Neurobiology basics Flashcards
What is the definition of neurobiology?
The study of the cellular make up activity of the nervous system, the comparative study of nervous systems of different animals and the interaction of neurones with other cells.
What is neurophysiology?
The mechanisms of neural membranes and cells.
What is electrophysiology?
The study of ionic flow (i.e current) arising from the potentials of generated in excitable cells.
What is sensory physiology?
How sensory cells (receptors) and systems encode and process the environment.
What is sensory ecology?
How the sensory systems of animals enable and limit their evolutionary success.
What is neuroethology?
How do nervous systems control the natural behaviour of animals and how do those systems evolve.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
The study of how the brain produces thought and understand the world - the functional basis of the mind.
What is neuropsychology?
The study (of mostly the brain) with the intent to understand how the human species perceives its world.
What is neurology?
The study of the function and pathology of intact nervous systems (usually human) by examining their responses to stimuli.
What is neuropathology?
The study of disease of the nervous system - the study of autopsied material.
What is neurochemistry?
What molecules nervous systems use to maintain their homeostasis as well as communicate with other cells.
What is neuropharmacology?
The study of how artificial and natural compounds (drugs) affect the nervous system and how can they be used in medical treatments.
What does ventral-dorsal mean?
Front-back.
What does rostral-caudal mean?
Head-tail.
What is another name for rostal-caudal?
Anterior-posterior.
What does medial lateral mean?
Medial is a division through the centre, whereas lateral is the outside structure.
What is the first division of the nervous system?
Central and peripheral.
What makes up the central nervous system?
The brain and spinal cord.
What are the subsections of the brain in classification of the nervous system?
Forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.
What makes up the peripheral nervous system?
Autonomic and sensory/motor (somatic).
What is the autonomic system divided into?
Sympathetic (arousing) and parasympathetic (calming).
What is the difference between the somatic and autonomic system?
Somatic has sensory and motor pathways whereas the autonomic only has motor pathways. The somatic system controls muscle and movement whereas the autonomic controls internal organs and glands.
What is the cerebral cortex?
It is the tightly-packed wrinkly area of the brain. It is the outermost layer surrounding the inner structures, and is made up of the temporal, frontal, parietal and occipital lobes.
What can be seen in a cross section through the spinal cord?
The central canal, grey matter, white matter, dorsal root ganglions, ventral root motor nerves and sensory nerves.
What is the function of dorsal roots in the spinal cord?
They convey information to the spinal cord.
What does the ventral root in the spinal cord do?
Conveys motor commands to the muscles.
What are ganglia in the PNS?
They are discrete collections of cell bodies that support glia.
What are some of the sensory ganglia in the PNS?
Dorsal root ganglia and cranial nerve sensory ganglia.
What are some of the autonomic ganglia in the PNS?
Sympathetic - found in chains next to the spinal cord and parasympathetic - ganglia closer to organs.
What is the significance of ganglia in the CNS?
Some brain regions may be referred to as ganglia such as the basal ganglia.
What does innervate mean?
Stimulate/supply energy to a neuron.
What are plexuses?
Areas where fibres of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic fibres meet to innervate organs close to these plexuses.
How are the names of plexuses derived?
From locations or organs involved.
What are some key plexuses?
Cardiac plexus, pulmonary plexus, esophageal plexus, inferior mesenteric plexus and hypogastric plexus.
Label a diagram of the brain and the locations of the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes.
Look at slides.
What is the location of the frontal lobe and what is its function?
It is in the front of the central fissure and is involved in memory and movement.
What is the location of the parietal lobe and what is its function?
It is behind the frontal lobe and has a somatosensory function.
What is the location o the temporal lobe and what is its function?
Below the parietal lobe and is involved in speech and hearing.
What is the location of the occipital lobe and what is its function?
Back of the head and is involved in vision.
What is the function of the association cortex and what is its function?
Between the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and is involved in complex behaviours and thinking.
What is the forebrain made up of?
The cerebral cortex??
What is the midbrain made up of?
The cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata.
What is the human brianstem?
It is a structure that extends from the top of the spinal cord into the centre of the forebrain.
What is the brainstem made up of?
The medulla oblongata, the midbrain and the pons.
What structures are involved in the midbrain?
THe tectum, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus.
What are the two types of cells in the nervous system?
Nerve cells and glial cells.
What is the function of nerve cells?
They convey information.
What is the function of glial cells?
They provide support and help convey information.
What are the subdivisions of glial cells?
Macroglia and microglia.
What are examples of macroglia?
Oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and Schwann cells.
What are microglia?
Resident macrophages that are originally from the blood.
What are the key structures in a neuron?
The dendrites, soma (cell body), axon hillock, axon, axon terminals and synapses.
What are dendrites involved in?
Input.
What are soma involved in?
Decision making, graded potentials.
What are axon hillocks involved in?
Initiations of action potentials.
What is the axon involved in?
Transmitting the action potential.
What are axon terminals involved in?
Multiple endings/neuron.
What are synapses involved in?
Communication with target cells.
What are the connective tissue coverings of peripheral nerves?
Endoneurium, perineurium and epineurium.
What is the functionla portion of a neuron?
The cell body.
What are the functions of dendrites?
They are short extensions that receive signals.
What is the function of the axon?
A long extension that transmits impulses.
How can neurons be classified?
Based on their dendritic and somatic morphologies - stellate cells are star shaped and pyramidal cells are pyramid shaped. They can be classed as spiny or aspinous.
What is a unipolar neuron?
Cell body at one end, dendrites at the others. There is no axon on the other side of the cell body.
What is a bipolar neuron?
Cell body in the centre of the neuron with dendrites one side and axon both sides.
What are multipolar neurons?
They have a cell body with many dendrites and an axon coming from them.
How does information flow in a neuron?
From dendrite to axon.
What is the most common shape of nerve cell in vertebrates?
The local interneuron.
What is the function of sensory neurons?
To bring information in - senses and muscles.
What is the function of motor neurons?
Command muscles and glands.
What is the function of interneurons?
To coordinate - local neurons and relay/projection interneurons.
What is a postsynaptic reflex arc made up of?
A receptor cell, an afferent sensory neuron, efferent motor neurons and effector cell. There are synapses between the neurons.
What are the different types of electrical signals?
Receptor potentials, synaptic potentials and action potentials.
How is information converted and why does it need to be?
There needs to be conversion between chemical and electrical. The chemical messengers are neurotransmitters whereas the electrical signals require ion channels. These conversions occur across synapses.
