Lecture 1 Flashcards
What is neuroscience?
study of all aspects of nervous system function from molecular to cellular to systems to cognitive
Define neurologist
MD trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the nervous system
Define psychiatrist
MD trained to diagnose and treat disorders of mood and behavior
Define neurosurgeon
MD trained to perform surgery on the brain and spinal cord
Define neuropathologist
MD or PhD trained to recognize the changes in the nervous tissue that result from disease
What does a developmental neurobiologist do?
analyzes the development and maturation of the brain
What does a molecular neurobiologist do?
Uses the genetic material of neurons to understand the structure and function of brain molecules
What does a neuroanatomist do?
Studies the structure of the nervous system
What does a neurochemist do?
studies the chemistry of the nervous system
What does a neuroethologist do?
studies the neural basis of species-specific animal behaviors in natural settings
What does a neurophamacologist do?
examine the effects of drugs on the nervous system
What does a neurophysiologist do?
measure the electrical activity of the nervous system
What does a physiological psychologist do?
Studies the biological basis of behavior
What does a psychophysicist do?
Quantitatively measures perceptual abilities
What is alzheimer’s disease?
progressive degenerative disease of the brain, characterized by dementia and always fatal
What is autism?
emerging in early childhood characterized by impairments in communication and social interactions, and restricted and repetitive behaviors
What is cerebral palsy?
motor disorder caused by damage to the cerebrum before, during, or soon after birth
What is depression?
A serious disorder of mood, characterized by insomnia, loss of appetite, and feelings of dejection
What is epilepsy?
A condition characterized by periodic disturbances of brain electrical activity that can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, and sensory disturbances
What is multiple sclerosis?
Progressive disease that affects nerve conduction, characterized by episodes of weakness, lack of coordination, and speech disturbances
What is parkinson’s disease?
Progressive disease of the brain that leads to difficulty in initiating voluntary movement
What is schizophrenia?
Severe psychotic illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre behavior
What is spinal paralysis?
loss of feeling and movement caused by traumatic damage to the spinal cord
What is stroke?
loss of brain function caused by disruption of the blood supply, usually leading to permanent sensory, motor, or cognitive deficit
What is neuroanatomy?
Study of the gross and microscopic anatomy of the nervous system
What is neurophysiology?
Study of the electrical signaling of neurons
What is neurochemistry?
Study of how neurotransmitters are synthesized, released and degraded
What is neuropharmacology?
Study of drug actions on the brain
What is molecular neuroscience?
Study of gene actions as they relate to nervous system function
What is developmental neuroscience?
Study of the mechanisms involved in the wiring of the nervous system during development
What is systems neuroscience?
Study of neural circuits for sensory systems, behavior, emotions, cognition, and motor control
What is cognitive neuroscience?
Study of higher order functions
What is the central nervous system comprosed of?
brain and spinal cord
What’s the difference between gray and white matter?
Gray matter: rich in neuronal cell bodies
White matter: long range myelinated axonal fiber tracts
What is the function of the cerebrum?
Right hemisphere receives sensation from and controls movement of left side of the body and vice versa
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Movement control center. Left hemisphere controls left side of the body and right side controls the right.
What is the function of the brain stem?
Relays information from cerebrum to the spinal cord and cerebellum. Controls vital functions, breathing, consciousness, and control of body temperature.
What are the brain coordinate terms in terms of x, y, z?
Dorsal/ventral: y/-y
Medial/Lateral: z/-z
Anterior/Posterior or Rostral/Caudal: -x/x
What are the brain section terms?
Sagittal: cuts lateral/medial
Horizontal: cuts dorsal/ventral
Coronal: cuts anterior/posterior
How has the cortex evolved?
By size but structure has remained the same
- higher order complex processing
What are common features of the cerebral cortex?
- cell bodies in layers/sheets
- surface layer separated from pia mater, layer 1
- apical dendrites form multiple branches
What dye is used to assessment functional blood brain barrier?
Evans Blue Dye
What’s the function of cerebrospinal fluid?
filled caverns and canals inside brain in ventricles
What’s the function of the choroid plexus?
Secretes cerebrospinal fluid
- specialized tissue in ventricles
What is the choroid plexus structure?
Many capillaries separated from the ventricles by choroid epithelial cells. Fluid filters through these cells from blood to become CSF.
What’s the route for CSF?
- Circulates through ventricles and absorbed in subarachnoid space at small openings near the cerebellum
- CSF in subarachnoid space is absorbed back into the blood
What are the 3 layers of the meninges?
Dura Mater
Arachnoid Membrane
Pia Mater
What’s in the subarachnoid space?
CSF (cerebrospinal fluid)
What is in the central nervous system?
Brain and Spinal Cord (encased in bone)
List the following of the spinal cord: location, function, and 2 roots
Location: Attached to brain stem
Function: Conduit of information
2 roots: Dorsal (sensory fibers) and Ventral (outgoing motor fibers)
- basically outside vs inside
Where’s the peripheral nervous system?
Outside the brain and spinal cord
What are the 2 peripheral nervous systems and how are they different?
Somatic PNS: innervates skin, joints, muscles under voluntary contral
- involved dorsal root ganglia (clusters of neuronal cell bodies outside the spinal cord with somatic sensory axons) and ventral root (outgoing motor fibers)
Autonomic PNS: innervates internal organs, blood vessels, glands
- sympathetic and parasympathetic
What’s the difference between afferent and efferent nerves?
Afferent: carry to - information toward a particular point
Efferent: carry from - information away from a point
What are the 4 types of non-invasive imaging?
CT: Computed tomography
MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging
fMRI: Functional brain imaging
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
What’s the function of CT?
Computed tomography generates an image of a brain slice
- x-ray beams used to generate data for a digitally reconstructed image
- scans non-invasively revealed the gross organization of gray and white matter and positions of ventricles
- being replaced by MRII
How does MRI work?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- based on how hydrogen atoms respond in the brain to a strong magnetic field
- signals are mapped by computer to create images
How is MRI better than CT?
- More detail
- Doesn’t require x-irradation
- Brain slice image at any angle
How does fMRI work?
Functional Brain Imaging
- Detects changes in regional blood flow and metabolism within the brain
- Active neurons demand more glucose and oxygen = more blood to active regions
- Detect changes in blood flow
How does Diffusion Tensor Imaging work?
MRI-based neuroimaging technique which makes it possible to estimate the location, orientation of the brain’s white matter tracts
