Overview of neuroscience Flashcards
LO
- Be familiar with the gross anatomy of the CNS
- Be familiar with functions of the various brain regions
- Be familiar with the major neurotransmitter systems
- Understand which regions/pathways are affected in disease
What are the 7 basic subdivisions of the anatomy of the CNS?
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Cerebellum
- Diencephalon
- Midbrain
- Pons
- Medulla
- Spinal cord
What things have provided us with knowledge of the subdivisions of the CNS?
- Brain lesions
- Imaging techniques localise functional areas
- Histological variations (Broadmann’s areas)
What is the role of the occipital lobe?
Processing and interpretation of visual information
What is the role of the temporal lobe?
- Complex memory
- Imaginative processes
- Object and colour recognition
What are some diseases associated with the temporal lobe?
- Prosopagnosia- inability to recognise faces
- Achromatopsia- inability to recognise colours
- Alzheimer’s disease= problems with acquisition and retention of memory
What is the role of the frontal lobe?
- Higher intellectual functions
- Expression of emotion
- Motor functions
What is a disease associated with the frontal lobe?
Frontal-temporal dementia= personality changes, disinhibition
What is the role of the parietal lobe?
Sensory association cortex: touch, pain, temperature, taste and balance
Whats the role of the cerebellum?
Control of movement
What are the divisions of the diencephalon?
Thalamus
Sub-thalamus
Hypothalamus (homeostasis)
Associated structure: basal ganglia
What does the basal ganglia and substantia nigra influence?
Movement generated by upper motor neurons
If an individual has brain lesions, how does this effect them?
The patient is unable to switch between commands to start and stop movements
Name some neurodegenerative diseases associated with the basal ganglia?
Parkinson’s diseases: loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra
Huntington’s diseases: Atrophy of caudate and putamen (rapid, jerky movements with no purpose)
Other examples include:
- Epilepsy
- Tourettes
- OCD
What structures are found in the brain stem?
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla
What sort of things can be found in the brain stem?
- Sensory ascending tracts for somatic senses
- Motor descending tracts for movement control
- Reticular formation
Whats involved in the reticular formation and what are both of these involved in controlling and the NT associated with each?
Raphe nuclei (serotonin + 5HT)
Locus ceruleus (Ad + Nad)
Both of these are controlled in the sleep/ wake cycle + controlling respiration/CVS + modulating pain perception + movement control
What is the consequence of brain stem injury in the brain stem?
Disruption of control of viral functions –> fatal
Diminished connectivity between CNS and periphery –> paralysis
Tell some examples of neurotransmitter systems
- Cholinergic
- Adrenergic
- Glutamatergic
- Dopaminergic
- 5-HT
- GABA
- Histamine
- Neuropeptides
- Nitric Oxide
Tell me the following about the Cholinergic system…
The neurotransmitter involved?
Where its found?
The receptors involved?
The action?
Diseases?
Acetylcholine
Found in the parasympathetic + CNS sites
The receptors are the nicotinic/ muscarinic receptors
The action it has is excitatory
The diseases its involved is implicated in AD
Tell me the following about the Adrenergic system…
The neurotransmitter involved?
Where its found?
The receptors involved?
The action?
Diseases?
Noradrenaline
Found in sympathetic system, locus coeruleus- forebrain projections
The receptors are alpha- and beta-adrenergic R
The action it has is excitatory
The diseases it’s involved in is CVS problems and affective disorders
Tell me the following about the Glutamatergic system…
The neurotransmitter involved?
Where its found?
The receptors involved?
The action?
Diseases?
Glutamate
Found in a majority of excitatory networks
The receptors are NMDA, AMPA and kainate
The action it has is excitatory
The diseases its involved is excitotoxicity following acute brain injury
Tell me the following about the Dopaminergic system…
The neurotransmitter involved?
Where its found?
The receptors involved?
The action?
Diseases?
Dopamine
Found in many regions’ projections from substantia nigra
The receptors are dopamine R
The action it has is excitatory
The diseases its involved in is Parkinson’s diseases and schizophrenia
Overview
- The CNS can be subdivided into the cerebral cortex, diencephelon, midbrain, cerebellum, brainstem and spinal cord
- Each region regulates a specific function
- This is achieved by a network of nts systems
- Compromised function of a nts system or a lesion in a specific CNS region leads to clinical symptoms of disease
