Bio Exam 1 Flashcards
What are the specialities of biopsychology?
Physiological psychology Psychopharmacology Neuropsychology Psychophysiology Cognitive Neuroscience
What is physiological psychology?
Direct manipulation of brain in animal research; focuses more on theory rather than immediate practical application.
What is Psychopharmacology?
Manipulation of neural systems and bx with drugs; animals and humans
What is Neuropsychology?
Cognitive & psychological effects of brain damage in human patients Clinical app of brain behavior concepts. Testing of cog abilities, gathering info from other sources and consolidating.
What is Psychophysiology?
Relationship between physiological activity and psychological processes in humans (EEG) Biofeedback—heart rate, muscle tension, skin temp, etc. Using biofeedback ppl can control their physiological responses
What Cognitive Neuroscience?
Brain basis for cognitive / emotional behavior(PET Scan, fMRI)
Who is Dr. Egas Moniz and why is he significant in Neuropsych?
Portuguese neurologist attended a conference in 1935, which resulted in him developing the prefrontal lobotomy.
What were the initial findings of the prefrontal lobotomy?
A patient who had removal of prefrontal lobes during tumor resection showed no intellectual impairment – IQ scores remained the same post surgery
Why were prefrontal lobotomies discontinued?
Even tho IQ scores didn’t change, behavioral changes did. Neuropsych tests showed there were impairments. Apathy, couldn’t feel emotions, or demonstrate affect, passive, indifferent. Apathy was so extreme they needed daily supervision to get through a routine.
What are dichotomous traits?
Present in one form or another but never in combination e.g. pea color
What are true breeding lines?
Interbred members always produce offspring with the same trait E.i. brown pea parents produce brown pea children- white pea parents produce white pea children.
What did Mendela find when he interbred brown and white peas?
He found that demonstrated traits not expressed by parents could be passed on to children (First generation offspring all had brown peas – Dominant trait Second generation offspring were 75% brown and 25% white – white was recessive trait)
What is a phenotype?
The organism’s observable traits – the expression of the trait on the outside
What is a genotype?
The traits that can be passed on to children thru genetic material – underlying genetic make up
What were the 4 ideas Mendel proposed?
- Two kinds of inherited factors for each dichotomous trait – now referred to as genes. 2. Each organism possesses two genes for each of its dichotomous traits 3. One of the genes in a heterozygous pair dominates the other in expression of the trait 4. For each trait, a child randomly inherits one of the father’s two genes and one of the mother’s two genes
What are alleles?
Two genes that control the same trait are called
What are homozygous genes?
Identical genes
What are heterozygous genes?
Two different genes
Where are genes located?
On chromosomes in the nucleus of the cells
How many chromosomes do humans have?
46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs
What are autosomes?
The 22 pairs of chromosomes that are NOT the sex chromosomes
Where are the two genes (alleles) that control a trait located?
At the same locus, one on each chromosome of a particular pair
What is Meiosis?
Process of cell division that produces gametes (i.e. sperm and egg)
What are the phases of meiosis (generally)?
- Chromosomes divide and one of the pair goes to one gamete and the other of the pair goes to the other gamete - Each gamete contains only half the usual number of chromosomes i.e. 23 instead of 46 - Union of sperm and egg combines these two sets of 23 chromosomes to produce 46
How many possibilities are there for gamete combinations?
Approximately 8.3 million
What is mitosis?
All cell growth that occurs after Meiosis
What is genetic recombination?
During early stages of meiosis, chromosomes overlap or crossover one another and break apart at the points of contact, exchanging sections of chromosome. The chromosomes are not passed on in tact – it’s a splice of both members of the pair. This increases the potential combination of chromosomes
What results happen from genetic recombination?
- Parents rarely pass on intact chromosomal clusters of genes to children 2. Each gamete contains chromosomes that are unique spliced together combinations inherited from your father and mother 3. Crossover rarely occurs between adjacent genes and frequently between genes at opposite ends of chromosome
What are the two different types of sex related genes?
