Revision of the Nervous System & Biological Psychology Methods: key information and concepts Flashcards
What are glial cells?
Type of cell providing physcial and chemical support to neurons and maintain their environment
What are dendrites function?
Serve as inpu zone, recieving information from other neurons
What is the function of cell body (soma) in a neuron
Store organelles of he cell and regulate proteins and lipids needed by the neuron
What is the Myelin sheath?
Fatty insulation around axons formed by glial cells
What is the function of the axon
Carries electrical impluses across a neuron
What is the function of the axon hillock?
Connects the cell body of the neuron to the axon
Action potential orignates at the hillock
Wha is the function of the node of Ranvier?
Allows electrical impulse to move quickly
What is the function of the axon terminal?
Communicates with other cells at the synapse
What are CNS axons myelinated by?
Oligodendrocytes
What are PNS axons myelinated by?
Schwann cells
What are types of glial cells?
- Oligodendrocytes
- Microglia
- Astroglia
- Ependymal cells
What is the function of microglia?
- Involvement in the immune system
- Role in cell death, synapse formation and elimination
What is the function of Astroglia?
- Support and provide nourishment
- Form blood-brain barrier
- Establish and maintain synapses between neurons
What is the function of Ependymal cells?
- Has a role in cerebrospinal fluid
- Homeostasis
- Brain metabolism
- Clearance of waste from the brain
What is the function of Schwann cells?
- Myelination
- Trophic support
What is the function of Satellite cells
- Trophic support
- Maintaining the enviornment around neurons
What is the purpose of the forebrain?
Important in voluntary actions, thinking and processes
What makes up the forebrain?
Thalamus, hypothalamus (diecenphalon)
Telecephalon
What makes up the Telecephalon?
- Cerebrum
- Cerebral hemispheres
- Corpus callosum
- Lobes, grus (gyri), suclcus (sulci)
- Hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia
What is in the midbrain?
Brainstem
What does the hindbrain consist of?
Cerebellum
What is the function of the Hippocampus?
Learning and memory formation
What is the function of the amygdala?
Emotional response to stimuli
Whaat is the limbic system made up of
Cingulate gyrus, hypothalamus, anterior thalamic nuclei and hippocampus
How many different parts of the spinal cord are there?
31 segments
What is the purpose of the spinal cord?
Recieve sensory information from skin, joins and muscles
Contains motor neurons responsible for voluntary and reflex movements
Purpose of the sympathetic nervous system?
Fight or flight response
Purpose of the Parasympahetic nervous system?
Rest and digest
What are afferent neurons in the somatic nervous system?
Carries information from sensory receptors found all over he body towards the central nervous sytem
What is the purpose of efferet neurons in the somatic nervous system?
Carries motor information away fromt he central nervous sytem to the muscles and glands of the body to initate an action
What is interneurons?
Found in the CNS, passes information between motor neurons and sensory neurons
How are nerves formed?
Axons with layer sof connective tissue, glia and blood vessels
What is the membrane potential?
Potential difference between inside and ouside of the cell
Why is the resting membrane potential negative? (-70mV)
More negatively charged ions on the inside (K+) as to outside (Na+ and Cl-)
What is action potential?
Reversal of membrane potential, a rapid sequence of change in the voltage across a membrane
What is Depolarisation?
Caused by a rapid rise in mmbran potential opening of sodum channels, causing a large influx of sodium ions
What is Repolarisation?
Rapid sodium channel inactivation and large efflux of potassium ions from activated potassium channels
What is hyperpolarisation?
Lowered membrane potential due to efflux of potassium ions and closing of potassium channels
What is Excitory postsynaptic potentials?
An increase in membrane potential to trigger an action potential
What is the inhibitory postsynaptic potential?
TYpe of synaptic potential that occurs when a neurotransmitter binds to an inhibitory receptor on a postsynaptic cell causing an influx of negative charged ions into the cell and a reduction in he membrane potential (less likely an action potential will be triggered)
What is the modulatory neurotransmitters?
Chemical substances that bind to receptors, influencing the exitability and function of target cells in the nervous sytem
Where is the Anterior located in the brain?
In front of, towards the face
Where is th Posterior in the brain?
Behind, towards the back
Where is the Superior located in the brain?
Above, toward the head
Where is the Inferior directing to?
Below, towards the feet
Where is the Medial directing to?
Towards the middle
Where is the Lateral directing to?
Towards the edge
Where is the Dorsal directing to?
Towars the top of the brain or the back of the spinal cord
Where is the Ventral directing to?
Towards the bottom of the brain or the front of the spinal cord
Where is the Rostal directing to?
Toward the front of the brain or the top of the spinal cord
Where is the Caudal directing to?
Toward the back of the brain or the bottom of the spinal cord
Where is the frontal or coronal plane located?
Runs parallel to the eyes or ears and will divide the body into front and back regions
Whhat is the sagittal or longitundinal plane
Vrtical plane that runs perpendicular to the eys or ears and will divide the body into left and right regions
Why are pyramidal cells idal as curret generators?
- Spatially aligned
- Perpendicular to the cortical surface
- Recurrentl connected
- Recieve synchronous inputs
What are th Advantages of EEG?
- Direct measure of neuronal activity
- Excellent temporal resolution (order of ms) –> real-time signals
- Non-invasive; safe; comfortable; quite inexpensiv
What are the Limitations of EEG?
- Low spatial resolution: because it records signals from scalp surface, it is not easy to say where the signals are generated within the brain
What is the Advantages of using PET?
- High spatial resolution (but for functional brain imaging not as good as fMRI)
- Assesses many functional aspects (not only metabolism or CBF but also glia, neurotrasmitters, receptors, enzymes…)
- Early detection of neurological diseases/disorders (e.g., AD)
What are the Limitations of PET?
- Radioactive tracers
- Limited temporal resolution
What is Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) response?
- A activated brain region recieves more blood so oxygen is absorbed
- Excess oxygen in brain region
What is T1 relaxation/recovery?
Rate at which nuclei spin back towards B0 ongitudinal field
What is T2 relaxation or decay?
De-phasing of spins
What is the function of MRI (Magnetic Resonace Imaging)
- Provides structural imaging measuring signal related to hydrogen
What is the function of fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imagining)
- fMRI provides functional imaging related to Hb
What are the advantages of fMRI?
- Excellent spatial resolution (~mm): it tells the location of brain activities accurately
- Combines structural and functional information
What are the Limitations of fMRI?
- Measures metabolism and infers functioning indirectly
- Low temporal resolution (~sec): because it measures metabolism, which takes time to change (the peak is about 7 seconds after stimulus onset)
- Expensive; not very comfortable for participants
