Machado Flashcards
when talking abt brain scans (but Not gross anatomy)…
left + right r reversed
what makes up ur CNS (simple)?
spinal cord + brain
where does sensory info enter the CNS?
dorsal portion of the spinal cord
where do motor commands exit the CNS?
ventral portion of the spinal cord
what terms of orientation r used 4 reptiles thru-out the CNS?
dorsal, caudal, ventral, rostral
where do the terms of orientation (CNS) change 4 humans?
below the junction w the midbrain (diencephalic junction)
terms orientation above midbrain (human)?
- anterior = rostral (front of brain)
- posterior = caudal (tail/end of brain)
- superior = dorsal (top)
- inferior = ventral (bottom)
below midbrain terms of orientation (human):
- rostral (top)
- caudal (bottom)
- dorsal (towards back, like a fin)
- ventral (2wards stomach)
lateral def:
towards the side
medial def:
2wards the midline… get it.. med –> midline
ipsilateral
same side
contralateral
opposite side
where do most outgoing motor commands exit
on the opposite side!! contralaterally !!
terms 4 brain slices:
- horizontal (looking frm on top)
- coronal (straight thru the middle)
- sagittal (slice goes right thru midline of the brain, separates left n right hemispheres)
4 lobes of cerebral cortex (divided into 2 hemispheres):
- frontal
- parietal
- temporal
- occipital
insular cortex
situated between frontal + temporal lobes, revealed once you’ve removed cortex around the lateral sulcus
longitudinal fissure
separates left n right hemispheres, deeper than sulcus (but sometimes interchangeable)
lateral sulcus
separates frontal + parietal lobes frm temporal lobe
central sulcus
separates frontal lobe frm parietal lobe
major gyri:
- frontal lobe: superior, middle, inferior
- temporal: superior, middle, inferior
- parietal: postcentral gyrus, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) separates superior + inferior portions of lobe
which direction do the frontal lobe gyri run?
anterior –> posterior, meeting the pre-central gyrus at pre-central sulcus
what is the corpus callosum?
c-shaped bunch of axons crossing over n connecting the 2 hemispheres
where’s the cerebellum located
hangs off of the back/dorsal part of brainstem . looks like cauliflower
what r u Generally talking abt w cortical structures
hippocampus, cerebral cortex
what r u talking abt w subcortical structures
white matter, thalamus
what r the basal ganglia (in the broadest sense)?
lots of diff subcortical structures, main ones being: caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus
what r the main structures in the basal ganglia generally made up of?
cell bodies, not axons
describe the shape of the caudate nucleus
c-shaped, head is the fattest bit n tail wraps around in2 the temporal lobe
brainstem structure overview
superior colliculus –> inferior colliculus –> pons –> medulla
where r the colliculi located?
hanging off back of midbrain, upper 2 bumps r superior; lower 2 r inferior
how many bumps 2 the colliculi?
4 :p
major divisions of the ventricular system:
lateral ventricles, 3rd ventricle, cerebral aqueduct, 4th ventricle
describe the ventricular system broadly
consists of interconnected cavities filled w CSF, helpful 4 orienting urself w brain scans
describe lateral ventricles
- largest of ventricles
- look like c-shaped horns, extend frm frontal lobe into parietal + temporal lobes . little end horns poke in2 occipital lobe
where do the lateral ventricles connect 2?
interconnected w the 3rd ventricle (which is the midline cavity)
where is the 3rd ventricle connected 2
connected w the cerebral aqueduct –> then connects 2 4th ventricle
where is ur 4th ventricle located
between cerebellum and brainstem
where does the 3rd ventricle sorta encircle?
thalamus
white vs. grey matter
white matter = axons, grey matter = cell bodies
what percentage do neurons make up of brain cells
abt 10% - glial cells account 4 abt 90% (mostly in supportive role)
basic structure of a neuron:
dendrites, soma (cell body), axon, axon terminals
what do dendrites do?
receive input frm other neurons, transmit message down neuron
purpose of neuron soma?
contains metallic machinery that maintains the neuron
what makes axons white
being covered in myelin yayy
how r long r axons
<1mm to over a metre wow….
what do u call it when axons branch out !
axon collaterals (cause they’re collateral… extra.. accidental)
what forms myelin
oligodendrocytes (type of glial cell)
multiple sclerosis + myelin. GO
its a demyelinating disease (destroys oligodendrocytes –> impacts myelination of axons –> disrupts normal communication)
what r the two sides of a synapse?
