Midterm Flashcards
Behavioral Neurobiology
the scientific study of the biology of behavior - this is a biological approach to the study of psychology
Comparative Approach
the study of biological processes by comparing different species
Why are animal brains studied by neuroscientists?
They have less ethical restrictions, comparative approach is used, nonhuman brains are simpler, thus allowing researchers to get to the foundation of brain-behavior relations.
Human and nonhuman brains are quite similar though, human brains just are larger with more cortical connections.
Nervous System
brain, spinal cord, nerves
Central Nervous System
brain and spinal cord (receives information from the Peripheral Nervous System and makes decisions)
Peripheral Nervous System
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the Central Nervous System to the rest of the body (sends sensory input to the CNS)
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Branch of PNS, rest and digest, conserve energy, psychological relaxation
How much of our brain do we use?
100%
Sympathetic Nervous System
Branch of PNS, fight/flight, mobilize energy, psychological arousal
Meninges
three protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord
Dura mater
tough outer layer of the meninges
Arachnoid mater
spider-web-like filaments that extend from the dura mater to the pia mater
subarachnoid space underneath that is filled withe CEREBROSPINAL FLUID and blood vessels
Pia mater
adheres to the surface of the CNS< very thin membrane
Cerebrospinal fluid
Fills the subarachnoid space and ventricles and cushions the brain
Coronal plane
Divides body into front and back
Saggital plane
divides the body into a right and left side
Axial plane
A horizontal flat surface dividing the body into upper and lower parts; also known as the transverse plane
Brain structure
Telencephalon
Diencephalon
Mesencephalon
Metencephalon
Myelencephalon
Spinal Cord
(The Dog’s Mess Met My Shirt)
Telecephalon
cortex
basal ganglia
limbic system
Cortex function
high level processing
Basal ganglia function
motor control
Limbic system function
emotion and memory (amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate cortex)
Diencephalon
Thalamus and hypothalamus
Thalamus function
“sensory switchboard”
Relays sensory information to corresponding areas of the brain, except for smell
Hypothalamus function
homeostasis, temperature
Metencephalon
Cerebellum and pons
Cerebellum function
Fine motor control
Pons function
Bridge between various parts of the nervous system including the cerebellum and cerebrum
Myelencephalon
Medulla (breathing, heart rate, etc.)
Medulla function
Heart rate and breathing
Folia
Folds of the cerebellum (made up of grey matter)
Allows there to be just as many neurons as the rest of the brain in this little structure by being tightly packed, and is necessary for fine motor control
What do you call clusters of cell bodies in the central nervous system?
Nuclei
What do you call clusters of cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system?
Ganglia
What do you call a bundle of axons in the central nervous system?
Tracts
What do you call a bundle of axons in the peripheral nervous system?
Nerves
What are glial cells in the central nervous system?
Oligodendrocytes
What are glial cells in the peripheral nervous system?
Schwann cells
Bumps on the brain are called?
Gyri
Grooves on the brain are called?
Sulci if small, fissures if big
Frontal lobe function
Executive planning, goals, some of your personality, inhibiting inappropriate behaviors, primary motor function
Parietal lobe function
somatic sensory processing, touch, heat, etc.
Temporal lobe function
hearing, object identification, contains amygdala and hippocampus
Occipital lobe function
vision
Cell at resting membrane potential
Inside of the cell is more negatively charged than outside. Inside of the cell contains potassium and negatively charged ions
How does a neuron reach -55mV?
Na channels open and more (positively charged) Na+ enters the cell, causing depolarization
What happens at -55mV?
An action potential is reached. The cell depolarizes until about +20 mV, and then the Na+ channels close and the K+ channels open resulting in repolarization.
Repolarization
Return of the cell to resting state, caused by reentry of potassium into the cell while sodium exits the cells.
Hyperpolarization
Too much K+ leaves the cells causing hyperpolarization (refractory period, no action potential may occur)
Action potential
How neurons communicate to one another. They are all or nothing.
EPSPs
Excitatory postsynaptic potentials
Encourages depolarization, depends on what channels are open, more likely to fire
For example, if K channel opens, then K move out, making inside more negative. If Na channels open and sodium goes in, then it becomes more positive.
IPSPs
Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials
Inhibits depolarization, depends on what channels are open, less likely to fire
For example, if K channel opens, then K move out, making inside more negative. If Na channels open and sodium goes in, then it becomes more positive.