XX for females XY for males
What are sex-linked traits?
Traits influenced by genes on a sex chromosome (traits conveyed on the sex chromosome)
What chromosome controls almost all sex-linked traits and why?
The X chromosome because Y is smaller and carries fewer genes (mostly just carries the ones determining male sex development)
True or false: traits controlled by genes on the X chromosome occur in one sex more often than the other
true
True or false: recessive traits occur more often in females than males
False; dominate traits occur more often in females than males because they have twice the chance of inheriting the dominate gene
Why do recessive sex-linked traits occur more in males?
If they inherit the trait on X, there is nothing to over-ride it on Y and they express the trait, whereas in females they will express it only if they inherit two recessive genes Ex: Color blindness is recessive sex-linked trait and is rare in women
Each strand of DNA is composed of what?
Nucleotides bases
What are the 4 nucleotides?
Adenine Thymine Guanine Cytosine
What determines the genetic code?
The sequence of the nucleotide bases
What nucleotides attract to each other?
- Adenine attracts to thymine - Guanine attracts to cytosine
What happens in replication?
The helix unravels and loose nucleotides are attracted to the unpaired strands and form two identical chromosomes
What are structural genes?
They are the most prevalent They contain information necessary for synthesis of proteins
What are proteins?
Long chains of amino acids that control physiological activities of cells and are important components of their structure
True or False: All cells in the body (brain, hair, bone, etc.) do not contain exactly the same set of structural genes.
False, they do contain exactly the same set of structural genes
What are enhancers?
- Sections of DNA that control structural genes and whether or not they initiate synthesis of protein - If protein is synthesized the gene is expressed – no protein synthesis, gene is not expressed.
How do enhancers work?
Enhancers work like switches, they can increase or decrease the extent to which a structural gene is expressed.
What are transcription factors?
- Proteins that bind to DNA and regulate genetic expression - Many of these binding proteins that influence enhancers are influenced by signals received from the cell as it responds to the environment - Thus providing the mechanism for interaction of the environment and genes to influence development - Even if there was a perfect transcription and translation there can still be abnormalities
What is the process for the expression of a gene?
- Enhancer/promoter genes initiate process 2. DNA for the section of structural gene unravels 3. exposed DNA attracts messenger RNA (mRNA) which forms a strand until reaching another enhancer/promoter gene that signals the end of the structural gene 4. mRNA then goes to a ribosome in the cytoplasm of the cell 5. ribosome moves along the mRNA and transcribes the genetic code 6. each group of 3 consecutive nucleotides is called a codon - codon instructs the ribosome which of 20 amino acids to add to the protein it is constructing 7. as ribosome reads mRNA it attracts transfer RNA attached to an amino acid 8. ribosome reads codon after codon and adds amino acid after amino acid until it reaches another enhancer/promoter gene that signals the end of the structural gene 9. the completed protein is then released into the cytoplasm
What is the difference in the nucleotides between mRNA and DNA?
- mRNA is the same as DNA except it has uracil instead of thymine
What is the Human Genome Project (HGP)?
Allowed us to map the entire genetic blueprint of a human being, to ultimately build another human being
What are loci?
-Composed of hundreds/thousands of nucleotide bases.
How many nucleotide bases (A, C, T, and G) does the human genome contain?
-3.1 billion nucleotide bases
How many nucleotide bases does the average gene contain?
-Roughly 3,000 nucleotide bases
What is the largest known human gene (comprised of the single most nucleotide bases)?
Dystrophin (don’t need to know, but dystrophin definition = a protein found in skeletal muscle, which is absent in sufferers from muscular dystrophy.)
What percentage of our genes are structural genes (that code for protein)?
1%
What percentage of functions of discovered genes are unknown ?
Over 50%
What is Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)?
