Lecture 1

Question 1

Neurobiology

Answer 1

Studying the physiology, anatomy, and pathology of the nervous system

Question 2

Neurophysiology

Answer 2

• Studying the chemical (i.e. genes and gene products) and electrical underpinnings of
  nervous system function
  • Neurophysiology requires understanding the anatomy
  • Abnormalities in anatomy and physiology = pathology

Question 3

Origin of the Nervous System:

Multicellularity has evolved _____ times…in who?

Answer 3

Multicellularity evolved independently three times

• Plants, animals and fungi

Question 4

Origins of Nervous System:

Placozoans

Answer 4

lack nervous systems yet exhibit motile behaviors

Question 5

Origins of Nervous System:

Porifera

Answer 5

• Sponges are arguably the most simple animals
• Once thought to be the earliest- diverging lineage
• Have choanocytes that resemble choanoflagellates

Question 6

Origins of the Nervous System:

Ctenophores

Answer 6

most early- diverging animals

• might have evolved a nervous system independently

Question 7

Chemical Synapses

Answer 7

reduce diffusion time and concentration requirements by
bringing pre- and post-synaptic structures close together

A diversity of neurotransmitter and neuropeptide types provide complexity for chemical synaptic transmission

Question 8

Electrical Synapses

Answer 8

faster than chemical synapses

Question 9

What constitutes a Nervous System?

Answer 9

A collection of synaptically connected neurons that:
• Sense and/or transmit information about different stimuli • light, sound, chemicals, temperature, touch and pain
• Process and store information
• Interpret sensory information, learn and create memories, retrieve memories, compile
neural processes to select appropriate actions
• Send effector outputs to…
• Muscle(forco-ordinatingmovement)
• Neuroendocrine cells (for altering physiology)
• Other cell/tissue types (e.g. circulatory, respiratory and reproductive systems)