exam 1 Flashcards
what is the society of neuroscience
founded in 1969; headquarters in DC; nearly 40,000 members
what does neuroscience focus on
the connection between the brain & behavior which works both ways
neuroplasticity
results from learning; the brain molds based on new information
examples of scientific discoveries made on accident
viagra was intended to treat angina, anesthesia was used recreationally, penicillin found due to bacteria not growing near mold, sweetener saccharin found when scientist forgot to wash hands, etc
phineas gage
one of the earliest & most studied case of how structure & function are linked
what happened to phineas gage
an iron went through his skull & his behavior greatly contrasted before & after showing that the frontal lobe controls personality
phrenology
inferred personality characteristics & personal attributes through interpreting bumps/ridges of skull; founded by james francis gall in europe with first society in philly 1892
speech aphasia
lack of speech; paul broca found the speech center of brain by observing damage in post mortem tissue
parkinson’s disease
james parkinson identified it as “shaking palsy”; people suffering have a deficit in black substance/substantia nigra
what areas dictate movement
reflexes are controlled by spinal cord and willfull movement is controlled by brain
why is ethical animal research important
allows us to study similar structures/functions in controlled model, understand animals better for their sake, gain insight into our evolution & how we’re same/different, conduct experiments we cannot on humans
what are some discoveries made through animal research
immunizations for polio, mumps, measles, & hepatitis, antibiotics, insulin, chemotherapy, meds to treat hypertension, mental illness, & arthritis, and surgical procedures/organ transplants
what is animal research at ETSU like
closely regulated by and subject to be approved by UCAC; mandatory training for people involved in animal research anywhere
IACUC
institutional animal care & use committee
what is human research at ETSU like
closely regulated by IRB (institutional review board)
what is cardinal terminology
directional terms (anterior, posterior, ventral, dorsal, etc); humans & animals differ in this
meninges
3 membrane layers in the brain (4 divisions): skull, dura mater, arachnoid, subarachnoid space, pia mater
blood brain barrier
highly selective permeable; separates circulating blood from brain
what can pass freely through the blood brain barrier
small molecules (oxygen & carbon dioxide) & molecules that readily dissolve in fat (vitamins A & D)
cerebral cortex
covered in folds called sulci & gyri; 6 cellular layers (laminae) for higher order processing; made primarily of gray matter compared to white matter
sulcus
groove/trench/valley
gyrus
mound/protrusion
columns
basic functional unit; organization of cells in cortex; 100,000,000 columns with 100 cells in each with special functions
4 lobes in the brain
frontal, parietal, temporal, & occipital
3 main areas of brain
forebrain, midbrain, & hindbrain; organized differently than the lobes
split brain
when people are born without a corpus callosum or it is cut to reduce seizures spreading
frontal lobe
starts at the central sulcus & extends forward; includes primary motor cortex, prefrontal cortex, & broca’s area
primary motor cortex
has precentral gyrus; fine motor movements
prefrontal cortex
great integrator in charge of higher order processing, decision making, working memory, etc. & has a role in addiction
broca’s area
responsible for language/speech production
broca’s aphasia
trouble speaking fluently but comprehension can be preserved
parietal lobe
starts at central sulcus & extends to the occipital lobe; contains postcentral gyrus & primary somatosensory cortex
somatosensory cortex
topographical in nature; areas that require more processing/sensitivity get more cortex space/tissue; key in visuospatial processing; organized in a certain fashion
temporal lobe
includes primary auditory cortex & wernicke’s area
primary auditory cortex
primary target for auditory stimuli & laid out tonotopically
wernicke’s area
language comprehension & producing speech
wernicke’s aphasia
damage leads to speech that has impaired meaning & poor comprehension
how are wernicke’s & broca’s areas similar
they are ipsilateral & unilateral; they are connected by arcuite vesiculus
prosopagnosia
face blindness; the temporal lobe has a complex role in vision such as movement & facial recognition
occipital lobe
primary role in vision; contains the primary visual cortex (striate cortex)
color vision
controlled in V4 area of occipital lobe
corpus callosum & anterior commissure
major crossing points in the brain; majority of brain structures innervate the contralateral side of the body
CNS
central nervous system; contains brain & spinal cord
PNS
peripheral nervous system; nerves that communicate with CNS; contains somatic & autonomic nervous systems
SNS
somatic nervous system; takes info from environment & controls movement
ANS
autonomic (automatic) nervous system; maintains homeostasis & is responsible for basic body functions like respiration & digestion; contains sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems
sympathetic system
fight or flight response
parasympathetic system
rest & digest
motor neurons
control movement (efferent)
sensory neurons
integrate neuronal signals from sensory organs (afferent)
interneurons
communicate between neurons
glial cells
support cells in CNS & PNS; several types which are classified by their jobs
astrocytes
star-shaped glial cells that regulate blood flow & can help synchronize firing
microglia
cells that clean up debris like a cellular immune system & maintain synapses
radial glia
direct cells to the right spot; also guide axonal projections
insulators
glial cells with myelinated axons; includes oligodendrocytes (CNS) & schwann cells (PNS)
what is neuron membrane like
semi-permeable; certain ions can pass at certain times, some can never leave & some can never get in
negative & positive ions
anions (-) & cations (+)
sodium ions
(Na+); positively charged; large majority remain outside the cell
potassium ions
(K+); positively charged; slightly greater amount inside cell
chloride ions
(Cl-); negatively charged giving neuron a negative charge along with negative proteins & anions
concentration gradient
molecules in greater concentration diffuse
how do Na+ & K+ move throughout the cell
Na+ wants to get in & K+ wants to get out; this forms the electrochemical gradient
electrical gradient
almost cancels out the concentration gradient
resting potential
maintained at -70mV
depolarization
more positive
more negative
hyperpolarization
threshold of excitation
reached at -55mV; axon hillock starts action potential
spatial and/or temporal summation
dendrites receive information, signals are either positive or negative & soma integrates information
when does cell fire
0mV
when do the Na+ channels shut
immediately after the membrane reaches 30mV; this causes K+ channels to open & K+ leaves quickly bringing the charge back down fast
diseases that affect myelination/speed of neuronal communication
batrachotoxin from south american dart frogs forces Na+ channels to stay open; pufferfish contains tetrodotoxin which blocks voltage gated Na+ channels; scorpion venom makes Na+ stay open & keeps K+ closed
