S1 Wk 9 - Evolution and Anatomy of the Brain Flashcards
What is evolution
Evolution is change over time
What are Darwin’s two central Concepts in his theory of evolution
Adaptation - the ability to adapt changing environments
Natural selection - process by which some species’ variations are passed on and others are not
Darwins four principles
Plant and animal species are dynamic over time
evolution is gradual and continuous
natural selection occurs with and without environmental change
universal common ancestry
Natural selection
what is survival of the fittest
Survival and reproductive success
Two types of variation
Variability in traits
genetic variation - mutations in DNA
Four types of competition
Overproduction of offspring
the environment cannot support unlimited population growth
competition within species for resources
selection - traits a past on
what did Mendel do with his peas
planted peas
all plants had purple flowers
looked at round seed and wrinkled seeds
what did Mendel and his peas help to explain
that we have one gamete from dad one from mum and they combine together
dominant / recessive genes
what is a phenotype
observable traits
what is a genotype
genetic composition
what does DNA stand for and what is it
Deoxyribonuleic acid
molecule with a double helix
what is a gene
section of DNA
can be anywhere to 200 base pairs to 2 million
what are the 4 types of base pairs
adenine - thymine
guanine - cytosine
thymine - adenine
cytosine - guanine
what is a codon
3 x nucleotides
code for specific amino acids or terminate translation
what was the Human Genome Project
1990 - 2003
goal was to map human genetic code
in march 2022 they completed entire genomic sequence (identified 3 billion bases)
what happens during transcription and translation
transcription: segment of DNA is copied into messenger ribonuleic acid (mRNA)
translation: process of protein synthesis
transfer RNA (tRNA): carries an amino acid to the ribosome - becomes a protein
what are mendels 3 laws of Heredity
Law of Segregation
Law of Independent Assortment
Law of Dominance
what is the law of segregation
Each inherited trait is define by a gene pair
Offspring inherit one genetic allele from each parent when sex cells unite in fertilization
what is Law of Independent Assortment:
Genes for different traits are sorted separately from one another
Inheritance of one trait is not dependent on the inheritance of another.
what is Law of Dominance:
If the alleles at a locus differ, the dominant allele will be expressed.
book of Darwin and Mendel
The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection
what is an epigenome
chemical compounds that can regulate the activity of genes
not part of the DNA sequence - attached or added to DNA
how does culture / adaptation to environment affect species
gene variants linked with different strategies
can help survival and ability to reproduce
behaviours – learnt over time – selection for these behaviours
how is brain size calculated
cranial capacity (cm3 / cc = US English)
names for front back top and bottom of brain
Front - anterior (rostral)
Back - posterior (caudal)
Top - superior (dorsal)
Bottom - inferior (ventral)
what is a pyramidal cell
type of neuron
3 cortical layers regionally specific
primary sensory cortex
association cortex
primary motor cortex
names of the 6 layers of cell
Molecular
External granular
External pyramidal
Internal granular
Internal pyramidal
Multiform
name of a non-neuronal cell
glial cells
how many cells are in the brain
86.06 billion neurons
84.81 billion non-neurons
list of 6 neuroanatomy
place and function
Frontal lobe - higher cognitive functions
Parietal lobe - sensation, perception and integration
Temporal lobe - hearing and memory
Occipital lobe - vision
Cerebellum - movement and balance
Brainstem - basic body functions
2 subcortical structures
Hippocampus - memory
Amygdala - emotion
brain stem structures - 3
midbrain - motor control, sleep/wake, arousal, temp regulation
pons - involuntary movements, regulation of respiration
medulla oblongata - control of ventilation, heart rate, blood pressure, reflexes, autonomic nervous system
what is heritability
proportion of phenotypic variation (trait) attributable to genotypic variation
