Semester A MCQ Flashcards
Dorsal/Superior
Above
Ventral/Inferior
Below
Rostral/Anterior
Infront of
Caudal/Posterior
Behind
Meninges
Protect and provide structural support for brain and contain CSF
Dura Mater
Extra protective layer - provides a drainage system
Pia Mater
Forms a tight membrane around the brain and spinal cord -> secretion and containment of CSF
Commissural Pathways
Myelinated axons interconnecting regions or structures in the left and right sides of the brain
Axon Terminals
Release neurotransmitters
Dendrites
Where neurons receive most of their info
White Matter
60% of brain matter
Myelin makes it white in colour
Grey Matter
40% of brain but takes 94% of oxygen
Made of nerve cell bodies
Primary Brain Division’s
Prosencephalon
Mesencephalon
Rhombencephalon
Secondary Brain Division’s
Telencephalon Diencephalon Mesencephalon Metencephalon Myelencephalon
Resting Membrane Potential
A neuron is ‘quiet’ in a resting state
Action Potential
A neuron is ‘active’ in an active state
Sodium-Potassium Pump
When a neuron is at rest, sodium + and chloride - ions are more outside the cell.
At rest the inside is more negative the the outside
Rods and Cones (Photoreceptors)
Transduce light into electrochemicals
Bipolar Cells
Link photoreceptors and ganglion cells
They’re either on or off
Horizontal cells
Make lateral connections between bipolar cells
Colour Blindness
Result of brain damage in the occipital temporal cortex
Grandmother Cells
There are so many neurons there could be some that only react to your grandmother
Visual Agnosia
Inability to recognise objects
Constructivist Theory of Perception
Perception is an active process involving internal hypotheses and knowledge
These hypothesis generations are unconscious
Gestalt Theory of Perception
Things can be broken down into ‘Gestalt Grouping Principles:
- Proximity
- Similarity
- Good continuation
- Closure
- Common fate
Computational Theory of Perception
Includes; Primal sketches, 2 1/2 D Model, 3D Model
Recognition by component ‘geons’ which are combined and matched together
Sensorimotor System
Hierarchically organised, signals flow between levels of multiple different paths
Apraxia
Inability to properly execute a learned skilled movement following brain damage
Phantom Limbs
The sensation of when an amputee feels like their missing limb is still attached -> Somatic Misperception
Lightly Myelinated and Small Diameter Pain Receptors
Rapid, sharp pain
Leads to a reflex response
Unmylinated and Smallest Diameter Pain Receptors
Slow, burning pain
Stimulated mechanically
Bistable Stimulus
When a stable and constant stimulus leads to a dynamic alteration between two different interpretations
Attention
The process by which certain information is selected for further processing and other information is discarded
Spotlight Theory of Attention
Spotlight may move and zoom in or out
Location of attention is not always the same as eye fixation
Biased Competition Theory of Attention
Attention is an emergent property of neural mechanisms working together to resolve competition for visual processing and control of behaviour
Premotor Theory of Attention
Spatial attention is a consequence of activation in motor system
Shifts of attention are achieved by planning goal-directed actions
Extinction
Disorder of Attention
People with a posterior parietal injury may fail to represent stimuli which is contralateral to the lesion above their visual field
Neglect
Disorder of Attention
A common neurological syndrome following predominantly right hemispherical injuries -> impaired attention to the side contralateral to their lesion
tES
Range of techniques that involve passing weak currents for the purpose of stimulating the brain -> effects are known as neuromodulation
tDCS
Current of a fixed magnitude is passed through from one electrode to another
tACS
The strength of the current is varied sinusoidally at a particular frequency
o-TDCS
The current ranges from 0 to 2 at the anode and 0 to -2 at the cathode
tRNS
The intensity is varied randomly over time rather than at a constant varying set of frequencies
5 Cognitive Neuroscience Disciplines
Anatomy, Embryology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Psychology
Association
Damage to a single brain region -> multiple deficits
Dissociation
Impaired performance in task A but performance is normal in task B
EEG
Excellent temporal resolution
Poor spatial resolution
MEG
Excellent temporal resolution
TMS
Good functional resolution
PET
Excellent spatial resolution
Poor temporal resolution
fMRI
Excellent spatial resolution
Poor temporal resolution
