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Behavioral Neuroscience > Quiz 1 - Neuroanatomy > Flashcards

Quiz 1 - Neuroanatomy Flashcards

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1
Q

How many neurons and glia are there in the brain (cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and spinal cord)?

A 
~ 80 billion neurons
- Thousands of synapses each
- Total synapses: 0.06 - 4 quadrillion
- Loose 85,000 cortical neurons/day. 
- Cerebral cortex and associated areas: 12 to 15 billion neurons
- Cerebellum: 70 billion neurons
- Spinal cord: 1 billion neurons. 
~ 80 billion glia
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2
Q

How do we go about the examination of the brain?

A

Anatomy: Neuron Doctrine
Physiology: Neurons are electrical
Pharmacology: Different drugs affect different parts of nervous system
Psychology: Study behaviors of animals.

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3
Q

What has been the purpose of language areas in brain study?

A

After phrenology, language has been used to determine functional localization.

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4
Q

What did Brodmann come up with?

A
  • Cytoarchitectonic map = cell-structure = map of cell structures.
  • Based on size and organization of cells.
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5
Q

What is the modern view of localization?

A

Parallel (multiple things at once) and Serial (one after the other, steps) processing.

  • All processes functionally localized: Language, Emotion, Motor Control.
  • Brain processes discreet chunks of the world and puts it back together for us.
  • Consciousness is distributed across brain
    • Split-brain patients sometimes have 2.
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6
Q

What is PDP?

A
  • Parallel Distributed Processing is when the brain breaks down information into chunks and then puts it back together at an unconscious level.
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7
Q

What happens in the brain to generate a single action?

A
  1. Sensory Input
  2. Social/Emotional evaluation
  3. Motor planning
  4. Motor execution
  5. Sensorimotor feedback/error correction
  6. Homeostasis
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8
Q

What is serial processing?

A

Information passed to “relay” stations
- Each station integrates more complex information
- Information process as it ascends.
Do this, then that, and then that.

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9
Q

What is parallel processing?

A

Different types of information processed separately
- Vision
- Motor Control
- Sensory
Occurs at same time of serial processing.

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10
Q

What is topographic organization?

A

Consistent relationship between the outside world and where it is mapped inside the brain.

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11
Q

What are contralateral projections?

A

Ipsilateral: same side of the body
Contralateral: One side of brain to the opposite side
Decussation: crossing in the shape of an “X”

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12
Q

Outside brain function and structure:

A

Gyrus (plural. gyri): the bump on outer surface
- Hill
Sulcus (pl. sulci): the groove
- Indentation
Fissure: deep grooves
- Deep sulcus: longitudinal fissure, lateral fissure (slyvian fissure), and Calcerin fissure on the back by occipital lobe

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13
Q

Describe the Cerebral cortex.

A

Four lobes

  • Subcortical areas: Limbic system, Basal Ganglia, and Hippocampus
  • Protection: Meninges (Fibers and connective tissues), Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and Blood Brain barrier.
  • Outer most portion of brain
  • Six layers
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14
Q

What are the six cortical layers?

A 
I. Acellular, axons and dendrites
II. Small, spherical granule cells
III. Pyramidal cells
IV. Sensory input from thalamus
V. Output from CNS
VI. Blends with white matter
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15
Q

What is the subcortical nuclei?

A

A collection of cells (gray matter cells not at the level of the cortex).

  • Limbic System: Motivational behaviors
  • Basal Ganglia: Motor control
  • Hippocampus: Memory and navigation
  • Nuclei not homogeneous: clusters of gray matter.
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16
Q

Describe the Limbic System.

A

The motivational system: Emotional and behavioral drives.

  • Amygdaloid body: Associated with emotions mainly with fear.
  • Cingulate gyrus: Important for decision making, planning
  • Parahippocampal gyrus: Associated with memory function, communicates with the hippocampus. Damage here leads to memory impairment.
  • Hippocampus: Memory consolidation and navigation.
  • Fornix: Connects hippocampus to rest of brain.
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17
Q

Describe the Basal Ganglia.

A

Controls muscle tone and coordinates learned movement patterns

  • Globus pallidus: output of the basal ganglia
  • Caudate and Putamen: input to basal ganglia (take signals from brain and send the information to globes pallidus).
  • Substantia nigra: projects upwards to the basal ganglia
  • Subthalamic nucleus: input
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18
Q

Describe the Hippocampus.

A

Between the thalamus and cerebral cortex

  • Critical for storing certain types of memory.
  • Navigation
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19
Q

Describe the meninges.

A 
Fibrous layers surround and protect CNS
- Dura mater: tough outer membrane
- Arachnoid membrane: weblike
- Pia mater: adheres to CNS surface
Continuous with meninges of spinal cord
- Protection from both chemical and physical things.
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20
Q

Describe the purpose of CSF.

A

Cerebrospinal Fluid

  • Cushions delicate neural structures
  • Supports brain
  • Transports nutrients, chemical messengers and waste products
21
Q

What is the pathway of CSF?

A
  1. Produced at choroid plexus.
  2. Travels through lateral and medial apertures to subarachnoid space.
  3. Diffuses across arachnoid granulations into superior sagittal sinus.
22
Q

Describe the blood brain barrier.

A
  • Endothelial cells of blood vessels tightly packed in CNS to isolate brain from general circulation.
  • Astrocytes regulate permeability of cerebral blood vessels (secrete chemicals).
  • Molecules actively transported across barrier.
  • Incomplete in parts of hypothalamus, pituitary gland, pineal gland and choroid plexus. (These areas need instant access to blood levels for proper regulation.)
23
Q

What parts arise from the diencephalon?

