Chapter 3 Flashcards
What is the basic unit that allows electrical impulses to be sent as messages in the brain?
a) Glial cells
b) Neurons
c) Histones
d) Building blocks
b)Neurons
The process whereby the brain can adapt its structure to respond to and survive in its environment is called
Neuroplasticity
The synaptic knob forms the presynaptic side of the synapse (the microscopic space between cells). What is at the other side of the synapse?
a) Axon
b) Soma
c) Vesicles
d) Dendrite
d) Dendrite
Sort below where the electrical activity travels from first to last.
Soma
Axon
Axon Hillock
Axon Terminal
Soma
Axon Hillock
Axon
Axon Terminal
If you had to assign the role of ‘doctor’, which glial cells would you choose? Select all that apply.
a) Schwann cells
b) Astrocytes
c) Microglia
d) Oligodendrocytes
b) Astrocytes
c) Microglia
They both help form the immune system of the brain.
Which of the following is a purpose of glial cells? Select all that apply.
a) Support
b) Sensing stimuli in the environment
c) Releasing neurotransmitters
d) Speeding up electrical impulses
a) Support
d) Speeding up electrical impulses
Match the type of cell with its proper location. CNS or PNS?
Oligodendrocytes
Schwann
Oligodendrocytes - CNS
Schwann - PNS
Myelin is made of protein and fat, and it is wrapped around the axons of some neurons in the brain and spinal cord by glial cells called oligodendrocytes. By creating the myelin sheath, these cells support the speedy processing of information between different areas in the central nervous system.
Schwann Cells wrap myelin around the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord, thereby speeding up electrical impulses being sent from the brain and spinal cord to the body.
What determines the direction particles flow in solution?
a) Concentration: Low to High
b) Size
c) Positive vs Negative Charge
d) Concentration: High to Low
c) Positive vs Negative Charge
d) Concentration: High to Low
Which of the following will happen if I make the charge inside a neuron more positive?
a) The neuron will be more likely to deactivate
b) The neuron will be more likely to activate
c) The neuron will be damaged
d) The neuron will shut down
b) The neuron will be more likely to activate
Depolarisation
Depolarisation is brought about by the influx of Na+
Repolarisation
repolarisation happens because of the efflux of K+.
T/F: Neurons have a net negative charge at rest. This means that when they are active, they must have a positive charge.
True
If potassium concentrations in the extracellular space are lowered, which of the following problems could this cause within the neuron (keep in mind what you have learned about gradients and channels)?
a) Trouble maintaining resting potential
b) Trouble being stimulated
c) Trouble shutting down after activation
d) Trouble maintaining the integrity of the membrane
a) Trouble maintaining resting potential
c) Trouble shutting down after activation
When do sodium channels open?
During depolarisation
Neurons depolarise when they become electrically active. This is due to the __________.
Influx of sodium
Put the following steps in the right order.
Triggering of voltage-sensitive Na^+ channels
Small influx of Na^+
Efflux of K
Large influx of Na^+
Small influx of Na^+
Triggering of voltage-sensitive Na^+ channels
Large influx of Na^+
Efflux of K
A significant factor in creating the Action Potential is that the neuron is _____________
a) Almost always permeable to ions
b) Permeable to negative ions through leaky channels
c) Only semi-permeable to ions
d) Completely impermeable to ions
c) Only semi-permeable to ions
Axon Na^+ channels
Propagation of the action potential
Leaky channels
Maintenance of the resting potential
Lipid bilayer
Making the membrane semi-permeable
Myelin
Speeding up conduction of the electrical impulse
Which of the following do cells in your nervous system use to process information (choose all that apply)?
a) Electrical activity
b) Chemicals
c) Changes in shape of the cell
d) Colour
a) Electrical activity
b) Chemicals
If I tell you that the membrane of the neuron below is normally impermeable to ions, and you know that the movement of charged particles is how electrical impulses happen, how do we solve this problem?
a) I would break open the membrane.
b) I would make a door that can open and close.
c) I would just change the membrane to make it permeable.
d) I would make electricity happen without charged particles.
b) I would make a door that can open and close.
An excitatory neurotransmitter binding to a receptor would make the charge inside the neuron more:
a) Positive
b) Negative
c) Superpolarised
d) Neutral
a) Positive
Agonists
mimic the action of an endogenous (naturally produced by the body) neurotransmitter.