About 1.4 million locations where single-base DNA differences occur in humans (used to find chromosomal locations for disease associated sequences).
What are 3 Epigenetic factors that influence genetic expression?
1) Non-gene DNA 2) Small RNA molecules 3) DNA Methylation and Histone remodeling
Genes make up about 1% of human genome, while the rest are called:
Non-gene DNA
What does Nongene DNA do?
Influences the expression of nearby genes
What is the main role of Small RNA Molecules?
To regulate gene expression
What are 4 main genetic influences?
1.) Not only structural genes 2.) Interaction of many structural genes 3.) Influence of epigenetic factors 4.) Developmental timing of expression of particular genes in specific brain structures
What does the big picture of the structure of a cell look like?
>Cell >Chromosomes >DNA strand/molecule (double helix) >Genes (adenine & thymine, guanine & cytosine) >Proteins
What is Epigenetics?
Other moderating factors that influence the way genes are expressed (rather than the genes themselves)
What is RNA editing?
- Cleave or splice mRNA to form new base sequence - Once messenger RNA transcribed the protein, therefore the expression of the gene is altered
What are some basic tenets DNA Methylation and Histone remodeling?
-Methylation causes Histone molecule to change it’s shape, which effects DNA expression -Can be induced by experience: neural activity, hormonal change -Changes can last a lifetime and be passed on genetically
What is Down Syndrome?
Trisomy 21 (extra chromosome on #21; supposed to be 2, but has 3)
Is there one specific gene (APOE-E4) that creates Alzheimers?
No. APOE-E4 does not create Alzheimers. But, about 2/3 of ppl with alzheimers will have APOE-E4, and about 2/3 of ppl with the gene APOE-E4 will have alzheimers.
True or False: Genes help metabolize fatty acids?
True
True or False: Breastfeeding increases IQ?
-It depends :) - It depends on many things; allele, environment, etc. -Dull rats worse than bright rats only if raised in impoverished environment -Genetics CAN always be mediated by environment (getting hit by max doesn’t matter how many or what genes you have); our environment CAN’T always be mediated by our genes.
What is one of the main points of genetic research methods?
To attempt to demonstrate the linkage between genes and bx.
True or False: Identical (MZ) twins share only 90% of their genes?
False. They share 100% of their genes.
True or False: Fraternal twins (DZ) share a bout 50% of their genes?
True
What is a Concordance Rate?
It examines the likelihood of whether a twin shares a behavioral trait with the other twin
What are some examples of genetic influences on human bx?
1.) Down Syndrome 2.) Huntington’s Dz 3.) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (recessive X-linked abnormality; effects primarily boys) 4.) Fragile X (most common form of inherited intellectual disability in boys; portion of X chromosome is repeated)
In the MN Twin Study, Schizophrenia was 4x higher in MZ twins than DZ twins, and MZ twins raised together had an IQ correlation of .80, and .75 for those raised apart. What does this mean?
Differences between individuals’ I.Q. and expression of schizophrenia has a genetic influence.
What is the Heritability Estimate (H.E.)?
-It tells us about the contribution of genetic differences to phenotypic differences among subjects – i.e. in the population or in a group of ppl. -H.E. says nothing about the relative contribution of genetics and experience to the development of an individual.
True or False: There is a difference in heritability of IQ in 7-yr-old twins with very low SES and high SES?
True. Heritability near 0 for very low SES, and Heritability near 1.0 for high SES
True or False: Found in a Epigenetic twin study of MZ twins over time, their epigenetics were indistinguishable early in life but they accumulated differences over time and eventually each tissue type showed a different epigenetic profile?
TRUE! Oofta.
What are 2 main points of Epigenetic twin studies implications?
1.) Different epigenetic rates for MZ twins may account for why one twin develops a disease and the other doesn’t. 2.) Disease discordant MZ twin studies may reveal epigenetic factors that contribute to the disease.
Neurons contain what three usual structures?
