MIDTERM (first 3 weeks) Flashcards

1
Q

what is the role of dendrites

A

receptors pick up signals from other neurons (neurotransmitters)

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2
Q

what is the role of soma

A

takes info from dendrites and stores it at the axon hillock - if the signal is strong enough it is sent to axons

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3
Q

what are the three parts of a neuron

A

soma, dendrites and axons

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4
Q

define neuron

A

cells that are specialised for long distance electrical signalling and intercellular communication

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5
Q

what is the role of the axon

A

signal (action potential) travels down the axons which is covered in myelin (to help prevent the signal from degrading)

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6
Q

why is the myelin covering helpful

A

prevents the signal from degrading

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7
Q

what is the role of axon terminals

A

when the signals reaches the axon terminal it causes the release of neurotransmitters (delivers to the next neuron, repeating the process)

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8
Q

what is the role of glia

A

support the activity of neurons but do not themselves participate in electrical signalling

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9
Q

what are the threee types of glia

A

astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglialcells

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10
Q

what is the function of astrocytes

A

to maintain

  • an appropiate chemical environment
  • secrete substances that influence the construction of new synaptic connection
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11
Q

what is the function of oligodendrocytes

A

oligodendrocytes lay down a laminated lipid rich wrapping called myelin around some axons - Myelin has important effects on the speed of transmission of electrical signals
- subsets of oligodendrocytes can retain neural stem cell properties and can generate new cells in response to injury or disease

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12
Q

what is the function of microglial cells

A

share properties ewith macrophages
secrete signalling molecules
can modulate local inflammation and influence whether other cells survive or die

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13
Q

what is the role of sensory systems

A

acquire and process info from the int. and ext. environments

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14
Q

what is the role of motor systems

A

respond to info by generating movements

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15
Q

what is the role of associational systems

A

mediate the most complex and least well characterised brain functions

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16
Q

cns

A

brain and spinal cord

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17
Q

what is grey matter

A

accumulation of cell bodies and neuropil in the brain and spinal cord

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18
Q

what is white matter

A

axon tracts and commissures

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19
Q

directional term: superior

A

above

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20
Q

directional term: inferior

A

below

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21
Q

directional term: anterior

A

in front of

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22
Q

directional term: posterior

A

behind

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23
Q

directional term: sagittal plane

A

separating left and right brain

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24
Q

directional term: coronal plane

A

across front of brain

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25
Q

what is the point of a semipermeable membrane

A

keeps everything thats needed inside, everything unwanted outside

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26
Q

what does the intracellular micro-electrode do

A

measures the electrical potential across the neuronal plasma membrane

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27
Q

what is the membrane potential

A

the difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of a neuron

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28
Q

when at rest what ion is more prevalent inside the cell

A

K+

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29
Q

what is the resting membrane potential

A

-70mV

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30
Q

what does the sodium potassium pump do

A

transport protein that uses energy to constantly pump 3 Na+ ions out of the cell while pumping two potassium ion s into the cell
- more positive ions going out than in, membrane potential is kept negative

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31
Q

is resting mem. pot. + or -

A

-

32
Q

what are the three types of electrical signalling

A

receptor potentials
synaptic potentials
action potenitals

33
Q

what are receptor potentials due to?

A

the activation of sensory neurons by ext. stimuli e.g. light, sound, heat
- these neurons respond to touch w a receptor pot. that changes the resting pot. for a fraction of a second

34
Q

what determine the amplitude of receptor potentials

A

the magnitude of sensory stimulus

35
Q

what do synaptic potentials allow for

A

the transmission from one neuron to another

36
Q

how do amplitudes vary in synaptic potentials

A

amplitudes vary to the number of synapses activated, the strength of synapses, the previous amount of synaptic

37
Q

what are action potentials responsible for

A

long range of transmission of info. within the nervous system and allow the nervous system to transmit info to its target organs

38
Q

what are the 4 phases of action potentials

A

rising phase
overshoot phase
falling phase
undershoot phase

39
Q

what occurs in the rising phase

A

when threshold is reached na+ channels open allowing na+ into the cell = massive depolarisation of neuron

40
Q

what occurs in the overshoot phase

A

reaches peak
Na+ channels close
K+ channels open

41
Q

what occurs in the falling phase

A

repolarization (as K+ is coming back into cell)

42
Q

what occurs in the undershoot phase

A

hyperpolarization - refractory period

43
Q

what the two proteins associated with ion movement

A

active tranporters

ion channels

44
Q

what do active transporters so

A

which actively move ions into or out of cells against their concentration gradients

45
Q

what does ion channels do?