A
  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Optic Chiasm
  • Mammillary bodies
24
Q

Describe the thalamus.

A

Sensory information enters thalamus

  • Thalamus processes and “relays” information to cortex
  • Subdivided into 50 _ nuclei, each with different functions.
  • Somatotopic organization maintained.
25
Describe the Thalamic Projections.
Almost all nuclei receive reciprocal connections from the cortical areas they project to. Anterior Nuclei - Input: Hypothalamus, Hippocampus - Function: Emotion, memory Medial Nuclei - Input: Basal Ganglia, Amygdala, Midbrain - Function: Memory Ventrolateral Nuclei - Motor and somatosensory relay Posterior Nuclei - Special senses relay Nonspecific or Modulatory Nuclei - Mediate cortical arousal and integrate sensory modalities - Reticular nucleus uses GABA to inhibit thalamic output based on thalamic activity
26
Describe the hypothalamus.
Coordinates activities of endocrine and nervous systems - Controls autonomic function - Produces emotions and behavioral drives - Regulates body temperature - Circadian rhythm
27
What is the HPA Axis?
The pathway: Hypothalamic to pituitary to adrenal axis. - Part of neuroendocrine system - Stress reaction (cortisol): Stress UP, cortisol UP - Influences systemic endocrine functions, including digestion, immune response, mood and energy.
28
Describe the tectum.
Midbrain - Dorsal surface - Inferior colliculi - audition - Superior colliculi - Vision
29
Describe the tegmentum.
Midbrain - Ventral - Periaqueductal gray - analgesia (pain neurotransmission) - Substantia nigra - sensorimotor (PD): part of the basal ganglia loop - Red nucleus - sensorimotor: voluntary motor control
30
Describe the cerebellum.
Derived from Rhombencephalon - Located in hindbrain - Has many deep folds to allow ~ 70 billion neurons - Helps regulate motor movement, balance and coordination (real time error correction) - Important for shifting attention - More recently found to be important in cognition - Size increases with physical speed and dexterity of species.
31
Describe the Pons
Superior to medulla - Reticular formation - Increases arousal and readiness.
32
Describe the medulla.
Just above the spinal cord - Breathing, heart rate, vomiting, salivation, coughing, sneezing. - Several cranial nerves
33
What do Cranial Nerves do?
Provide sensory and motor innervation to face. | - Topographic organization in brain stem in cranial nerve nuclei.
34
What are the four segments of the spinal cord?
Cervical (8 nerves) - Cervical enlargement (gray matter gets a little wider to help provide innervation to the arms) Thoracic (12 nerves) Lumbar (5 nerves) - Lumbar enlargement (innervation to legs) Sacral (5 nerves)
35
Describe the gray matter in the spinal cord.
Deals with short range information. - Cell bodies, unmyelinated axons, glia - Dorsal horn: sensory - Lateral Column: sensorimotor - Ventral horn: motor
36
Describe the white matter in the spinal cord.
Long range fibers going to or coming from the brain. - Mostly myelinated axons. - Relay information to and from the brain
37
Describe the ratio of the grey matter to white in the spinal cord.
Ratio of grey matter to white matter varies. | - Higher towards the end of the spinal cord.
38
Describe the sensation in the spinal cord.
Somatosensory neurons have cell bodies in dorsal root ganglia. - Input from periphery - Central projections to dorsal horn. - - Can terminate in horn - - Can project up to medulla - Somatotopic organization in horn and in tracts - - Caudal regions represented medially in dorsal white matter - - Rostral regions represented laterally.
39
Spinal cord tracts (ascending)
Gracile and Cuneate Fasciculus - Fine Sensation Anterior and lateral spinothalamic tracts - Coarse touch, pain Most other tracts are for reflex activity.
40
Spinal cord tracts (descending)
Corticospinal and rubrospinal tracts - Fine motor control of periphery (voluntary movement: typing, writing, etc) Remaining tracts - Motor control of trunk, postural control - Tectospinal and vestibulospinal tracts Proprioceptive information carried by tracts surrounding gray matter (how extended or how flexed is a muscle)
41
Sensory pathways in the spinal cord to brain.
Dorsal Column: fine touch, decussates at medulla. Anterolateral: pain, temperature, deep pressure, decussates at entry to spinal cord. Decussate: cross each other by form of an "X"
42
Describe the sympathetic nervous system.
1. Thoracolumbar 2. Fight or flight 3. Second stage neurons far from target neuron 4. Neck to back 5. Ganglia located close to CNS (short first branch allows faster reactions)
43
Describe the parasympathetic nervous system.
1. Craniosacral 2. Rest and restore 3. Second stage neurons near target organ. 4. Cranial nerves to sacral 5. Ganglia located close or in targets. (Long first branch, short second)
44
What is the two-stage neural path?
1. Neuron exiting CNS 2. Synapses on second-stage neuron in ganglia before target organ. (Autonomic Nervous System)
45
What percentage of motor fibers decussate at pyramids?
90% (pyramids = anterior surface of the medulla)
46
What percentage of motor fibers decussate in the spinal cord?
10%
47
Where do motor pathways start and end?
Corticospinal tract. (Start at the cortex and end at spinal)
48
What are the sensory and motor homunculi?
Somatotopic mapping: mapping of the body on the surface of the brain. - Each area has a map of their function in relation to the brain. - Consistent mapping between the real world.
49
What are the 3 Brodmann's Areas (BA) functions?
BA 3b - Primary somatosensory processing BA 1 - Higher order processing BA 2 - Integration of tactile information with limb position. (Takes projections form area 1 and 3) Project to higher sensory, motor and associational areas.

Behavioral Neuroscience (9 decks)

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