Soma Dendrites Axon
What does the Soma or cell body contain?
The nucleus and much of the machinery that operates the cell
What is the Dendrites purpose?
Receives information from other neurons, can grow and form new connections.
Describe an Axon
It looks like the tail of the neuron, typically protected by the myelin sheath. It can grow and form new connections. Nerves are composed of many axons surrounded by tough elastic connective membranes.
What are the nodes that are found on the Myelin Sheath? Describe them
Nodes of Ranvier, they are the gaps that can be found on the myelin sheath. It serves to facilitate the rapid conduction of nerve impulses
What is the Myelin Sheath’s function?
To increase the speed of impulses. Waves vs hopping. Unmyelinated nerves conduction happens in waves vs myelinated ones where they hop around and go faster.
The place where action potential originates.
Axon Hillock
What is the function of the Terminal Button?
Forms synapses with dendrites, soma or axons of other neurons, also secretes transmitter substances
What is classified dependent on structure? Name their classifications. (3)
Neurons Multipolar Bipolar Unipolar
Multipolar, bipolar, and unipolar neurons get their name depending on what?
How many stalks are available.
Neuron are classified according to function as well. What are the three functions?
Sensory Motor Interneurons
What is a sensory Neuron?
A neuron that transmits sensory information (sight, sound, feeling, etc.). They are activated by sensory input, and send projections to other elements of the nervous system, ultimately conveying sensory information to the brain or spinal cord.
What is a motor neuron?
It leaves the brain and elicits some sort of physical response
What is an interneuron?
It enables communication between the sensory neurons or motor neurons to the central nervous system. (responsible for perceptions, planning execution, simple functional scheme)
Name all 8 internal components of a neuron.
- membrane 2. nucleus 3. nucleolus 4. ribosome 5. mitochondria 6. Endoplasmic reticulum (some are rough others smooth) 7. Golgi Apparatus 8. Microtubules/filaments
What is the membrane’s function in the neuron?
It’s a double layer of lipid molecules (fat) It is embedded with a variety of protein molecules that perform various functions such as detecting and passing information about substances outside other cells. Controls what comes in and out of the cell. Actively transports material in and out of cell.
What contains chromosomes and nucleolus?
The Nucleus
What internal component produces ribosomes?
The nucleolus
This internal component in the cytoplasm decodes mRNA for formation of proteins used in the neuron. What is it?
Ribosome
This internal component of the neuron is known as the power house and it is responsible for converting glucose to ATP and stores CA. It also contains DNA from only the mother, unlike other cells.
Mitochondria
Name the system of tubes for storage and transport of material within the cells and is important for protein synthesis.
Endoplasmic reticulum
Endoplasmic reticulum there are two types of tubes. What are they and how are they different from each other?
Rough and smooth tubes. Rough tubes contain ribosomes that produces proteins are transported out of the cell or used in the membrane. Smooth tubes are responsible for transporting and storing molecules.
Golgi Apparatus, how does it organize and clean the neuron?
-packages proteins including neurontransmitters into vesicles (organize) -produces lysosomes which break down substances no longer needed by the neuron. (clean)
What are the microtubules/filaments function?
Transports substances between cell body and distal cell/terminal button.
Name the 5 System support cells.
- Glia 2. Astrocytes 3. Oligodendrocytes 4. Microglia 5. Schwann Cells
Because Neurons have such high metabolism and cannot store energy they need the Glia for what purpose?
To supply the neuron with constant sources of nutrients (glucose and oxygen) and will die within minutes if it is interrupted. (life support)
One Astrocyte cell will have how many connections with other neurons?
Many
What do Astrocytes provide for neuron?
Provide physical support, remove debris and transport nutrients to neurons
What provides physical support and forms the myelin sheath around axons in the brain?
Oligondendroglia
Which support cell is involved in phagocytosis and brain immune function?
Microglia
What is phagocytosis?
