Cranial Nerves 1, 9, 10, 11, and 12
CRANIAL NERVE 1 (OLFACTORY NERVE) Print Section Listen The olfactory nerves transmit smell information through the cribriform plate to the olfactory bulbs and tracts, which in turn transmit this information…
NEUROLOGY
The Cerebral Hemispheres and Vascular Syndromes
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Chapters 4 and 6 mapped the primary motor cortex (precentral gyrus of the frontal lobe), primary somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus of the parietal lobe), and the…
Pupillary Control and Approach to AnisocoriaCranial Nerves 2 and 3
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Pupillary constriction is a parasympathetic function and pupillary dilation is a sympathetic function (“wide eyed with fear”). The pupils constrict in response to light and accommodation,…
Overview of the Anatomy of the Nervous System
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The nervous system serves three main functions: perception, cognition, and action. Perception is the translation of the outer world into electrochemical signals that can be interpreted…
The Spinal Cord and Approach to Myelopathy
OVERVIEW OF SPINAL CORD ANATOMY Print Section Listen The spinal cord begins where the medulla ends, running from the foramen magnum at the base of the skull to about the…
The Cerebellum and Approach to Ataxia
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The output of the motor cortex (and the adjacent premotor and supplementary cortices) is shaped by input from the basal ganglia and cerebellum. The basal ganglia…
The Brainstem and Cranial Nerves
OVERVIEW OF BRAINSTEM ANATOMY Print Section Listen The three levels of the brainstem from superior to inferior are the midbrain, pons, and medulla. The midbrain is just inferior to the…
The Motor and Somatosensory Pathways and Approach to Weakness and Sensory Loss
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen The cerebral hemispheres are where the motor pathways originate, and where the somatosensory pathways terminate. The left cerebral hemisphere controls the motor functions of the right…
The Visual Pathway and Approach to Visual Loss
ANATOMY OF THE VISUAL PATHWAY Print Section Listen The optic nerve is the output of the retina. Therefore, each optic nerve carries all of the visual information from the eye…
Diagnostic Reasoning in Neurology and the Neurologic History and Examination
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Differential diagnosis in neurology is based on two main components determined from the clinical history and physical examination: The localization of the neuroanatomic origin(s) of the…
