1 Intro and history of neuroscience

Question 1

What did Ancient Egyptians think about brains?

Answer 1

Brains weren’t seen as important enough to be preserved for the afterlife, and so they were thrown out during mummification. Doctors at the time did know of the connection between altered behaviour post head injury though. Hieroglyphics (Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus) showed there was some understanding of the brain;meninges, fluid and grooves.

Question 2

What did Galen do to contribute to our understanding of the brain’s role in controlling behaviour?

Answer 2

When Galen observed that Gladiators who experienced with head injuries showed altered behaviours after, Galen proceeded to take on monkey dissections to understand the brain (human dissections were forbidden at the time).

He concluded with the Hydraulic theory, that animal spirits pass along the nerves of the animal’s body to direct behaviour.

Question 3

What did Vesalius do to contribute to the understanding of the brain’s role in controlling behaviour?

Answer 3

In the 16th Century, during the Renaissance period, Vesalius began doing human dissections.

With the assistance of famous artists such as Leonardo Di Vinci, the anatomy of the brain was able to be drawn and recorded more accurately.

Vesalius noticed nerves around the brain stem and understood them to be what transmit sensation and movement.

Question 4

What is the neuron doctrine?

Answer 4

• Neurons are anatomically discrete and autonomous.
• The gaps between neurons are called synapses.
• Information is unidirectional, moving from dendrite to axon.
• These conclusions would not have been possible until nervous tissue was stained and examined under a microscope.