the brain, looks at the different parts of the brain, and discusses the membranes which cover the brain—the meninges—and the cerebrospinal fluid which protects the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is a complex organ. Early in its development its cavity becomes divided by constrictures into three parts—forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. The five main parts of the brain are: cerebrum, cerebellum, midbrain, medulla oblongata and pons Varolii. The cerebrum contains many important nerve centres, which make it not only the largest but also the most highly developed part of the brain. Motor fibres run from the motor centres of the cortex out through the base of the brain into the spinal cord, carrying impulses from the brain. The midbrain consists of two thick stalk-like bands of thick matter which pass out from the base of the cerebrum and run into the pons Varolii.
Spine
Bobby Krishnachetty, Abdul Syed, Harriet Scott in Applied Anatomy for the FRCA, 2020
This chapter is intended to cover the anatomical knowledge of spine that helps trainee anesthetists who are revising for the Primary and Final FRCA exams. The topics of importance to anesthetists are presented under 'structures', 'circulation' and 'nervous system'. The chapter includes a wide range of questions of clinical relevance that are asked in the exam. The vertebral column is made up of seven cervical, 12 thoracic, five lumbar, five fused sacral and four fused coccygeal vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. The spinal cord is the specialized nerve tissue continuous with the medulla oblongata, enclosed circumferentially by the spinal meninges and suspended in the cerebrospinal fluid. The spinal cord derives its blood supply from a single anterior spinal artery, paired posterior spinal arteries and by the communicating segmental arteries and the pial plexus. The sacral canal is a prismatic cavity which is the continuation of the lumbar spinal canal and terminates at the sacral hiatus.
Central nervous system
A Stewart Whitley, Jan Dodgeon, Angela Meadows, Jane Cullingworth, Ken Holmes, Marcus Jackson, Graham Hoadley, Randeep Kumar Kulshrestha in Clark’s Procedures in Diagnostic Imaging: A System-Based Approach, 2020
The use of radionuclide imaging of the brain declined after the invention of computed tomography (CT), although it retained a supporting role in conjunction with early CT, and in diagnosis of brain death. The central nervous system comprises the brain and the spinal cord. The brain develops from a simple tube along which three swellings grow. These develop into the forebrain, comprising the cerebrum, thalamus and hypothalamus; the midbrain, comprising the cerebral peduncles; and the hindbrain, comprising the cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata. The spinal cord is an elongated section of the central nervous system. It is approximately 45 cm long and cylindrical in cross section. It is continuous with the medulla oblongata superiorly, extending from the upper border of the atlas vertebra to the lower border of the first lumbar vertebra. Advanced techniques for neurological imaging are typically performed at specialist neurological or neurosurgical centres on high field strength magnets.
The intercalatus nucleus of Staderini
Published in Journal of the History of the Neurosciences, 2016
Rutilio Staderini was one of the leading Italian anatomists of the twentieth century, together with some scientists, such as Giulio Chiarugi, Giovanni Vitali, and others. He was also a member of a new generation of anatomists. They had continued the tradition of the most famous Italian scientists, which started from the Renaissance up until the nineteenth century. Although he carried out important studies of neuroanatomy and comparative anatomy, as well as embryology, his name is rarely remembered by most medical historians. His name is linked to the nucleus he discovered: the Staderini nucleus or intercalated nucleus, a collection of nerve cells in the medulla oblongata located lateral to the hypoglossal nucleus. This article focuses on the biography of the neuroanatomist as well as the nucleus that carries his name and his other research, especially on comparative anatomy and embryology.
Germinoma of the medulla oblongata – A case report
Published in British Journal of Neurosurgery, 2016
Karol P. Budohoski, Dominic G. O’Donovan, Fiona Harris, Thomas Santarius
We describe a case of primary intracranial medulla oblongata germinoma in a 23-year-old female who presented with deteriorating balance and mobility. Imaging demonstrated an exophytic lesion arising from the dorsal medulla oblongata and extending into the fourth ventricle. The tissue sample was obtained via suboccipital craniotomy and a diagnosis of a primary medullary germinoma was made. The patient underwent whole craniospinal axis radiotherapy and remains well and recurrence-free at 1-year follow up.
Bone wax can cause foreign body granuloma in the medulla oblongata
Published in British Journal of Neurosurgery, 2004
Bone wax is commonly used in neurosurgical practice as a haemostatic and sealing agent. It is a safe agent, but may lead to adverse effects such as infection, epistaxsis, allergic reaction or foreign body granuloma. There are very few reported cases of the neurological complications of remnant bone wax in the subdural or subarachnoid space. The authors report the case of a foreign body granuloma infiltration through the medulla oblongata due to remnant bone wax in the subarachnoid space after posterior fossa decompressive surgery.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Brain Stem
- Gray Matter
- Myelencephalon
- Spinal Cord
- Homeostasis
- Trigeminal Caudal Nucleus
- Brain Barrier