Neurobiology basics

Question 1

What is the definition of neurobiology?

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

What is neurophysiology?

Answer 2

The mechanisms of neural membranes and cells.

Question 3

What is electrophysiology?

Answer 3

The study of ionic flow (i.e current) arising from the potentials of generated in excitable cells.

Question 4

What is sensory physiology?

Answer 4

How sensory cells (receptors) and systems encode and process the environment.

Question 5

What is sensory ecology?

Answer 5

How the sensory systems of animals enable and limit their evolutionary success.

Question 6

What is neuroethology?

Answer 6

How do nervous systems control the natural behaviour of animals and how do those systems evolve.

Question 7

What is cognitive neuroscience?

Answer 7

The study of how the brain produces thought and understand the world - the functional basis of the mind.

Question 8

What is neuropsychology?

Answer 8

The study (of mostly the brain) with the intent to understand how the human species perceives its world.

Question 9

What is neurology?

Answer 9

The study of the function and pathology of intact nervous systems (usually human) by examining their responses to stimuli.

Question 10

What is neuropathology?

Answer 10

The study of disease of the nervous system - the study of autopsied material.

Question 11

What is neurochemistry?

Answer 11

What molecules nervous systems use to maintain their homeostasis as well as communicate with other cells.

Question 12

What is neuropharmacology?

Answer 12

The study of how artificial and natural compounds (drugs) affect the nervous system and how can they be used in medical treatments.

Question 13

What does ventral-dorsal mean?

Answer 13

Front-back.

Question 14

What does rostral-caudal mean?

Answer 14

Head-tail.

Question 15

What is another name for rostal-caudal?

Answer 15

Anterior-posterior.

Question 16

What does medial lateral mean?

Answer 16

Medial is a division through the centre, whereas lateral is the outside structure.

Question 17

What is the first division of the nervous system?

Answer 17

Central and peripheral.

Question 18

What makes up the central nervous system?

Answer 18

The brain and spinal cord.

Question 19

What are the subsections of the brain in classification of the nervous system?

Answer 19

Forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain.

Question 20

What makes up the peripheral nervous system?

Answer 20

Autonomic and sensory/motor (somatic).

Question 21

What is the autonomic system divided into?

Answer 21

Sympathetic (arousing) and parasympathetic (calming).

Question 22

What is the difference between the somatic and autonomic system?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

What can be seen in a cross section through the spinal cord?

Answer 24

The central canal, grey matter, white matter, dorsal root ganglions, ventral root motor nerves and sensory nerves.

Question 25

What is the function of dorsal roots in the spinal cord?

Answer 25

They convey information to the spinal cord.

Question 26

What does the ventral root in the spinal cord do?

Answer 26

Conveys motor commands to the muscles.

Question 27

What are ganglia in the PNS?

Answer 27

They are discrete collections of cell bodies that support glia.

Question 28

What are some of the sensory ganglia in the PNS?

Answer 28

Dorsal root ganglia and cranial nerve sensory ganglia.

Question 29

What are some of the autonomic ganglia in the PNS?

Answer 29

Sympathetic - found in chains next to the spinal cord and parasympathetic - ganglia closer to organs.

Question 30

What is the significance of ganglia in the CNS?

Answer 30

Some brain regions may be referred to as ganglia such as the basal ganglia.

Question 31

What does innervate mean?

Answer 31

Stimulate/supply energy to a neuron.

Question 32

What are plexuses?

Answer 32

Areas where fibres of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic fibres meet to innervate organs close to these plexuses.

Question 33

How are the names of plexuses derived?

Answer 33

From locations or organs involved.

Question 34

What are some key plexuses?

Answer 34

Cardiac plexus, pulmonary plexus, esophageal plexus, inferior mesenteric plexus and hypogastric plexus.

Question 35

Label a diagram of the brain and the locations of the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes.

Answer 35

Look at slides.

Question 36

What is the location of the frontal lobe and what is its function?

