Chapter 1 part 2 Flashcards
How can gut bacteria affect our overall health?
The amount of gut bacteria can have a huge impact of levels of depression and asthma severity
What effects can stimulating the vagus nerve have on overall health?
stimulating the vagus nerve can treat epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression
How many nuclei does the hypothalamus have?
22 nuclei
- they are linked to the autonomic and neuoendocrine systems
In reference to the thalamus, what does each sense have?
Each sense has its own thalamic nucleus (example, LGN) EXCEPT for olfaction, which goes directly to the cortex
Name the thalamic nuclei for each of the senses?
Visual thalamic nucleus = LGN, auditory thalamic nucleus = MGN, somatosensory thalamic nucleus = VPL, gustation thalamic nucleus = VPM, olfaction = medial dorsal
Why is the thalamus important in consciousness?
Because it integrates sensory input and cortical input
What system does the olfactory ability belong to?
The limbic system, because smell is highly integrated with learning and memory
What is the basal ganglia important for?
Voluntary control of movement (i.e. engagement in goal-directed movement)
What can we observe with problems in the basal ganglia?
In the substantia nigra, deterioration can lead to parkinson’s disease (loss of movement, paradoxical movement)
In the striatum, deterioration can lead to huntington’s disease (release of movement)
What is paradoxical movement?
It is a preserved motor pattern after the loss of other motor patterns (example: being able to ride a bike but not being able to walk)
Why might deterioration in the substantia nigra lead to loss of motor movements, as seen in parkinson’s disease?
Because the substantia nigra is a major producer in dopamine
What does the neocortex represent?
The 4 lobes of the brain
What does somatopic mean?
It is a body representation in the brain (i.e. the homunculus)
What does a hierarchical organization imply?
That complex functions are built upon simpler ones
In what two ways can we consider the projection routes of axons?
- from sensory receptors to the cortex
2. from the cortex to spinal and motor neurons
Which lobes project onto which other lobes?
Frontal > temporal > Parietal > Occipital
What is the hierarchical organization of the sensory cortices?
The primary cortex projects on to the secondary sensory cortex (which receives indirect sensory input) and then travels to the tertiary sensory cortex which is involved in integration
What did Penfield and Jasper do to create functional maps?
They stimulated a specific area of the cortex while the patient was awake to describe what it was that he was feeling
What is an example of our experience shaping our cortical representation?
Phantom limb syndrome - the representation of the limb is still present in the cortex
What does a difference in a neuron’s circuitry suggest?
Different circuitry suggests different computations
What is phrenology?
The pseudoscience which tried to link high order functions with the size and shape of a person’s head
