Chapter 1 - History (not on midterm)

Question 1

What was the beginning of neuroscientific thought?

Answer 1

Fourth-century B.C.E:

Aristotle used observation and questioning to understand the body-psyche relationship. Questions were answered through observation (and guesses).

This was the classical era.

Question 2

Cardio-centric

Answer 2

Greece philosophy, the heart is the center of the mind (e.g. Aristotle)

Question 3

Cephalo-centric

Answer 3

Greece philosophy, the head as the center of the mind (e.g. Plato, Hippocrates)

Question 4

China early neuroscience beliefs

Answer 4

Emphasized the connection between heart and mind

Emotion and reason as one

Question 5

North America early neuroscience beliefs

Answer 5

Human thought is an extension of a larger nature or spirit

Question 6

Camillo Golgi (1800s)

Answer 6

Reticular theory

Neuronal tissue is a continuous mesh

Evidenced this through novel methods of staining and imaging

Question 7

Santiago Ramón y Cahal (1800s)

Answer 7

Neural Doctrine

Nervous system is divisible into functional subunits

Expansion of tissues was from growth of ‘protoplasmic branches’ (dendrites)

Question 8

Phineas Gage (1823-1860)

Answer 8

Demonstrated that the brain was not homogenous

Maybe different parts do different things?

Question 9

Phrenology

Answer 9

Correlating the structure of the head with personality traits

Initially accepted as truth….however…. bumps on the skull tell us nothing about the brain’s underlying functions.

Nevertheless, some of his assumptions have held true.

Different parts of the the brain does control different aspects of behaviour.

Question 10

Paul Broca

Answer 10

Identified an area of the brain the brain that, when damaged, impaired speech “Broca’s area”

Led to general acceptance for localization of function

Question 11

Can people be left or right brained?

Answer 11

Localization does not mean lateralization (left vs. right)

“Left-brained” vs “Right-brained” people does not hold up to scientific questioning.

Question 12

Darwin 1800s

Answer 12

Outlined evolution, natural selection

With a greater understanding of the principles of evolution, neuroscientist began to compare brains.

Support that we could study animal brains to understand our own functioning

Question 13

Wilder Penfield (1891-1976)

Answer 13

Treated severe epilepsy by destroying nerve cells

Stimulated the brain with electrical probes while the patients were conscious on the operating table and observed their responses

Question 14

António Egas Moniz (1874-1955)

Answer 14

Won a Nobel prize for development of a brain surgery to treat mental illness

Involved the removal of neurons from the front of the brain

Question 15

Trepanation

Answer 15

7000 years ago

People were boring holes in each other’s skulls to cure not kill

Question 16

The Scientific Method/Process

Answer 16

The process of testing ideas about the world by…

• Setting up situations that test our ideas
• OBSERVE the what happens
• Repeat it again to see if the outcome REPLICATES
• INTERPRET the data for what may be the cause of your observation
• Set up a new experiment to VERIFY your interpetation

Question 17

Modern Neuroscience Methods

Answer 17

With technological advances, psychology saw a huge shift in our knowledge of how cognitive processes are linked to brain functioning.

• Anatomical path tracing
• Microscopy
• Imaging
• Electrical signals

Question 18

Neuroscience Definition

Answer 18

The brain, regardless of culture or cognition, has relatively conserved hardware

Neuroscience is the study of that hardware.

Question 19

Cognitive Neuroscience

Answer 19

What is the relationship between the brain and mind?

Question 20

Behavioural Neuroscience

Answer 20

What is the relationship between brain and behaviour?

Question 21

Systems Neuroscience

Answer 21

How do neural circuits serve a common function?

Question 22

Cellular Neuroscience

Answer 22

How do neurons differ? How are they similar? How do they interact?

Question 23

Molecular Neuroscience

Answer 23

What molecules allow for neural communication and functioning?

Question 24

Cerebrum

Answer 24

Sensation and perception

Repository of memory

Question 25

Cerebellum

Answer 25

Movement control center

Question 26

Beliefs by the end of the 18th century

Answer 26

The nervous system has a central division, the brain and spinal cord, and a peripheral division consisting of the nerves that course through the body

Injury to the brain can cause injury to sensations/movement or death

The brain communicates to the body via the nerves

The brain has separate parts for different functions

Question 27

Charles Bell (1810)

Answer 27

Concept, nerves are wires that conduct electrical signals to and from the brain

Cutting only the ventral roots caused muscle paralysis

Concluded, within each nerve is a mixture of many wires, some bring info to the brain/spinal cord and some send info to the muscles

Transmission is one-way

Question 28

Occipital lobe of the cerebrum is required for…

Answer 28

Vision

Question 29

Cell Theory

Answer 29

1839 Theodor Shwann

All tissues are composed of microscopic units called cells

Question 30

Moral Responsibilities Toward Animal Subjects

Answer 30

1. Animals are used only in worthwhile experiments that promise to advance our knowledge of the nervous system
2. All necessary steps are taken to minimize pain
3. All possible alternatives to using animals are considered

Must pass proposals/reviews

Question 31

The Goal of Neuroscience

Answer 31

To understand how nervous systems function