Answer 36

It is in the front of the central fissure and is involved in memory and movement.

Question 37

What is the location of the parietal lobe and what is its function?

Answer 37

It is behind the frontal lobe and has a somatosensory function.

Question 38

What is the location o the temporal lobe and what is its function?

Answer 38

Below the parietal lobe and is involved in speech and hearing.

Question 39

What is the location of the occipital lobe and what is its function?

Answer 39

Back of the head and is involved in vision.

Question 40

What is the function of the association cortex and what is its function?

Answer 40

Between the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes and is involved in complex behaviours and thinking.

Question 41

What is the forebrain made up of?

Answer 41

The cerebral cortex??

Question 42

What is the midbrain made up of?

Answer 42

The cerebellum, pons and medulla oblongata.

Question 43

What is the human brianstem?

Answer 43

It is a structure that extends from the top of the spinal cord into the centre of the forebrain.

Question 44

What is the brainstem made up of?

Answer 44

The medulla oblongata, the midbrain and the pons.

Question 45

What structures are involved in the midbrain?

Answer 45

THe tectum, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus.

Question 46

What are the two types of cells in the nervous system?

Answer 46

Nerve cells and glial cells.

Question 47

What is the function of nerve cells?

Answer 47

They convey information.

Question 48

What is the function of glial cells?

Answer 48

They provide support and help convey information.

Question 49

What are the subdivisions of glial cells?

Answer 49

Macroglia and microglia.

Question 50

What are examples of macroglia?

Answer 50

Oligodendrocytes, astrocytes and Schwann cells.

Question 51

What are microglia?

Answer 51

Resident macrophages that are originally from the blood.

Question 52

What are the key structures in a neuron?

Answer 52

The dendrites, soma (cell body), axon hillock, axon, axon terminals and synapses.

Question 53

What are dendrites involved in?

Answer 53

Input.

Question 54

What are soma involved in?

Answer 54

Decision making, graded potentials.

Question 55

What are axon hillocks involved in?

Answer 55

Initiations of action potentials.

Question 56

What is the axon involved in?

Answer 56

Transmitting the action potential.

Question 57

What are axon terminals involved in?

Answer 57

Multiple endings/neuron.

Question 58

What are synapses involved in?

Answer 58

Communication with target cells.

Question 59

What are the connective tissue coverings of peripheral nerves?

Answer 59

Endoneurium, perineurium and epineurium.

Question 60

What is the functionla portion of a neuron?

Answer 60

The cell body.

Question 61

What are the functions of dendrites?

Answer 61

They are short extensions that receive signals.

Question 62

What is the function of the axon?

Answer 62

A long extension that transmits impulses.

Question 63

How can neurons be classified?

Answer 63

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.

Question 64

What is a unipolar neuron?

Answer 64

Cell body at one end, dendrites at the others. There is no axon on the other side of the cell body.

Question 65

What is a bipolar neuron?

Answer 65

Cell body in the centre of the neuron with dendrites one side and axon both sides.

Question 66

What are multipolar neurons?

Answer 66

They have a cell body with many dendrites and an axon coming from them.

Question 67

How does information flow in a neuron?

Answer 67

From dendrite to axon.

Question 68

What is the most common shape of nerve cell in vertebrates?

Answer 68

The local interneuron.

Question 69

What is the function of sensory neurons?

Answer 69

To bring information in - senses and muscles.

Question 70

What is the function of motor neurons?

Answer 70

Command muscles and glands.

Question 71

What is the function of interneurons?

Answer 71

To coordinate - local neurons and relay/projection interneurons.

Question 72

What is a postsynaptic reflex arc made up of?

Answer 72

A receptor cell, an afferent sensory neuron, efferent motor neurons and effector cell. There are synapses between the neurons.

Question 73

What are the different types of electrical signals?

Answer 73

Receptor potentials, synaptic potentials and action potentials.

Question 74

How is information converted and why does it need to be?

Answer 74

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.