Antagonist
Does NOT facilitate postsynaptic receptor effects
Decreases synthesis, decreases amount of neurotransmitter in the synapse
If it DECREASES the effects in the next neuron, it’s an antagonist
Agonist
Facilitates postsynaptic receptor effects (acts like the neurotransmitter)
Increases synthesis, increases amount of neurotransmitter in the synapse
If it INCREASES the effects in the next neuron, it’s an agonist
Saltatory Conduction
The transmission of action potentials in myelinated axons, speeds up signals, jumps from one ranvier node to the next
Acetylcholine
Neurotransmitter associated with memory and muscles (excitatory)
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and maintaining motor behavior (excitatory and inhibitory)
Norepinephrine
Neurotransmitter associated with emotion and concentration (excitatory and inhibitory)
Serotonin
Neurotransmitter associated with waking EEG and related to depression (excitatory)
Glutamate
Memory, and all over the brain (excitatory)
GABA
Muscle tone (inhibitory)
EEG
Temporal resolution = Excellent
Spatial resolution = poor
Invasive = Minimal
Cost = Minimal
MEG
Detects magnetic fields created by the brain’s electrical signals
Temporal resolution = Excellent
Spatial resolution = Fair
Invasive = Minimal
Cost = Expensive
CT/CAT Scans
Computerized Tomography - structural scans, lots of x-rays taken from different angels and put together into a 3-D picture by a computer
Temporal resolution = None (simply structural)
Spatial resolution = Fair
Invasive = Not
Cost = Expensive
PET Scan
Positron Emission Tomography
Inject radio-tracer (typically attached to glucose) to trace parts of the brain that are functioning
Temporal resolution = Poor (blood takes time to flow)
Spatial resolution = Fair
Invasive = Very (radioactive tracer in your brain!)
Cost = Expensive
fMRI
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
When used only for structural images (MRI), most detailed neuroimaging technique
Functional MRI - Measures blood flow to particular areas of brain Needs baseline for comparison
Temporal resolution = Poor
Spatial resolution = Fair (but decent)
Invasive = Minimal
Cost = Moderate
Cone Mediated Vision
*High acuity colored perception (in bright situations)
*Detailed and colored
*Not super sensitive because they can only respond in bright situations
Imagine looking at a BRIGHT cone
Rod Mediated Vision
*Lacks detail and color (in dim situations)
*More sensitive, detects motion in peripheral
*Night vision system
*Respond maximally to green and related wavelengths
Dorsal Stream
WHERE pathway
Helps guide behavior based on visual cues
Damage = deficits in recognition of visual input
Ventral Stream
WHAT pathway
Conscious visual perception
Damage = deficits in recognition of visual input
Object Agnosia
Part of ventral stream damage
Inability to name an object
Color agnosia
Part of ventral stream damage
Inability to recognize colors for common environmental objects
Proposagnosia
Part of ventral stream damage
Inability to recognize faces
Apperceptive agnosia
Part of ventral stream damage
Can perceive lines and edges but cannot put them together into a coherent whole
Associative agnosia
Part of ventral stream damage
Have conscious perception but cannot draw from memory
Achromatopsia
Color blindness from cone photo pigment deficiency
Frontal lobe and Primary motor cortex
Planning & initiating motor signals
Primary somatosensory cortex and partietal lobe
Sensory information
Basal ganglia and cerebellum
motor control monitoring and feedback
Spinal cord
afferent/efferent information and reflexes
Association Cortex
Sometimes called association areas, the region of the cerebral cortex that is the site of the highest intellectual functions, such as thinking and problem solving.
Two types:
*Posterior Parietal Association Cortex (PPA)
*Dorsolateral Prefrontal Association Cortex (DPA)
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Association Cortex
*Receives info from PPA
*Decision making, abstract goals and plans
*Sends info to secondary motor cortex and frontal eye field
Secondary Motor Cortex
*Receives info from association cortex
*Major point of departure for motor signals
*Somatotopically organized
Cerebellum
Receives information for afferent/efferent neurons, necessary for fine motor control
Basal Ganglia
Subcortical structure
*Sensory motor functioning
*Habit learning
*Damage = Parkinson’s tremor
What is responsible for reflexes
SPINAL CORD!
(relays efferent and afferent information)
Stroke
A cerebrovascular event of sudden onset
Causes:
*Cerebral hemorrhage: blood vessel ruptures, due to aneurysm
*Cerebral ischemia: disruption of blood supply to brain
*Does not happen immediately; blood-deprived neurons become overactive and release glutamate which then over-activates
Arteriosclerosis
Abnormal hardening of the walls of an artery or arteries
Simple Partial Seizures
Primarily sensory or motor (or both)
Complex partial seizure
Temporal lobes; compulsive and repetitive behavior. May be preceded by a warning
Tonic-Clonic seizure
Aura, rigid body, convulsions
Absence seizure
No convulsions, but a disruption of consciousness
Closed-head injuries
Brain collides with skull, causing a coup and contrecoup injury
Parkinson’s Disease
*Movement disorder of middle to old age
*Most common symptom: resting tremors
*Associated with degeneration of substantia nigra
Multiple Sclerosis
*Disease attacks CNS myelin, leaving areas of hard scar tissue (sclerosis)
*Symptoms: visual disturbances, muscle weakness, numbness, tremor, and loss of motor coordination
*Higher incidences for those who grew up in cool climates, low correlation to genetics
Two types of dementia
Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia
Alzheimer’s Disease
*Diagnosable via autopsy: must observe the neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques
*Memory impairment, loss of language and semantic knowledge
*Plaques and tangles are left behind from the degeneration of neurons
*Preventative measures: healthy diet and exercise. Cognitive and emotional activity
Vascular Dementia
Caused by blockages in brain’s blood supply. “mini strokes”
Grillner Treadmill Experiment
Showed that the spinal cord, with no contribution whatsoever from the brain, can control walking
Pure research
Curiosity, done solely for the purpose of acquiring knowledge
Applied research
Intended to bring about some direct benefit
Traditional research
turning purse research into useful applications
