Principles of Neuroscience Lecture 21 Looking at Neuronal Function Flashcards

0
Q

What was the first technology used to look at the brain?

What was the capabilities of this technology?

A

The microscope

We were able to see cells, neurons

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1
Q

What is neuro informatics and give some of the fields that it combines

A

It is the integration of many sub fields of neuroscience

Neuro chemistry
Structure
Function
Morphology
Location
Electricity
Ontogeny
Homology
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2
Q

What did Brodmann do?

A

He created a map of the brain, differentiating between areas with different neurons

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3
Q

Describe the difference between magnifications and resolution

A

Magnification: making something bigger
Resolution: making an image clear, being able to differentiate between two dots

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4
Q

What did Ernst Abbé define?

A

He defined the limit of diffraction

There is a physical law that states that there is a point past which we can not resolve an image

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5
Q

What does the electron microscope allow us to do?

What are some limitations of the electron microscope?

A

The electron microscope allows us to resolve images of very small structures, ie we can see individual synapses

Limitations:
There is a size, smaller than which we cannot resolve the image
The process of preparing a tissue for the EM is such that the tissue is so far from living.

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6
Q

Give a few of the new technologies that subvert the problem of the limit of diffraction

A
  1. Using fluorophores
    Eg. Tag antibodies that bind to synaptic proteins fluorescently. We can now see where the synapses on a neuron are happening
  2. Super resolution microscopy
    Eg. PALM & STORM
    These technologies determine the precise location of molecules is a tissue.
    We are not seeing an actual image of the molecules, but instead an indication on a map where they all are
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7
Q

What is temporal resolution?
Why is it important?
Give an example of it

A

This is how good a technology is at differentiating two events that occur in quick succession

Eg. Microelectrodes in a single neuron can detect the electrical potential changes that constitute a single action potential

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8
Q

Describe the function of the Patch clamp electrode tip

A

The hole is in the size range of a single protein (ion channel) on a cell membrane

The patch clamps forms a very tight seal on the area of membrane, and can detect the activity of a single ion channel

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9
Q

Describe how the patch clamp electrode tip technology has given us information about ion channels

What is the structure of an ion channel?

A

With this technology we can determine the excitability, as well as structure of an individual ion channel

It is a multimer with a channel just large enough for ions to flow through

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10
Q

Describe the interaction between spatial and temporal resolution

A

Different technologies have different capabilities in terms of spatial and temporal resolution

Also, the technologies have varying degrees of invasiveness

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