1/ pre- and post-synaptic
2. info flows frm presynaptic neuron 2 postsynaptic one (dendrites r postsynaptic cause they already have the info, positioned after the synapse)
what do synaptic vesicles contain
chemicals (e.g. dopamine), if a neuron communicates w dopamine NTs might say its dopaminergic
when is electrical signal in neurons translated in2 chem
@ axon terminal, then chem signal (NT) crosses synaptic cleft
when is chem signal translated back 2 chem
on post-synaptic membrane, chem signal converted back 2 electrical
what volume of brain do glial cells make up
a lil more than half of brain volume (smaller than neurons)
main types of glial cells in CNS:
astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia
what do astrocytes do
form barrier between neuronal tissue n blood (BBB), protect CNS frm some molecules in bloodstream
how do oligodendrocytes form myelin
- by wrapping their cell membranes around axon during development
- myelinating 1 axon requires lots of oligos, but 1 oligo can myeline more than 1 axon –> both sluts
microglia function
eat n expel debris left by dead or degenerating brain cells
what triggers synaptic transmission (synaptic vesicles spill content in2 synaptic cleft, excite next neuron)
action potentials
what does ‘neuron has fired’ refer 2
when a neuron undergoes an AP
what might spikes refer 2
how many APs fired per second
what causes an AP
rapid change in the voltage of cell membrane
how might an AP b elicited artificially
having an electrode inject current –> neuron goes woww guess i better fire
a rat moves 1 whisker. how many APs will somatosensory neuron fire per second?
abt 100
what’s a single cell recording in theory
picking up electrical activity frm one neuron
cell’s receptive field def:
all visually sensitive cells only respond 2 stimuli in a region specific 2 them - that’s their receptive field
background firing rate
how many times neuron wld fire without stimulation
maps of neural activity: monkey study (M1)
- while monkey viewing left stimulus, inject it w radioactive agent
- metabolically active cells in V1 absorbed agent –> showed that organisation of cells represented the visual field (like an image of what was being seen)
what tool do u use 2 look @ how many neurons r involved in the rep of 1 image?
- fMRI: records changes in metabolic activity, producing functional view of brain
- signal frm fMRI is roughly proportional 2 neuronal activity –> can use it 2 estimate no. of neurons involved in specific cognitive process
fMRI study (Levy et al., 2004)
- visual cortex scanned while participant viewed image (e.g. house)
- found: @ leats 2 mil neurons involved in rep of one image
somatosensation
sensation frm the body
what defines tonotopic map in primary auditory cortex?
frequenting tuning (e.g. neurons tuned 2 higher frequencies stick 2gether)
describe brain lesion analysis
- look @ how brain normally functions by investigating behaviour of patient w lesion in region of interest (ROI)
- compares patients w ROI lesion vs. no lesion in ROI
which has higher resolution - CT (computed tomography) or MRI?