A

( proteins that allow only certain kinds of ions to cross the membrane in the direction of their concentration gradients

46
Q

if the outside is increasingly positive, is it more or less attractive to positively charged K+?

A

less attractive

47
Q

what is the electrochemical equilibrium

A
  • where net movement stops when equilibrium is reached

- exact balance of two opposing forces

48
Q

what does the balance of chemical and electrical forces at equilibrium mean?

A

The balance of chemical and electrical forces at equilibrium means that the electrical potential can determine ion fluxes across the membrane, just as the ion gradient can determine the membrane potential

49
Q

if membrane potential is set at the equilibrium potential for K+ is there movement?

A

no net flux

50
Q

if membrane potential is more negative than K+s equilibrium potential what occurs?

A

K+ to flow against its concentration gradient

51
Q

how can the electrical potential across the membrane at equilibrium be predicted by?

A

Nernst equation

52
Q

what is equilibrium potentials dominated by?

A

the ion with the greatest permeability

53
Q

if the membrane was more permeable to K+, the membrane would approach _____?

A

-58mV

54
Q

if the membrane was more permeable to Na+, the membrane would approach _____?

A

+58mV

55
Q
  • If K+ and Na+ were equally permeant, then the potential would be ______?
A

0mV

56
Q

hodgkin hypothesised: the action potenital arises because _____________?
and how did they test this?

A

the action potential arises because the neuronal membrane becomes temporally permeable to Na+
- by removing Na_ from the external medium

57
Q

what did Hodgkin and Katz find when lowering Na+ ?

A

by lowering the ext. Na+ the rate of rise and and the action potential and its peak amplitude all reduce

58
Q

does lowering Na+ have any effect on resting membrane pot.?

A

no

59
Q

what does the voltage clamp technique provide?

A
  • voltage clamp technique: permits details characterisation of permeability changes asa function membrane potential and time
60
Q

what does the transient increase in the permeability of the neuronal membrane to Na+ intitate?

A

action pot.

61
Q

what must action potentials reach in order to occur?

A

threshold

62
Q

what is the result of the early influx of Na+ ?

A

transient inward current

63
Q

what is the result of the delayed efflux of K+ ?

A

sustained outward current

64
Q

who developed the critical staining technique?

A

camillo golgi

65
Q

what do gap junctions allow for?

A

for cytoplasmic continuity and the direct transfer of electrical and chemical signals between cells in the nervous system

66
Q

what is the most important additional function of glia?

A

repairing nervous system damage - acting as stem cells - where they promote regrowth

67
Q

what are dendrites primary targets for>

A

synaptic input from the axon terminals of other neurons

68
Q

if a neuron has less elaborate dendritic branches do they transmit more or less info.?

A

less

69
Q

what is the synaptic cleft?

A

the site of extracellular proteins that influence the diffusion, binding and degradation of the molecules

70
Q

what provides the axon with structural integrity?

A

its distinct cytoskeleton

71
Q

what is synaptic transmission?

A

the process by which the information encoded by action potentials is passed on at synaptic contacts to a target cell

72
Q

what constitute a neuropil

A

a dense tangle od dendrites, axon terminals, and glacial cell processes

73
Q

what fo afferent neurons do?

A

carry info from the periphery toward the brain or spinal cord

74
Q

what do efferent neurons do

A

nerve cells that carry info away from the brain

75
Q

what do interneurons participate in?

A

only in the local aspects of a circuit, based on the short distances over which their axons extend

76
Q

within white matter, what are axons gathered into?

A

tracts that are more of less analogous to nerves in the periphery

77
Q

what is a receptive field

A

the region in sensory space within which a stimulus elicts action potential response