1- History Flashcards
When was early brain surgery (trepanation)?
Pre-historic times
What did trepanation show?
Skulls have holes in precise locations- not there by accident
3 key figures in Ancient Greece
Alcmaeon of Croton
Aristotle
Hippocrates
What did Alcmaeon of Croton believe?
Sensation is compromised if brain is moved
Why did Alcmaeon of Croton think the brain was important?
For consciousness and control
What did Aristotle think the brain was for?
Cooling blood
What did Aristotle think the role of the heart was?
Centre of intellect
What did Hippocrates think the role of the brain was?
Involved in sensation and seat of intelligence
Key figure in Ancient Rome
Galen
What did Galen find?
Ventricles in sheep brains
What was Galen’s key discovery?
Dissociated the cerebrum from the cerebellum
What did Galen believe were the roles of the cerebrum and the cerebellum?
Cerebrum- sensation
Cerebellum- commanding muscles
What did Galen believe caused the initiation of movements?
Fluids travel between brain (ventricles) and body in nerves (hollow tubes)
What did Galen say humorism was?
Humours are different fluids that travel to the body
3 key figures in the Renaissance
Vesalius
Descartes
Spinoza
What was discovered in the Renaissance?
Automata, the first AI
Who was Vesalius?
An anatomist who looked at human brains in detail
Why did Vesalius believe the body was like a hydraulic machine?
Muscles are pumped by fluids coming from brain (ventricles)
What did Descartes believe the role of the brain was?
Brain mechanisms control behaviour
How is the mind spiritual according to Descartes?
It receives sensations and commands muscles by communicating with the brain via the pineal gland
What is the pineal gland according to Descartes?
The principle seat of the soul, the place where all thoughts are found
What is the dualistic idea?
The mind and body are two separate things
What is monism?
The mind and brain are the same thing
What is Spinoza’s dual-aspect theory?
Mind and brain are the same thing
When was gray matter and white matter discovered, and when were the CNS and PNS distinguished between?
19th century
What is contained in gray matter?
A high concentration of nerve cell bodies
What is white matter comprised of?
Fibres
What did Galvani study?
Frog legs
What did Galvani discover?
Nerves were as wires that conduct electrical signals to and from the brain
What did Bell and Magendi discover?
Bidirectional communication
What happens when you cut the dorsal nerve?
Sensation will be impaired
What happens when you cut the ventral nerve?
Communication to muscles will be impaired
How was localisation discovered?
Experimental ablation= creating lesions in brain to see what function gets impaired
What does localisation show?
Certain brain areas have specific functions
What did Gall find?
Phrenology, a particular bulge in the cranium
What did Cajal’s neuron doctrine say?
The neuron was the basic functional unit
What type of a response is needed to study the brain?
Interdisciplinary