Digesting of dead neurons
Schwann Cells are myelin that wraps around one axon in what system? (PNS, CNS, ANS)
Peripheral nervous system
What is the function of blood-brain barriers?
Alls for free movement of most substances between plasma and extracellular fluid
How does the BBB (blood brain barrier) act in the Central Nervous System?
Walls are not permeable for the most part, substances are actively transports of proteins between capillary and neuron.
Where is the BBB not as strong and for what reason?
Throughout the brain in the area that controls vomiting so that it can get rid of poisons and other toxins that may interfere with proper brain functioning.
Generally, the resting potential inside of an axon is
-70mV
In order to depolarize the membrane of an axon (leading to either sub-threshold and threshold stimulation) the following must occur where?
The inside of the axon must be stimulated by positively charged ions.
True or False: action potential is an all or nothing principle?
True
True or False: action potential decreases in mV as it is propagated down the membrane of an axon.
False, it stays the same in mV as is propagated down the membrane of an axon.
What happens when electrolytes are dissolved in water?
They split apart into two particles, each with an opposing electrical charge
Electrolytes are a product of what kind of force?
Electrostatic force
What is the force that pulls sodium ions from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration?
Diffusion
What three things are true of Sodium?
It is a positively charged ion concentrated outside of the neuron It is attracted to the inside of the ion due to diffusion AND the electrostatic force. It can only enter the neuron by sodium-potassium transporters.
Which is a negatively charged ion that is highly concentrated outside of the neuron and is pushed into the neuron via diffusion, but out of the neuron via the electrostatic force?
Chloride
What are some characteristics of potassium in the brain?
It’s highly concentrated inside the neuron It’s pulled into the neuron by electrostatic force
What happens when action potential is reached?
Sodium and Potassium channels may open on the neuron of the neuron. The membrane potential depolarizes
What are some characteristics of potassium channels?
They require more depolarization of the membrane to open. They carry Potassium out of the cell due to diffusion AND the electrostatic force They close when membrane potential begins to return to normal
True or false: After the cell reaches action potential, Potassium becomes concentrated outside of the cell, which causes the membrane to “overshoot” and become hyperpolarized (i.e. charge goes below -70mV).
True
What happens after a neuron has reached action potential to restore ion concentrations inside and outside of the cell?
Sodium-Potassium transporters remove Na+ from the inside of the cell and retrieve K+ ions.
True or false: Sodium-Potassium transporters are crucial for restoring Na+ and K+ levels to normal after reaching action potential.
False: The amount of these ions that cross the membrane are miniscule relative to the overall concentrations. Transporters are important for the neurons functioning over the long-term because too much Na+ in the neuron would prevent neuron functioning over time.
True or false: Sub-threshold electrical impulses causes no change in the cell because action potential was not reached.
False: sub-threshold electrical impulses produce a disturbance in the neuron membrane, which changes the electrical charge of the membrane, that becomes smaller as it moves away from the point of stimulation.
True or false: Passive conduction is slower than active conduction.
False: passive conduction (i.e. does not change membrane permeability) is faster than active conduction because passive conduction conserves energy.
In myelinated axons, action potential occurs where?
At the Nodes of Ranvier
What happens when an axon splits into two?
Action potential of the same magnitude is conducted down both axons
What are the three parts of the synapse?
Presynaptic membrane (terminal button) Postsynaptic membrane (on a dendrite) Synaptic cleft
A _____________ is any transmitter substance that attaches to a binding site.
Ligand
True or false: Transmitter substances will attach to any binding site, regardless of its type.
False; transmitter substances will attach only to binding sites specific for it. The binding site will accept and be activated only by a transmitter substance that it is specific for and is specific for it
About how big is the gap between pre- and postsynaptic membranes?
25 nanometers
Synaptic vesicles contain _____________.
neurotransmitters
Which substance directly causes the vesicles to merge with the presynaptic membrane?
calcium ions (CA++)
True or false: Synaptic vesicles are generated inside the soma and transported to the terminal button via microtubules.
