Neuroscience Past & Future Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the major advancements in our understanding of the NS BC

A
  • evidence of prehistoric trepanation 5000-3000BC - suggests they knew the head was vital
  • 500BC Ancient Greece - Hippocrates postulated brain as the seat of intelligence & correlated structure and function. Then 500 yrs later a step back - Aristotle reverted to heart as centre of intellect & introduced the ‘5 senses’
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2
Q

What levels of analysis are used in neuroscience to study the brain?

A
  • Molecular - eg a particular protein
  • Cellular
  • systems - eg visual systen, motor system
  • behavioural - eg what parts of the brain control particular behaviour
  • cognitive
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3
Q

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 2nd century

A
  • 2nd century - Galen - named the cerebrum & cerebellum & correctly postulated their role - view prevailed for 1500 years
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4
Q

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 16th century

A
  • 16th century - Andreas Versalius - rather of anatomy
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5
Q

Describe the advancement of neuroscience in the 17th century

A
  • 17th century - fluid mechanics model of the brain. Descartes introduced philosophical dualism - the mind vs the brain. Postulated the “mind” was the pineal gland (nope)
  • 17-18th centuries we differentiated between grey and white matter
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6
Q

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 18th century

A
  • 18th century - development of stains, naming brain lobes, CNS/PNS division
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7
Q

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 19th century

A
  • 19th century - away from fluid mechanics, intro of electricity model (nerves as wires). Localisation of function - some badly (Bell, and Gall - total crackpot who is responsible for phrenology), some well (Flourens - via ablation, Broca - speech). Darwin’s evolution of nervous system (common mechanisms). Cell theory arrives - Schwann introduces the neuron.
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8
Q

What is a requirement for any experiment involving a sentient animal?

A

ethics committee approval (must have vets, current researchers, animal weflare and members of public)

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9
Q

What defines a sentient animal for ethical purposes

A

All vertebrates and cephelapods

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10
Q

What are the 3 R’s for ethical experimental design?

A
  • Replacement (can we use anything else instead?)
  • Reduction (minimise the number of animals while staying statistically viable)
  • Refinement (ensure no suffering)
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11
Q

List the different modes of imaging in the nervous system

A

Radiography
* CT
* MRI
* fMRI
* DTI

mapping with radioactive tracers
* SPECT
* PET

immunofluorescence using axoplasmic transport

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12
Q

Compare options for radiography imaging of nervous system

A
  • CT - xray that is digitally reconstructed into brain slice. shit for anatomy but great for finding tumours/lesions
  • MRI - great for anatomy, super clear, doesnt require xray, brain slice in any angle (but only until we run out of helium)
  • fMRI - detects blood flow, looks at active brain regions but task being tested has to happen inside the MRI
  • DTI - measures water diffusion, great for imaging white matter tracts
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13
Q

compare SPECT & PET

A
  • SPECT (Single photon emission CT) - poor man’s version, measures blood flow (sort of like MRI) using radioisotope with radioligand
  • PET (photon emission tomography) - VERY expensive, radioactive solution that emits positrons, positrons emitted wherever blood goes (measures metabolic activity)
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