Neuroscience Flashcards for High School Students

Arginine Vasopressin (AVP)

AVP is a brain chemical that helps control social behavior and how the body responds to stress or water balance.

Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis (BNST)

BNST is a part of the brain that helps control emotions like fear and anxiety. It's different in males and females.

Lateral Septum (LS)

The LS is a brain area that works with emotions and social behavior. It connects to the BNST with AVP signals.

Vasopressin 1a Receptor (V1aR)

This is a special spot on a brain cell where AVP sticks to send signals that change behavior.

Optogenetics

A method to control brain cells using light and special proteins that respond to it.

Fos expression

Fos is a signal that a brain cell was active. Scientists look for it to see which cells were working.

Cre-Lox system

A system scientists use to turn certain genes on or off in specific types of brain cells.

Adeno-associated Virus (AAV)

A harmless virus used to deliver genetic tools into specific brain cells in animals.

stGtACR2

A protein that turns off brain cells when blue light hits them. Used to study brain function.

ChR2 (Channelrhodopsin-2)

A protein that turns on brain cells with blue light. It helps scientists test what those cells do.

Patch-clamp recording

A method to record tiny electrical signals from single brain cells to see how they respond.

Three-chamber social test

A test where mice choose to be near another mouse or alone. It measures social behavior.

Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs)

Sounds that mice make that we can't hear without special tools. They use them to communicate.

Urine marking

When mice pee to leave messages or mark territory. Often done during social interactions.

Elevated Zero Maze (EZM)

A test that checks anxiety by seeing if a mouse explores open spaces on a raised track.

Real-Time Place Preference (RTPP)

A test where mice choose which area they like better depending on what happened there, like a light or smell.

RNAscope

A lab method to see where specific RNA (instructions for proteins) is in brain cells.

Immunohistochemistry

A method to color and see proteins in brain slices using antibodies and special lights.

Sexual Dimorphism

This means male and female brains work or are built differently, like having more AVP cells in males.

Biphasic neuronal response

A brain response that starts with a burst of activity and then calms down or stops.

AVP-Cre mouse

A type of mouse that has been genetically changed to make AVP cells easier to study.

eYFP (enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein)

A glowing protein used to see where cells or proteins are in brain tissue.

Fiber photometry

A method to see how active brain cells are in real time by measuring glowing signals.

DAPI staining

A stain that makes cell nuclei glow blue, helping scientists find cells under a microscope.

Viral injection

A method where a virus carrying a gene is injected into the brain to change specific cells.

Stereotaxic surgery

Surgery that helps scientists place things like viruses or lights in exact spots in the brain.

Photoinhibition

Using light to turn off brain cells during behavior to see what they do.

Photostimulation

Using light to turn on brain cells to see how they affect behavior.

Neuronal excitability

How easily a brain cell can fire or send signals when it's stimulated.

GABAergic neurons

Brain cells that slow down signals by releasing GABA, a calming chemical.

Excitatory neurons

Brain cells that make other cells more active and send strong signals.

Social investigation

When a mouse spends time checking out another mouse, often sniffing or following.

Anxiety-like behavior

Behaviors that show if a mouse feels nervous or scared, like avoiding open areas.

Axonal projection

Connections that brain cells send out to other parts of the brain.

Cell-type specificity

Making sure only certain types of cells are changed or studied.

Synaptic transmission

How brain cells talk to each other using chemicals at their connections.

Electrophysiology

Methods to record how brain cells send signals, like electrical activity.

Neuronal firing

How often a brain cell sends a signal or 'fires'.

In vivo calcium imaging

A method to watch live brain cell activity using glowing calcium signals.

Confocal microscopy

A strong microscope that uses lasers to take clear images of brain slices.

Light-evoked response

How brain cells respond when light is used to activate them.

Social novelty

A mouse choosing a new mouse over one it already met, showing interest in novelty.

Open field test

A test that checks movement and anxiety by letting a mouse explore a big open box.

Behavioral phenotyping

Using behavior to learn what traits or actions mice show in different situations.

