Neuroscience and Behaviour Flashcards
What do neurons consist of?
- Dendrite - tree
- Cell body - soma
- Axon - myelin
Diagram of neuron
What are gilal cells?
Support cells
Cells that support the functionality of neurons by providing physical support, supplying nutrients and enhancing neuronal communication
Very important in brain function
Where are gilal cells found?
central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)
What does synpase do?
electrical signal (the action potential) into a chemical signal in the form of neurotransmitter release, and then, upon binding of the transmitter to the postsynaptic receptor, switching the signal back again into an electrical form
What are the three major neuron types?
–sensory
–motor
–interneurons/relay
What are neurons?
Cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information-processing tasks
What is cell body other name as?
Soma
What is cell body?
Largest component of the neuron
Coordinates the information-processing taska dn keeps the cell alive
Functions such as protein synthesis, energy production and metabolism take place here
Contains nucleus which has chromosomes contains DNA/genetic bllueprint
What is the cell body surrounded by?
Porous cell membrane that allows molecules to flow into and out of the cell
What are the two types of specialised extensions of the cell membraneto allow communication?
Axons and dendirtes
What are the dendrites?
Recieve information from other neurons and relay it to the cell body
Many dendrites that look like tree brances
What are axons?
Transmit information to other neurons, muscles or glands
Each neuron has a single axon that sometimes can be very long
What are axons covered by?
Myelin sheath
What are myelin sheath?
Insulating layer of fatty material made up of glial cells
Advantages of myelin seath
When axons insulated with myelin it can more efficiently transmit signals to other neurons, organs or muscles
What happens in demyelinating disease e,g multiple sclerosis
Myelin sheath deterioates causing a slowdown in the transmission of information from one neuron to another
Variety of problems such as loss of feeling in limbs, partial blindess and difficulties in corrdination
What is synapse?
Junction or region between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another
Who discovered the neurons?
Cajal
What are sensory neurons?
Receive information from the external world and convey this information to the brain via the spinal cord
How are sensory neurons specialised?
Specialised endingson their dendrites that recieve signals fro light, sound ,touch , taste and smell
e.g sensory neurons’ endings are sensitive to light
What do motor neurons carry?
Signals from the spinal cord to the muscles to produce movement
How are motor neurones specialised?
Long axons that can stretch to muscles at our extremeities
What are interneurons?
Connect sensory neurons, motor neurons or other interneurons
Carry information from sensory neurons into the nervous system , others carry info from nervous system o the motor neurons
Perform variety of information-rpocessing functions within the nervous system
Work together to perform simple tasks e.g identifying location of sensory signal, recognising a familiar face
What are Purkinje cells?
Interneuron that carries information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain and spinal cord
Dense,elaborate dendrites that resemble bushes
What are pyramidal cells?
Found in the cerebral cortex
Triangular cell body and single long dendrite among many smaller dendrites
What are biploar cells?
Type of sensory neuron found in the retinas of the eye
Have a single axon and few dendrites
Diagram of purkinje cell , hippocampal pyramidal and biploar cell
Our thoughts, feelings and action depend on neural communication but how does it happen?
Communication of information within and between neurones go in two stage
conduction and trasmission
conduction - conduction of electrical signal over relatively long distances within neurons from dendrites to cell body throughout axon
Transmission - electrical signal between neurons over the synapse
these are electrochemical action of neurones
Neurons have an natura electrical change called what?
Resting potential
What does resting potential mean?
Difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of neuron’s cell membrane
–natural electric charge
–concentration of ions inside and outside cell
How does the resting potential arise?
From difference in concentrations of ions inside and outside the neuron’s cell membrane
Ions carry + or -charge
Resting potential
sodium and potassium ion gradient
How this test shows differences in K+ concern is basis of resting potential
- Resting state: High con of K+ inside neuron compared to low K+ outside neuron
- Raising K+ in fluid outside neuron to match conc of K+ inside causing resting potential to disappear
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Resting potential
sodium and potassium ion gradient
The concentration of K+ inside and outside an axon controlled by axon membrane that allow molecules to flow in and out of the neuron
Resting potential Chanells allow K+ molecules inside the neuron so K+ molecules move out neurons through the open channels leaving the inside of the neuron with charge of -70 millivolts to outside
Conduction of large electrical impulse down the length of axon
What is this called?
