History of the field

Question 1

2 ways to study brain evolution

Answer 1

Paleoneurology and comparative neurobiologiy

Question 2

paleoneurology

Answer 2

studies fossil record through endocasts (cast made by brain on interior of cranium) often human made through molding

Question 3

comparative neurobiology method

Answer 3

use of studies on multiple, related species to analyze the evolutionary history and adaptive function of a trait

Question 4

radiator brain hypothesis

Answer 4

hypothesis made by Aristotle

Thought function of brain was to cool down body –> thought the large brain of humans meant that humans were more warm and that the heart controlled feelings

could not dissects humans at the time

Question 5

galen 130- 200 AD

Answer 5

Conducted many animal dissections

Produced a lot of description of animal neural systems –> used to infer about human system

Question 6

Andreas vassalius

Answer 6

corrected Galens work once human dissection was allowed

Question 7

Darwin

Answer 7

Natural selection

descent with modification

Question 8

Owen-huxley debate : Owen

Answer 8

agains Darwins theory

Tried to classify mammals based on neural characteristics and placed human in separate category which consist of only humans

Coined word homologue : organs that are the same in different animals under every variety of form and function

Question 9

Owen-huxley debate : Huxley

Answer 9

Emphasized similarity of humans and primates

Showed that neural features Owens claimed were unique to humans also occurred in primates

Underestimated some differences between ape and human brain (such as size)

Question 10

Scala Naturae viewpoint

Answer 10

Belief that living beings had a fixed form

Beings were organized along single ladder of complexity (starting with god and going down)

tree of life evolved from this view

Question 11

which is one of the first examples of brain localization

Answer 11

broca’s area

Question 12

what is the Golgi method

Answer 12

Allows staining of sections of the brain -> when under microscope can see neurons in complete structure

First time neurons and their shape and connections could be observed
○Used to classify different cells

Question 13

what was the neuron doctrine and who created it

Answer 13

the discovery made by Santiago Ramon that the brain is made up of units called neurons

Question 14

what is a Nissl stain

Answer 14

stains slices of brain

darker sections suggest denser cell distribution

Question 15

Broadman

Answer 15

used Nissl stain to study brain and cell distribution to identify patterns and areas

Discovered cytocortex of many animals is made of six different layers

Denser layers had darker colour when stained

Question 16

cladistics

Answer 16

: used to classify organism based on phylogenetic relationships, Relationships based on distribution of features such as physical traits, behaviour and DNA, organized through phylogenetic trees

Question 17

phenotypic similarities arise 2 ways, what are they

Answer 17

homology : traits similar due to common ancestor “primitive trait”

homoplasy : traits evolve similarly due to similar use (not due to common ancestor) “derived trait”
example = gyrification