AVPergic pathway

AVP pathways in the brain that control social and stress-related behaviors.

Neural circuit

A group of connected brain parts that work together to control behavior.

Retrograde tracing

A method to track where a brain signal came from by tracing backwards from the target cell.

BNSTpr (posterior region of the BNST)

A specific back part of the BNST that has lots of AVP neurons in male mice and helps control social behavior.

Ventral Pallidum

A brain area involved in reward and motivation that might receive signals from AVP brain regions.

Hypothalamus

Part of the brain that controls hormones and stress, it may work with the BNST and AVP to affect behavior.

Medial Amygdala

A brain region that helps process smells and social cues, often linked to mating and aggression.

Sexually dimorphic AVP neurons

AVP brain cells that are different in males and females-usually more active or more in number in males.

AVPergic neurons

Neurons that make and release AVP, a chemical that changes social behavior and responses to stress.

Neurotransmitter release

When a neuron sends out chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) to talk to other neurons.

V1aR antagonist

A chemical that blocks the V1aR receptor, stopping AVP from affecting a cell. Used to test AVP's effects.

Social approach behavior

When a mouse spends time near or interacting with another mouse. It shows interest in others.

Social novelty preference

When a mouse prefers a new mouse over one it already knows, showing it notices something new.

Calcium imaging signal (DeltaF/F)

A way to measure how much brain cells are working by how much they glow during activity.

Baseline neuronal activity

How active brain cells are before any stimulation. It helps scientists compare changes in activity.

Post hoc analysis

A way to look at data after an experiment to see what effects are real and which are random.

Social interaction zone

The spot in a test where a mouse is allowed to interact with another mouse.

Stimulus mouse

The other mouse used in the social test to see how the test mouse reacts.

Inverted light/dark cycle

A lighting setup where the lights are on during night and off during the day, used to match mice's body clocks.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

A calming brain chemical that makes cells less likely to fire. It's involved in reducing activity.

Synaptic input

The signals that brain cells get from other cells talking to them.

Tonic inhibition

When a brain cell is always being slightly held back from firing, like a brake being gently pressed.

c-Fos+ cells

Cells that have the c-Fos marker turned on, showing they were active recently.

Fluorescence microscopy

A method using glowing dyes to see brain cells under a microscope.

Z-stack imaging

Taking many images through a tissue layer at different depths to build a 3D picture.

Quantification of immunoreactivity

Measuring how strong or how many protein signals appear in brain slices.

Anterograde tracing

A way to label where neurons send their signals by tracing outward from their cell body.

Viral vector spread

How far the virus spread after being injected into the brain, which affects what cells are studied.

Contralateral hemisphere

The opposite side of the brain from where the experiment or injection was done.

Ipsilateral hemisphere

The same side of the brain as where the experiment or injection happened.

Cre-dependent expression

Only cells with a matching enzyme (Cre) will turn on the gene the virus is carrying.

AVP projections

Connections made by AVP cells to other brain areas to control behavior.

Photometry trace

A line graph showing how brain activity changes over time as light or behavior happens.

Internal solution (patch-clamp)

A chemical mix used in patch-clamp recordings that keeps the inside of the cell healthy.

Excitation wavelength

The color of light used to make fluorescent proteins glow during imaging.

Emission filter

A tool that filters the right colors of light for viewing glowing cells under a microscope.

Behavioral epoch

A specific part of a behavior, like one moment where the mouse sniffs or explores.

Z-scored behavior

A way to compare data by subtracting the average and dividing by the standard deviation.

Outlier removal

Taking out weird results that don't fit with the rest of the data, often mistakes or rare events.

One-way ANOVA

A math test used to see if groups are different from each other when testing multiple conditions.

Multiple comparisons test

A follow-up test after ANOVA to see exactly which groups are different from each other.

SEM (Standard Error of the Mean)

A number that shows how exact an average is-the smaller it is, the more reliable the result.

Behavioral bout

One unit or short moment of behavior, like a quick sniff or step in a test.