Introduction to Neuroscience Flashcards
What is the Somatic nervous system?
Voluntary - contracts muscle - motor output
What is the ANS?
Involuntary - maintains homeostasis
What does the PNS innervate?
Somatic nervous system and ANS
What does Anterior mean?
At the front
What does Posterior mean?
At the back
What does Superior mean?
At the top
What does inferior mean?
At the bottom
What does Rostral mean?
At the front towards nose
What does Caudal mean?
At the back towards back of head
What does dorsal mean?
Back of the body
What does ventral mean?
In front in the spine
Below in brain
What does medial mean?
Towards the midline
What does sagittal mean?
Front to back
What does Coronal mean
Left to right
What does the forebrain contain?
Cerebral hemisphere and basal nuclei, thalamus and hypothalamus
What does the midbrain control?
motor movement, particularly movements of the eye, and in auditory and visual processing.
What does the hindbrain contain and control
Pons - Rostral to medulla - respiratory rhythm and breathing
Cerebellum - Caudial to pons - balance and movement
Medulla - heartbeat and respiration
What does the brainstem contain
Medulla, pons and midbrain
What does the cerebrospinal fluid do?
Maintains homeostasis, filters plasma, removes waste, physical protection, makes brain more buoyant, maintains levels of ions
How is the ventricular system formed?
embryologically derived from the neural canal, forming early in the development of the neural tube
What is cervical enlargement
Allows for control of arms
What is lumbar enlargement for
Control of lower limbs
Is thoracic voluntary or involuntary
involuntary
What is grey matter
Neurons and glia
What is white matter
Neuronal axons wrapped in myelin
What are neurons
excitable cells that conduct impulses
What does glia do
Maintains homeostasis, provides protection and assists neural function
What does Nissl stain mark?
Distinguish between neurons and flia. Highlights rRNA
What is the soma?
Where the signals from the dendrites are joined and passed on
What are the 4 major compartments of the neuron
Dendrites, Soma, axon and axon terminal
What is golgi stain made of?
Silver chromate
What are microtubules
Hollow tube composed of polymers of tubulin
Why are tubulin molecules dynamically regulated
Tubulin molecule can be removed and added to another to grow the neuron via depolymerisation and polymerisation
What are microfilaments
Give cell shape and support internal parts
What does the axon hillock do?
Attaches to the soma and sums the total inhibitory and excitatory signals to determine threshold
What are the features of the Axon terminal
No rough ER, <1mm to >1m in length, 1um-25um diameter
What is axon collateral
Axon split into smaller extensions called terminal branches
What is the synaptic cleft?
Small gap between presynaptic terminal and postsynaptic membrane
What is axonal transport
Cellular process responsible for movement of mitochondria, lipids, synaptic vesicles, proteins and other organelles to and from a neurons cell body
what does retrograde transport
Dynein
What does nissl stain
Stains Neurons vs glia
What is immunohistochemistry
Fixed tissue, antibodies, fluorescent microscope
Uses antibodies to test for antigens
What is live imaging/flourescent dye
Genetic or injected
Allows to see cells in life time or over time
What do retrograde tracers do
Determine location of cells
What does electron microscopes allow you to see
Synapses and organelles
How is the unipolar neuron structure related to its function ?
Small area for receiving synaptic input so highly specialised function with reliable relay of information
DRG
How is the unipolar neuron structure related to its function ?
Small area for receiving synaptic input so highly specialised function with reliable relay of information
How is the bipolar structure related to its function
Small area for synaptic input so highly specialised function
How is the multipolar neuron function related to its structure
Large area for receiving synaptic inputs, high levels of convergence
Where do interneurons (Relay or projection) connect?
Brain regions
What do local interneurons do
Process info in local circuits
What is the marker for Astrocytes
GFAP
What is the homeostatic cell of the CNS
Astrocytes
What is the homeostatic cell of the PNS
satellite cells
What is the homeostatic cell of the ENS
Enteric glia
What is the myelinating cells of the CNS
Oligodendrocyte
What is the myelinating cells of the PNS
Schwann cells
What is the phagocytic cells of the CNS
Microglia
What is the phagocytic cells of the PNS
Schwann cells and macrophages
What do astrocytes do
Supply brain with glycogen for 10 mins, metabolise gylocogen and supply lactate
Buffer EXC potassium
Part of blood brain barrier
Couple neuronal activity to blood supply
What is the tripartite synapse
Terminates neurotransmitter activity, recycles neurotransmitters to presynaptic terminals
What is the function of myelin
Insulates and creates nodes of Ranvier, establishes saltatory conduction
How is myelin formed
Oligo cytoplasm wrapped many times around the axon
How is cytoplasm removed from cell layers during myelination
Squeezed out via compaction
