L2/3 Modern Methods in Neuroscience

Question 1

What are the main methods used in circuit neuroscience

Answer 1

psychological illusions, lesions, anatomical studies, fMRI, electrophysiological recordings

Question 2

What area of the brain can fMRI help to study

Answer 2

visual processing

Question 3

Describe the changes in the brain when motion is perceived

Answer 3

increased oxygen/glucose to certain areas of the brain

Question 4

What is a disadvantage of humans and primates as model organisms

Answer 4

long life cycle

Question 5

What model organisms are used to study neuroscience

Answer 5

humans, primates, cats, dogs, zebrafish, drosophila

Question 6

How can you map neurons connections

Answer 6

stimulate one neuron and record another

Question 7

What methods map neuronal connections

Answer 7

electron microscopy, cajal and golgi

Question 8

What method labels neurons sparsely

Answer 8

cajal and golgi

Question 9

What can golgi staining of neurons be combined with

Answer 9

electrophysiology

Question 10

What is a disadvantage of using GFP to stain neurons

Answer 10

rarely stains individual neurons

Question 11

Describe the components of sharp electrode recordings

Answer 11

thin tipped electrode filled with potassium chloride electrolyte

Question 12

What is the effect of stimuli on photoreceptors in humans and vertebrates

Answer 12

hyper-polarisation

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of sharp electrode recordings

Answer 13

limited possibility of controlling membrane potential, single channels cannot be measured

Question 14

What are the types pipette based patch clamp techniques

Answer 14

on cell, inside out, outside out, whole cell

Question 15

What does whole cell configuration allow measurement of

Answer 15

current of the entire membrane

Question 16

Which patch clamp technique allows the intracellular solution to be changed

Answer 16

inside out

Question 17

What techniques can be combined into one experiment

Answer 17

morphology and electrophysiology

Question 18

What colour light has to be shone on GFP for it to go green

Answer 18

blue light

Question 19

What is GCaMP

Answer 19

GFP based calcium indicator

Question 20

What is GCaMP made from

Answer 20

GFP fused with two calcium binding proteins

Question 21

What is the effect of calcium proteins on GFP in GCaMP

Answer 21

GFP becomes brighter

Question 22

What does GCaMP highlight

Answer 22

active neurons

Question 23

What type of microscopy gives high quality images

Answer 23

confocal microscopy

Question 24

What issues arise if animals are sedated with Na+ channel blockers?

Answer 24

blockers decrease excitability of nerves

Question 25

Describe the use of freely moving animals in neuroscience study

Answer 25

tiny fluorescent microscope is placed directly into skull

Question 26

What is halorhodopsin

Answer 26

chloride channel

Question 27

What does halorhodopsin cause

Answer 27

hyper polarisation in response to yellow light