Antagonists
prevent the action of the endogenous neurotransmitter. Agonists or antagonists can be competitive (direct),
Partial agonists/antagonists.
This means that they bind to and activate the receptor with less ‘power’ than the endogenous neurotransmitter.
You are an evil villain who just happens to be masquerading as a psychiatrist. You want to increase depression in your patients. Which of the following would be most effective in your evil plan?
a) A dopamine receptor agonist
b) A norepinephrine receptor agonist
c) A partial dopamine receptor antagonist
d) A serotonin receptor antagonist
d) A serotonin receptor antagonist
When K+ ions rush out of the neuron, what happens to the charge inside the neuron?
a) The charge becomes more positive, because positive ions are leaving.
b) The charge stays neutral, because one ion is not enough to change anything.
c) The charge becomes more negative, because positive ions are leaving.
d) There is not enough information to answer the question.
c) The charge becomes more negative, because positive ions are leaving.
Sort the following steps in the process of triggering an action potential.
1) Binding of a neurotransmitter to a receptor
2) Influx of positive ions into the cell body
3) Opening of voltage gated sodium channels on the cell body
4) Opening of potassium channels
Neocortex
Conscious thought & decision making & outer most layer of the brain.
Medulla
Heartbeat¸respiration & other basic life support functions.
Afferents
Guiding electrical impulses/messages TOWARDS the brain.
Efferents
Guiding electrical impulses/messages AWAY from the brain.
An injury to the brainstem is so dangerous because:
a) It could lead to psychotic thought patterns
b) It could affect endocrine function and cause diabetic complications.
c) It could affect clusters of neurons that regulate the heart rate and breathing.
d) It could impact memory.
c) It could affect clusters of neurons that regulate the heart rate and breathing.
We can learn to do new things, even as adults, because of the concept of
Plasticity
There is a part of the brain called the frontal lobe. It resides in the part of the brain closest to your forehead. What anatomical direction would you say this part of the brain was in?
a) Ventral
b) Posterior
c) Anterior
d) Sagittal
c) Anterior
A brain region that is rostral to the limbic system could also be considered _______ to the limbic system
a) Posterior
b) Anterior
c) Caudal
d) Medial
b) Anterior
Dr. Brohem is an evil doctor. If he wants to completely prevent someone from being able to walk but still allow them to consciously use their hands and twist their torso, where might he cut with his scalpel?
a) The grey matter in the cortex.
b) The spinal cord.
c) The white matter in the brain.
d) The Central Nervous system.
a) The grey matter in the cortex.
White matter
- Bundles of myelinated axons
- Help diff areas of brainshare info by connecting neurons via axons and dendrites
Gray matter
- Consists of neurons and glia
- Does local processing info
T/F: You can change your heart rate just by thinking about it.
True
A yoga instructor teaching students to meditate would be attempting to activate the _________ system.
Parasympathetic
Match the structure (part of the brain) with a proper function:
Structures:
Medulla, pons, RAS
Function:
Alertness
Regulation of heart rate
Controls facial expressions
Medulla - Regulation of heart rate
Pons- Controls facial expressions
RAS - Alertness
The part of the brain that, if injured badly, would result in certain death
Medulla
The part of the brain that contains the nerve signalling balance and left-right orientation. [12]
Pons
The part of the brain that would light up on a brain scan if you were experiencing social exclusion
Cingulate gyrus
Telencephalon
Autumn is a 3-year-old little girl. Her camp counselors kept her out for 30 minutes in the heat, causing her to have to go to the emergency room and get treatment for heat stroke. All the camp counselors and older children were fine. What part of her brain might be less developed than her older counterparts, and thus cause this problem?
a) Hippocampus
b) Amygdala
c) Hypothalamus
d) Cingulate gyrus
c) Hypothalamus
regulates/control functions in autonomic and endocrine systems
i.e. hunger, sexual responses, temperature, aggression
What part of the brain was likely damaged in the case study of H.M.?
a) Amygdala
b) Hypothalamus
c) Hippocampus
d) Cingulate gyrus
c) Hippocampus
What area of this artist’s brain (see video below) would you expect to be more developed in comparison to the average person?
Cerebellum
Which two connections between other parts of the brain and the cerebellum could I cut in order to block its ability to coordinate voluntary movement?
a) Frontal motor –> cerebellum
b) Spinal cord –> cerebellum
c) Pons –> cerebellum
d) Vestibular nucleus –> cerebellum
a) Frontal motor –> cerebellum
b) Spinal cord –> cerebellum
Where would you try to replace neurons in order to treat Parkinson’s Disease?