MRI, cause its more modern
describe EEG
electrodes attached 2 scalp, signal detected by each electrode amplified n recorded –> provides recording of brain’s electrical activity
describe ERPs (event-related potentials)
- signature of brain’s electrical activity in response 2 certain event –> ERPs r averaged across trials (removes background noise) –> true ERP found
ERP research looks @ electrical activity in response 2 an event in terms of:
- latency (earlier electrical activity = brain responding faster)
- amplitude (e.g. if looking @ Jen Aniston cells + present her face, wld have higher amplitude response/higher magnitude of electrical activity)
- polarity: positive vs. negative activity (up or down on graph)
- scalp topography: where activity is - but Not v precise
strengths n weaknesses of ERPs
poor spatial resolution, great temporal resolution (when activity occurred)
structural imaging types:
CT, MRI, DTI
functional imaging types:
PET + fMRI
describe CT
uses x-ray 2 produce series of brain images (old but common), helpful 4 determining damage 2 brain tissue
describe DTI (diffusion tensor imaging)
provides view of white matter tracts (i.e. axons) using MRI scanner
describe PET
- radioactive material enters bloodstream, goes 2 metabolically active areas of brain (firing the most)
- PET scanner provides image of concentration + distribution of radioactive agent (functional view of brain)
note: hot colours = lots of radioactive material; blue colours colours = none
note 2: bc just provides functional view, must b overlaid on2 structural image
fMRI description
- records metabolic-activity related changes in successive images –> functional view of brain
- better spatial resolution than PET
Neuroanatomical Correlates of Single + Dual-Language Picture Naming in Spanish-English Bilinguals study (fMRI):
- compared brain activity when engaged in bilingual or unilingual task
- found more activation (Broca’s Area) in bilingual condition
TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) description
- brief magnetic pulse causes brief disruption 2 brain activity
- disruption can b excitatory (e.g. when TMS coil held over right hemisphere + left hand moves) or inhibitory (e.g. when TMS coil held over right hemisphere + there’s difficulty moving left hand)
where do neurons in primary motor cortex control?
left hemisphere innervates left side of body; right hemisphere - vice versa
outer ear structure
- pinna: prominent fold of cartilage-supported skin, captures sound + focuses it into the auditory canal
- auditory canal ends @ eardrum
middle ear structure
- ear drum/tympanic membrane
- ossicles - middle ear bones
middle ear process
- when sound wave reaches middle ear, series of differing pressure regions impinge on eardrum (high pressure pushes eardrum inward, low pulls eardrum outward)
- continuous arrival of differing pressures causes eardrum 2 vibrate –> vibrate ossicles 2
- ossicle vibrations transmitted 2 inner ear fluid via vibration of membrane @ the oval window
inner ear structure n function explained
- cochlea (spiral-shaped, fluid-filled tube) contains hair/receptor cells
- vibrations in the cochlea produce waves in the fluid –> hair cells move –>
- convert mechanical signal into electrical, synapse on2 spiral ganglion cells in cochlea
describe spiral ganglion cells
cells r tuned 2 specific frequencies, cells that prefer same/similar sound usually clustered 2gether
tinnitus cause/s
disease processes affecting cochlea or auditory nerve OR spontaneous activity (transient, e.g. cause of loud gig)
inner ear + balance
- spiral ganglion axons exit cochlea + converge w vestibular axons –>
- form vestibulocochlear nerve, which carries nerve impulses 4 balance + hearing frm ear 2 brain
where do spiral ganglion cells in vestibulocochlear nerve synapse on2?
once @ brain stem, spiral ganglion cells synapse on2 neurons in the cochlear nuclei (located @ level of lower pons/upper medulla)
auditory pathways described
- frm cochlear nuclei, auditory info ascends bilaterally 2 inferior colliculi
- neurons in inferior colliculi synapse on2 neurons in the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN) of thalamus
- MGN neurons synapse on neurons in primary auditory cortex (A1)
thalamus described
large structure connected 2 top of brain stem, contains MGN
A1/Heschl’s gyri
- 1st region of cortex 2 process sound, located in superior temporal lobe n buried w/in lateral sulcus
- A1 organised by tonotopic map (maintained frm cochlea)
interaural time def
difference in arrival time of a sound @ each ear, can b used 2 determine location
sound localisation along the vertical plane is… ?
Newt as good in humans
cochlear implants vs. regular hearing aids
- regular hearing aids amplify sound, cochlear implants have implanted electrodes (directly stimulate any functioning spiral ganglion cells w/in cochlea)
- cochlear implants have only abt 24 electrodes to replace 16k hair cells (not Great hearing experience)
do ur ears project auditory info in2 one or 2 hemispheres?
both, so still receive info even w damage to one ear
success of vision depends on which factors (broad)?
- localisation of light reflected off of distant objects
- object identification based on size, shape, colour, past experience
- movement detection
- compensation 4 changes in lighting conditions