1 - Intro to Neuroscience Flashcards
What is the function of the nervous system?
Control the body
Store information
Predict the future
Make good decisions
What is the form of the nervous system?
Neurons
Glia
Synapses
Typical Circuits
What are neurons?
Electrically excitable cells that rapidly transmit information.
How many neurons are in the body?
~100 billion neurons
T/F. Neurons come in a dizzying array of sizes and shapes.
True
What are the 3 basis elements of a neuron?
Dendrites - receivers
Soma - integrator
Axon - transmitter
What form do neurons transmit information?
Action potentials (spikes)
What 2 ways can AP (spikes) be described?
1) Firing rate - average # of spikes per second
2) Firing pattern - detailed temporal sequence of spikes (bursting)
What is an example of a spike in a muscle?
Motor unit AP creating EMG pattern
What is an example of a spike in a the motor cortex?
Neural spikes, decoded and used for neural prostheses
What is a synapse?
Electro-chemical junction that connects neurons
How much synapses are their in a body?
~100 trillion
Synapses uses a wide variety of…
Neurotransmitters - signalling molecules
What are the basic functions of a synapse? (3)
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
What is believed to be the main building block of learning and memory?
Synapses
What are glial cells?
Cells that support the NS
What is an example of a glial cell?
Schwann cells provide myelin for peripheral axons - they enhance transmission speeds.
What is a typical circuit?
Patterns of connection among neurons that are repeated in different systems.
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.
True
What is lateral inhibition?
Filtering often provided by a form of this. It’s where neurons receiving signals will actively inhibit neighboring cells that respond to similar stimuli.
