Sem 2 Weeks 1-3 Flashcards
Test 1
Automaticity Theory
The word interferes with the colour naming when the word and colour do not match because reading is an automatic process and recognising colours is a more controlled process
Selective Attention process
Reading requires less attention compared to identifying a colour, that’s why it takes us longer to identify the colour of words in incongruent trials
Aphasia
Language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate, often
a result of a stroke or brain injury
What tasks might people with aphasia find difficult?
Talking , Comprehending spoken or written language, Writing, Using numbers, for example calculating answers to problems.
Broca’s Area
Involved in speech production.
Wernicke’s area
Involved in language comprehension
how does fMRI work
It is a safe and non invasive imaging method which detects changes in blood flow. An increase in blood flow correlates with neuronal activity
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Non-invasive technique that disrupts specific brain activity for a fraction of a second. Allows us to investigate the role of certain areas in human functioning
Central Nervous System
brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous system
Comprised of the autonomic and somatic systems
What is special about neuronal cells
Can transmit information by receiving and sending electrical and chemical signals.
Function of dendrites
Detect signals and receive information from branch points and sends it into the soma
What is the cell body (soma)
contains nucleus and organelles, life support system
Function of the axon
transmits signal away from the cell body and down the neuron
What are axon terminals
terminal end of axon where the neuron synapses
What are dendritic spines
The extra surface area along dendrites where axon terminals from other neurons can make connections - More surface area for connections to form
Axon Hillock
point of neuron at the base of the axon where it “fires”
What does “all or nothing” mean
Once the signal reaches a certain threshold, the neuron will fire
What is myelin
a fatty, lipid-rich substance that insulates most axons
Function of myelin
Allows the signal to “hop” along nodes of ranvier and travel faster
Unmyelinatied action potential speed vs myelinated speed
1 meter per second compared to up to 100 metres per speed
3 types of glial cells
Oligodendrocytes, Schwan Cells, Astrocytes
Function of Astrocytes
- Repair and provide support to neurons
- Brings nutrients from the blood stream to the neurons using the blood brain barrier
Function of Schwan Cells
Form myelin sheaths in the PNS - increases speed of info travelling through the axon
Function of Oligodendrocytes
Form myelin sheaths in CNS to increase speed of action potential travelling through the axon
How do Oligodendrocytes and Schwan cells work differently
Oligodendrocytes consist of a cell body with multiple arms, and wrap these arms around axons to form a tight sheath. In comparison, Schwan cells wrap their entire cell body around the axon (instead of using extensions)
Excitatory Signals
Increase likelihood of the neuron firing
Inhibitory Signals
Decrease likelihood of the neuron firing
What is summation
The sum of all incoming signals determine whether the neuron fire
What is the voltage a neuron must reach to fire
-55mv
What voltage is the resting membrane potential
-70mv
What is the difference in concentration of ions inside and outside the cell (Na and K)
Inside of the cell has higher conc of K+ ions and is more negatively charged than the outside of the cell, which has higher conc of Na+ ions.
What are voltage gated ion channels
Selectively permeable to certain ions and open once certain voltages are reached (usually v = -55mv)
Leaky Potassium Channels
All cells in the body contain leaky potassium channels that are only permeable to potassium, allowing potassium to diffuse outside the cell. This makes inside of the cell more negative than extracellular space as positive ions are LEAVING.
Passive diffusion -concentration gradient
Ions move from areas of high conc. and toward lower conc. until equilibrium is reached
Passive diffusion - eletrical gradient
Charged particles will move across membrane until equilibrium occurs (same charge on both sides)
What is an action potential
The change in the voltage inside a cell (relative to outside the cell) taking place at one section of the neuron at a time (not all at once).
Where are action potentials generated?
Axon Hillock
What happens once the threshold of -55mv is reached
Voltage-gated Na Channels open, causing sodium to flood into the cell (due to concentration & electrical gradient)
What is depolarisation?
When a voltage of -55mv is reached and Na+ flows into the cell, the cell becomes more positive (also causes K+ ions to rush outside of cell).
What is the Na+/K+ close threshold
30mv
What happens once the voltage becomes 30mv (overshoot)
Voltage gated Na channels close, resulting in repolarisation as Na stops flooding in and K+ leaves.
Refractory Period
Voltage drops below resting potential (hyperpolarised)
How does the cell return to RMP after refractory period
Na+/K+ pump comes in. (3Na+ out, 2K+ in) to return voltage to -70mv
Saltatory Conduction
Occurs in myelinated action potentials, resulting in an increased rate of propagation causing the signal to move faster. This is because the action potential occurs only at the nodes of Ranvier, not down the whole axon.
What does electrochemical communication mean
Neurons use both eletrical and chemical communication to transmit and recieve signals
Electrical communication in neurons
Action potential generation and modulation
Chemical communication in neurons
Interneural communication (at synapses, using neurotransmitter)
Synapse
Space between one cells dendrite and another cells axon terminal
What does the Pre-synaptic neuron do?
Neuron that sends signal
Post-synaptic neuron
Neuron that recieves signal
Neurotransmitter
chemicals that are released by presynaptic cell into synaptic cleft
Vesicles
“vehicles” that enclose and transport neurotransmitters
3 types of synapses
- Neuron-Neuron
- Neuron-skeletal muscle (neuromuscular joints)
- Neuron-Gland Cells (neuroglandular synapses)
Axodendritic Synapse
synapse directly from the axon terminal to the dendrites
Axosomatic synapse
synapse directly onto cell body
Axoaxonic synapse
synapse onto axon
Role of calcium
Essential for allowing neurotransmitters in presynaptic cell to exit the cell and enter the synaptic cleft
Role of chloride
Helps neurons send inhibitory signals
What happens when action potential arrives at presynaptic terminal
It depolarises it
What does depolarisation of the axon terminal cause?
Allows voltage-gated Ca2+ channels to open, allowing for the influx of Ca2+ in the axon terminal
What happens when presynaptic cell has an influx of Ca2+
Allows vesicles to fuse with the membrane and the neurotransmitter to be released into the synaptic cleft through exocytosis.
What happens once the neurotransmitter is released into the synaptic cleft
It binds to receptors, causing channels to open (or close)
Function of receptors (on post-synaptic neuron)
Once these receptors connect with the right shape/number of neurotransmitter, the receptors release ions into post-synaptic cell. These ions can be excitatory (positive ions) or inhibitory (negative ions)
Effect of receptor sending ions into post synaptic cell.
Influx of ions either depolarises or hyperpolarises the cell, making another action potential more or less likely.