True
True or false: Before the action potential reaches the terminal button, CA++ is more highly concentrated within than without the neuron.
False; CA++ is more highly concentrated outside the neuron before the action reaches the terminal button
Where are the synaptic vesicles located?
In the terminal buttons
Both diffusion and electrostatic forces cause CA++ to move once the calcium channels are open.
True
After vesicles have deposited their contents at the presynaptic membrane, they do which of the following?
They merge with the wall and recycle themselves They close up, but stay connected with the wall They close up, and move back into the terminal button to be refilled
The opening of which of the following ion-specific channels result(s) in an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)?
Chloride (Cl-) Potassium (K+)
Which substance activates enzymes involved in structural changes of neurons?
Calcium (CA++)
What is another word for the resting membrane potential?
Polarized (-70mV)
What happens when action potential arises?
It depolarizes the membrane
When the action potential bounces back and goes more negatively charged, it is called what?
Hyperpolarization (decreases the chances of action potential being achieved)
Substances that bind directly to postsynaptic receptors, thereby causing channels to open, are called _____.
Neurotransmitters
Which type of postsynaptic receptor indirectly alters ion channels?
Metabotropic
Metabotropic receptors may lead to the utilization of which of the following substances in opening ion channels?
The alpha subunit of G proteins Enzymes Second messengers
What substance travels to the nucleus of neurons and can affect gene expression?
Second messengers
The most common way neurotransmitters are deactivated is ___________.
Reuptake
True or false: Enzymatic deactivation allows neurotransmitters to be reused.
False
The term that refers to the summation of postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) is called __________.
neural integration
_________ functions to deactivate neurotransmitters.
acetycholinesterase
_________ refers to the remnants of synaptic vesicles along the presynaptic membrane after they have released their contents.
omega figures
When autoreceptors are not activated, the production and release of neurotransmitters __________.
increases
What type of structure is formed when the terminal button of one neuron comes into contact with the terminal button of another neuron?
axoaxonic synapse
What two things influence the amount of neurotransmitter released?
autoreceptor inhibitory postsynaptic potential
True or false: One function of inhibitory synaptic connections is to increase behavior.
True
What transmitter substances can affect areas not in direct contact with a neuron’s terminal button?
neuromodulators hormones
__________ cells have receptors for hormones, which can affect their functioning.
target
What are two characteristics of peptides?
Stimulate metabotropic receptors in the postsynaptic membrane Are insulin and pituitary hormones
What are four characteristics of steroids?
They are sex and adrenal hormones They direct chromosomes to initiate protein synthesis They pass through membranes to bind with receptors in the nucleus They are a lipid
Where are hormone receptors located?
On a membrane or nucleus
What are neurotransmitter substances and what do they do?
They are chemicals produced by the body that communicate between neurons i.e. across synapses
What is a neuraxis?
An imaginary line drawn through the spinal cord up to the front of the brain.
Anatomical directions are understood relative to the Neuraxis (T or F)
True
Rostral means the same as what other term?
Anterior
What does anterior (rostral) mean in regards to anatomical direction?
toward the head
What does Posterior (caudal) mean in regards to anatomical direction?
toward the tail
What is the anatomical direction that is toward the belly?
Ventral (inferior)
What is the anatomical direction that is toward the back (top of head)?
dorsal (superior)
what is the term indicating that it pertains more to the middle line of the body?
Medial
Term signifying to the side.
lateral
Which term means towards the center?
afferent
What does efferent mean?
away from the center
What does the term Ipsilateral mean?
the same side of the brain
What is the term that signifies the opposite side of the brain?
contralateral
What are the three planes in which the brain can be sectioned into?
Sagittal Coronal/frontal/transverse horizontal
Describe a sagittal plane dissection.
vertical cut, dividing brain into left and right regions