Lecture 2 Neuroanatomy Flashcards
How many neurons are you born with?
86 billion
How are neurons different to other cell types in the body?
Every cell in the body is replaced over time APART from neurons. If a neutron dies then a new one doesn’t replace it.
Neurons can repair themselves but if they die that is the end.
Describe the function of glia cells.
Scaffold neurons, feed them with nutrients.
10x as many glial cells than neurons.
What do dendrites do?
Receive messages from other neurons.
What do cell bodies do?
Contains all the organelles of the cell.
What does the axon do?
Connects the neuron to other regions.
What is Dale’s principal?
A mature neutron releases the same transmitter at all of its synapses.
What is the meninges of the brain?
Thick outside membrane that keeps the brain safe from the outside world.
Describe the cortex of the brain.
Has sulci and gyri. The outside part of the brain that is the last to develop.
Describe the cerebellum.
Contains as many neurons (if not more) than the whole of the brain. Involved in motor control. Affected by alcohol.
Describe the brainstem.
Centre for heart rate, breathing etc. Essential for living, if the brainstem dies then you are considered brain dead.
Describe the spinal cord.
Connected to the brainstem. Goes down the spine and extends neurons to the body.
What are association areas?
Bring information from all the different areas of the brain together. It is how we build up information from many different components.
Why is white matter white?
Myelination of axons (fatty molecule).
What is grey matter?
Where the cell bodies sit and are mainly on the outside of the brain.
