Midterm 1 Flashcards
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of how the brain and brain structures give rise to the mind and cognitive functions
Who was Golgi and what was his work?
Camillo Golgi is known for staining structures of whole, individual neurons
Who was Ramon Y Cajal?
He used Golgi’s method to discover that the brain was made up of discrete cells (neurons)
What has enabled modern cognitive neuroscientists to study the mind and the brain?
Brain imaging techniques
What is a neuron? Can you describe its structure?
The neuron is one of the cells that make up the nervous system. They consist of dendrites, a cell body, axon, and terminal buttons.
What is the other cells that make up the nervous system along side neurons?
Glial cells
What is a multipolar neuron?
A neuron that has many dendrites and an axon branching out
What is a membrane potential? What is a neuron’s resting membrane potential?
It is the difference in charge between inside of cell and outside. A neuron’s resting potential is ~-70mv
What maintains the resting membrane potential?
Na/K+ pump
Describe voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and nongated channels function
Voltage-gated opens and closes depending on the charge of an ion, ligand-gated depends on NT, and nongated are always open
Describe the ion concentrations at rest
More K+ inside the cell, more Na+ outside the cell
Describe the two forces that act on Na+ and K+ if channels opened
Chemical and electrical force would move Na+ into cell, chemical force would move Na+ out but electrical force would move it in
What is the purpose of the Na/K pump?
It maintains the concentrations
What does depolarizing and hyperpolarizing do to the membrane potential of the neuron?
Depolarization brings the membrane potential up, while hyperpolarizing brings it down
Explain the process of an action potential and the all-or-none principle
You already know this man
How is threshold reached for an action potential?
EPSP leads to small amounts of Na+ entering the cell
How can action potentials represent continuous information when action potentials fire all-or-none?
Many neurons are connected and represent some field of stimulus and perception
Compare and contrast relative and absolute refractory periods
Absolute is when the Na+ channels are inactivated, while relative follows hyperpolarization and requires more stimulus to activate
Why does an action potential tend to move in one direction?
Due to the refractory period preventing another action potential at the site
How does myelin affect action potential conduction?
Myelin insulates the axon, meaning there is no need to trade Na+ at a site as it will skip towards the node
What is saltatory conduction?
It is the process of an action potential jumping through myelin sheaths through the nodes of Ranvier
What is a synaptic transmission?
Communcation between neurons: electric synapse and chemical synapse
Whar are dendritic spines?
These are the sites of response retrieval in the dendrites of neurons
Describe chemical synaptic transmission
Neurotransmitters release from a presynaptic neuron, reacts to the receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, and then reacts accordingly
What is the difference between ionotropic and metabatropic receptors
Ionotropic has the receptor being the site of opening, while metabatropic involves G-protein cascade opening elsewhere
Define EPSP and IPSP
EPSP makes the postsynaptic neuron more likely to fire and action potential, while IPSP makes it less likely
How is NT ceased in the synapse
Reuptake or degradation
What is the advantage of reuptake over degradation?
Neurotranmitters are recycled and readily available compared to having to make new NT
Describe how EPSP and IPSP produce action potentials
EPSP probably opens Na+ while IPSP probably closes it
How does electrical synapse work?
The membranes are connected, allowing the action potentials to continue