Substantia Viagra
Match the nucleus (cluster of neurons) in the thalamus to its proper target in the cerebral cortex:
Lateral Geniculate Body
Medial Geniculate Body
Auditory cortex
Visual cortex
Lateral Geniculate Body
- Visual cortex
Medial Geniculate Body
- Auditory cortex
Which part of your brain integrates and makes sense of all the information that enters your world?
a) The pons
b) The reptile brain
c) The neocortex
d) The limbic system
c) The neocortex
We have found a special electrical stimulator that allows us to control someone’s decisions. We want to target the area that receives input from all over the cortex. Where should it be?
Frontal cortex
Dorsolateral prefontal cortex
Working memory
Motor cortex
Sends commands for voluntary movements
Corticobulbar tract
Carries command to facial muscles
corticobulbar = face
Ventromedial prefontal cortex
regulates fear based behaviour
Which of the following do you think would NOT be a result of parietal lobe damage?
a) Unpredictable behaviour
b) Problems navigating space
c) Lack of conscious feeling in extremities
d) Coordination of movement
a) Unpredictable behaviour
The area Dr. Grey would stimulate on the brain below to make you hallucinate an odor.
Temporal lobe - olfactory cortex
The New England Patriots’ left tackle suffered a severe concussion and now has trouble remembering the new plays Coach Belichick drew up for the Super Bowl. Where might the damage be?
a) The olfactory bulbs
b) The hippocampus
c) The primary auditory cortex
d) Wernicke’s area
Hippocampus
Match the function with the correct part of the brain.
Coordination of movement
Auditory processing
Visual processing
Breathing and respiration
Temporal lobe
Cerebellum
Medulla
Occipital lobe
Cerebellum - Coordination of movement
Temporal lobe -
Auditory processing
Occipital lobe -
Visual processing
Medulla -
Breathing and respiration
areas helps the brain make decisions based on fears?
Ventromedial prefontal cortex
Which of the following brain areas are directly involved in coordinating movements?
a) The medulla
b) The pons
c) The basal ganglia
d) The cerebellum
e) The hypothalamus
c) The basal ganglia
(hint: Parkinson’s disease)
d) The cerebellum
Sort the following brain areas from most dorsal to most ventral.
Doral - upper
Ventral - lower
Thalamus
Basal Ganglia
Parietal Lobes
Pons
Parietal Lobes
Thalamus
Basal Ganglia
Pons
What gland does the hypothalamus exert direct control over?
a) Adernal
b) Kidney
c) Pituitary
d) Gall bladder
c)Pituitary
Which of the following would you inhibit if you wanted a person to interpret a situation as stressful, but not suffer the physical effects of that stress?
a) The pituitary gland
b) The hypothalamus
c) The prefrontal cortex
d) The adrenal glands
d) The adrenal glands
Which culture shows evidence of some of the earliest research on the brain?
a) Greek
b) Nigerian
c) Egyptian
d) Chinese
c) Egyptian
Which of the following questions do we ask about different parts of the brain and which functions they control using modern tools? Select all that apply.
a) Is it necessary?
b) is it morally correct?
c) Is it sufficient?
d) Is it involved?
b) is it morally correct?
c) Is it sufficient?
d) Is it involved?
What can the patch clamp technique fo that EEG can’t?
a) Measure blood flow in the brain.
b) Measure ion flow in a particular neuron.
c) Measure electrical activity directly.
d) Stain neurons.
b) Measure ion flow in a particular neuron.
We reduce signal to noise ratio by using computer software to reduce
Noise
T/F: If a scientist inhibits a group of neurons and an animal can no longer vocalise, we know that this group of neurons was necessary for vocalisation.
True
Is an excitotoxic lesion reversible or irreversible?
b
Irreversible, because overexcitation killed the neuron(s)
Click the area of the brain below where we can record from using an electroencephalogram (EEG).
Pons/medulla
Methods
We need to measure dopamine activity in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA). - PET Scan
We need to measure activity in the basal ganglia during a task in which the subject learns to hit a moving target on a screen with a stick. - fMRI
We want to scan a patient’s brain for possible tumors. -
MRI
We need to record ion flow through NMDA receptor channels.
- Patch clamp
