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Physiology > Studying the Nervous System > Flashcards

Studying the Nervous System Flashcards

1
Q

What was the very first way of studying the nervous system?

A

Dissection of the brain and drawing diagrams, first done by vesalius (1543)

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2
Q

After dissection what was the next step in methods to investigate the nervous system?

A

Light microscope methods (1900)

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3
Q

What did using light microscope techniques allow visualisation of?

A

Features and connections of the cell groups in the CNS

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4
Q

What accompanied light microscope in order to see features of the CNS?

A

Staining

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5
Q

Light microscope and golgi staining allows visualisation of?

A

Cell bodies and dendrites

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6
Q

LM and Nissl staining allows visualisation of?

A

Cell bodies

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7
Q

LM and Myelin staining allows visualisation of?

A

Myelinated axons

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8
Q

What did staining and light microscopes allow the determination of?

A

The 6 layers of the cerebral cortex

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9
Q

How were the connections of the CNS studied using light microscopy?

A

The axons of tracts were cut and could tell what they the connection went depending on what degenerated

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10
Q

If by cutting the axon the cell body degenerates, what kind of degeneration is that

A

Retrograde degeneration

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11
Q

If by cutting the axon the axon degenerates, what kind of degeneration is that?

A

Anterograde degeneration

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12
Q

After dissection and light microscopes what method came next?

A

Electron microscopy (1950s)

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13
Q

What elements of the CNS could be studied with electron microscopy?

A

Subcellular elements of neurons e.g. synpases

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14
Q

After dissections, light microscopy and electron microscopy what was the next method used to study the CNS?

A

Lesion studies

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15
Q

What are the two types of lesion studies?

A
  1. Observation of functional changes after inducing lesions in animals
  2. Relating disorders in man to lesions in brain areas
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16
Q

How is observation of lesion studies not that accurate?

A

Because lesions arent normally specific and compensation can occur

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17
Q

After dissections, light microscopy, electron microscopy and lesion studies was the next method used to study the nervous system?

A

Electrical stimulation

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18
Q

Where is electrical stimulation applied in the CNS?

A

The tracts or nuclei (collection of neurons) of the CNS

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19
Q

What is an example of how electrical stimulation can show CNS function?

A

Stimulation of the motor cortex results into contraction of muscles on the opposite side of the body

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20
Q

What did the electrical stimulation show existed in the sensory and motor regions of the cortex?

A

That the body is represented by maps in these areas called homunculus (that weird thing with all the body parts)

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21
Q

What are three modern anatomical techniques in studying the CNS?

A
  1. Tract tracing
  2. Immunocytochemistry
  3. In situ hybridsation
22
Q

How are tracer substances in tract tracting transported?

A

By axonal transport

23
Q

How is tract tracing initiated?

A

Tracers are placed in the CNS close to the cell bodies or axon and are taken up and transported along the axon

24
Q

What kind of tracing is used to identify axon terminals?

A

Anterograde tracing

25
Q

Where are tract tracers taken up in anterograde tracing and where do they accumulate?

A

They are placed by and taken up by the cell bodies and transported along the axon where they accumulate in the axon terminals

26
Q

What kind of tracing is used to identify cell bodies?

A

Retrograde tracing

27
Q

Where are the tract tracers taken up in retrograde tracing and where do they accumulate?

A

They are placed by and taken up by the axon terminals and they are transported along the axon where they accumulate in the cell body

28
Q

Name a tracer used in both retrograde and anterograde tracing?

A

Radio active amino acids

29
Q

How are radio active amino acids detected in tracing?

A

Using autoradiography which involved using photographic emulsion on histological slides

30
Q

Name a good retrograde tracing tracer?

A

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)

31
Q

Name an anterograde tracing tracer?

A

PHAL (a lectin extracted from red kidney beans)

32
Q

What is involved in immunocytochemistry?

A

Antibodies with a bound flourescent probe of HRP bind to molecules in the CNS like neurotransmitter receptors

33
Q

What type of microscopy can be used with immunocytochemistry?

A

Both light and electron

34
Q

What is insituhybridation?

A

Producing DNA probes complementary to mRNA sequences (obtained from a library) in the CNS and the probes are then identified by autoradiography

35
Q

What are three kinds of electrical recording methods?

A
  1. Extracellular recording
  2. Intracellular recording
  3. Patch clamping
36
Q

What is electrical recording techniques used to study in the CNS?

A

The electrical activity of the CNS

37
Q

What is involved in extracellular recording methods?

A

A metal electrode placed on the nerve connected to an ampflier and a screen displayed the electrical activity (cathode ray tube)

38
Q

What is involved in intracellular recording methods?

A

Glass micropipettes containing an electrolyte solution are inserted into the neuron or axon attached to an amplifier and screen

39
Q

What is an advantage of intracellular recording methods?

A

You can label recording neurons by injecting dye through the micropipette

40
Q

What is involved in the patch clamping method?

A

Follow through ion channels is recorded by a piece of the membrane clamped by a micropipette

41
Q

What are three computer imaging methods used to study the CNS?

A
  1. Computerized tomography (CT)
  2. Magnetic resonance imagine (MRI)
  3. Positron emission tomography (PET)
42
Q

What is involved in CT scans?

A

X-ray beams are targetted at many angles at the head and the absorance of radiation in areas can be detected to determine the density of the tissue

43
Q

What is involved in MRI scans?

A

Magnetic field used to generate signals from protons in tissues

44
Q

What are three advantages of MRI scans?

A
  1. Good spatial resolution of the brain
  2. Non-invasive (no drugs or x-rays)
  3. Safe for humans
45
Q

What is involved in PET scans?

A

Tracers/drugs containing positron-emitting radio nucleotides

46
Q

How are the tracers/drugs in PET scans administered?

A

Injected into the blood supply or inhaled

47
Q

What is example of a tracer/drug that is inhaled in pet scans?

A

Radioactive oxygen

48
Q

What areas of the brain take up the tracers/drugs involved in PET scans?

A

The active areas of the brain

49
Q

What happens to the positrons of the drugs/tracers in PET scans when they are taken up?

A

Converted to photons which can be detected by the PET scanner and the active areas of the brain can be visualised

50
Q

Give an example of when you would use PET scans?

A

To see the active language areas during reading or spoken tasks

Physiology (19 decks)

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