Action potential
What is an action potential?
Electrical signal that is conducted along the length of a neuron’s axon to the synapse
When does action potential occur?
Only when electric shock reaches a certain level or threshold
Change in state of axon’s membrane
What happens when an electric shock is below this threshold?
Researchers recorded only tiny signals which dissipated rapidly
What happens when the shock reaches the threshold?
A much larger signal the action potentia, onbserved
Did not increase the strength of action potential
occurs same magnitude regardless of whether stimulus is at or above threshold
What is the myelin sheath?
Made up of glial cells
The axons end in what?
Terminal buttons
What are terminal buttons?
Knoblike structures that branch out from an axon
What are the terminal buttons filled with?
Tiny vesicles that contain neurotransmitter
Neurotransmitter - transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron dendrites
What do dendrites of the recieving neuron contain?
Receptors - part of the cell membrane that receive neurotransmitters and initiate new electric siignal
How would dendrites know which of the neurotransmitters flooding to the synpase to reiceve and which to ignore?
- Neurons tend to form pathways in the brain that are characterised by specific types of neurotransmitters; one neurotransmitter might be prevalent in one part of the brain and other may be prevalent in a different oart
- Neurotransmitter and receptor act like lock and key model. bind to receptor specificlly.
What happens to the leftover neurotransmitter left in the synpase after chemical message is relayed to postsynaptic neuron?
Three processes where neurotransmitter leave the synapse
- Reputake occurs when neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by the terminal buttons of the presynaptic neuron axon
- Neurotransmitters can be destroyed by enzymes in synapse in process called enztme deactiviation where specific enzymes bind to receptor sites called autoreceptor on presynaptic neurons
- Autoreceptors detect how much of a neurotransmitter has been released into a synpase and signal the neuron to stop releasing the neurotransmitter when excess is in process
What is acetlycholine (ACh)
Neurotransmitter involved in a number of functions including voluntary motor colour
Diagram of neurotransmitter and functions
How can drugs affect the nervous sytem?
Increasing , interfering with or mimicking the manufacture or function of nuerotransmitters
What are agonists?
Drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter
What is anatagonists?
Drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter
Agonists vs Antagonists?
Drugs alter a step in production or release neurotransmitter
Whereas others have a chemical structure so similar to a neurotransmitter that the drug is able to bind to neuron receptor
If bind to receptor, drug activates neurotransmitter agonist
If blocks the action of the neurotransmitter it is antagonist
Diagram of agonist vs antagonist
More information on L-dopa
- Developed to treat Parkinsons movement disorder characteristced by terms and difficulty to initiate momvent caused by loss of neurons that use the neurotransmitter dopamine
- Dopmaine is created by amount of L-dopa in the brain and spur the surviving neurons to produce more dopamine
- L-dopa is an agonist for dopamine
- Effectiveness of L-dopa decreases when used over a long period of time
Evidence for central role of dopamine to regulate movement and motor performance
1982 study
- 6 people ranging from age (25-45) from San Franciso Vay admitted to emergency rooms with symptoms: paralysis, drooling and inability to speak
- Diagnoise of Parkinson was made
- Unusal for 6 people to have Parkinson this young with advanced at the time at same area
- None had Parkinson but were heroin addicts
- They thought they were ingesting a synthetic form of heroin MPPP but instead ingested derivative called MPTP effect of destroying dopamine producing neurons in brain crucial for motor performance
- Recovery recieeving L-dopa acts agonist by enhancing properties of dopamine
- Drugs like MPTP act as antagonists destryoing dopamine producing neurons
How can Amphetamine alter neurotransmitter function
Stimulates release of noradrenaline and dopamine
Both amphetamine and cocaine prevent the reuptake of noradrenaline and dopamine
Combination of increased release of noradrenaline and dopamine and prevention of their uptake flood synapse with neurotransmitter resulting increased activation of their receptor
Both drug strong agonist
Noradrenanline and dopamine play role in mood control either neurotransmitter result in euphoria, wakefulness and burst of energy
However, noradrenaline increase heart rate
Overdore of amphetamine or cocaine cause heart to contract so rapidly that heartbeats di not last long to pump blood effectively leading to fainting and sometimes to death