Neuroscience Review Flashcards
directions when referring to brain
up - dorsal
down - ventral
left - rostral
right - caudal
directions when referring to brain stem or below
up - rostral
down - caudal
left - ventral
right - dorsal
What type of cells creates myelin in CNS?
oligodendrocytes
What cells are support cells and make up blood brain barrier? What else do they do?
astrocytes
- insulation
- waste removal
- regulate intracellular Ca2+ levels
What cells line ventricle walls and produce CSF?
ependymal cells
Who are the microglia of the CNS?
microglia
What are the steps to an action potential?
1) Presynaptic AP leads to opening of neurotransmitter (NT) channels on axon terminal
2) Vesicles containing NTs release into synaptic cleft
3) NT binds with postsynaptic protein receptor
4) Receptors open, allowing NTs to enter post synaptic neuron and propagate another AP to travel down postsynaptic axon
Glutamate effects, location and function
excitatory in CNS
- Involved in virtually every major excitatory brain function
- learning and memory
- synaptic plasticity
GABA effect, location, and function
Inhibitory in CNS
- inhibits motor, sensory, and cognitive neurons
Glycine effect, location, and function
inhibitory in spinal cord
- inhibits spinal interneurons
AcH effect, location, and function
excitatory in motor neurons, basal ganglia, ANS, and NMJ
- triggers muscle contraction
- ANS involvement
- Involved in wakefulness, attentiveness, anger, sexuality, and more
- Stimulates excretion of certain hormones
Serotonin effect, location, and function
excitatory and inhibitory effects in brain, brainstem, and GI tract
- emotions
- sleep-wake cycles and other autonomic functions
- GI tract regulation, appetite
- CV growth factor
dopamine effect, location, and function
excitatory and inhibitory in substantia nigra, VTA w/ projections across CNS and in ANS sympathetic neurons
- movement
- reward
- memory, attention, motivation, and more
Norepinephrine effect, location, and function
excitatory in pons and medulla
- active surveillance - increases attention to sensory info
- sympathetic nervous system - fight or flight
What protective layer of meninges fights rotational forces?
dura mater - outermost layer
What protective layer of meninges fights shearing forces? What else does it do?
arachnoid mater - also plays a role in CSF circulation
Where are vascular structures held in the meninges?
pia mater
Will epidural and subdural spaces show up on imaging?
NO unless there is a pathology
What is the flow of CSF circulation?
1) lateral ventricles
2) intraventricular foramen
3) 3rd ventricle
4) cerebral aqueduct of sylvius
5) 4th ventricle
6) medial and lateral foramen
7) subarachnoid space of brain and spinal cord
8) arachnoid granulations
What are the 4 functions of CSF?
- buoyancy
- protection
- homeostasis
- waste clearance
Frontal lobe job
- higher executive functions (emotions, planning, reasoning, attention, problem-solving)
- primary and supplementary motor regions
- dominant supplementary speech regions
Parietal lobe job
- primary and secondary somatosensory regions
- perceptual integration
- visual processing regions (Where?)
- dominant supplementary speech regions
Temporal lobe job
- primary auditory center
- auditory association cortex
- visual processing regions (What?)
- memory
occipital lobe job
- primary visual center
- visual association cortex
What is the purpose of the basal ganglia?
facilitation of movement - initiation and execution of movement
- prevention of unwanted movement
- goal-directed behavior loop
- social behavior loop
- emotion loop
What are the 3 primary functions of the peripheral vestibular system?
1) stabilize visual images
2) maintain postural stability
3) spatial orientation
What does the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) do?
keeps eyes forward
What does the vestibulospinal reflex (VSR) do?
anti-gravity muscles for mediating our postural adjustments
What does our Vestibulocollic reflex (VCR) do?
upper cervical muscles for posture of head and neck
