1 - Intro to Neuroscience

Question 1

What is the function of the nervous system?

Answer 1

Control the body
Store information
Predict the future
Make good decisions

Question 2

What is the form of the nervous system?

Answer 2

Neurons
Glia
Synapses
Typical Circuits

Question 3

What are neurons?

Answer 3

Electrically excitable cells that rapidly transmit information.

Question 4

How many neurons are in the body?

Answer 4

~100 billion neurons

Question 5

T/F. Neurons come in a dizzying array of sizes and shapes.

Answer 5

True

Question 6

What are the 3 basis elements of a neuron?

Answer 6

Dendrites - receivers
Soma - integrator
Axon - transmitter

Question 7

What form do neurons transmit information?

Answer 7

Action potentials (spikes)

Question 8

What 2 ways can AP (spikes) be described?

Answer 8

1) Firing rate - average # of spikes per second

2) Firing pattern - detailed temporal sequence of spikes (bursting)

Question 9

What is an example of a spike in a muscle?

Answer 9

Motor unit AP creating EMG pattern

Question 10

What is an example of a spike in a the motor cortex?

Answer 10

Neural spikes, decoded and used for neural prostheses

Question 11

What is a synapse?

Answer 11

Electro-chemical junction that connects neurons

Question 12

How much synapses are their in a body?

Answer 12

~100 trillion

Question 13

Synapses uses a wide variety of…

Answer 13

Neurotransmitters - signalling molecules

Question 14

What are the basic functions of a synapse? (3)

Answer 14

1) Spike causes neuron to release NT
2) NT excites (little) a dendrite of a target neuron
3) if enough excitation collides on the neuron from all its course, it will spike itself

Question 15

What is believed to be the main building block of learning and memory?

Answer 15

Synapses

Question 16

What are glial cells?

Answer 16

Cells that support the NS

Question 17

What is an example of a glial cell?

Answer 17

Schwann cells provide myelin for peripheral axons - they enhance transmission speeds.

Question 18

What is a typical circuit?

Answer 18

Patterns of connection among neurons that are repeated in different systems.

Question 19

T/F. It is essential that you only extract the most important info from the word, b/c there is just too much info out there.

Answer 19

True

Question 20

What is lateral inhibition?

Answer 20

Filtering often provided by a form of this. It’s where neurons receiving signals will actively inhibit neighboring cells that respond to similar stimuli.