Brain & Cognition 1

Mostly brain anatomy terminology, feels important to know those off the top of your head (aka the..... parietal lobe (💀))

Glial cells

Cells that assist neurons

Ependymal cells

produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Astrocytes

Glial cells providing structural support and involved in nutrient transfer and maintaining the blood-brain barrier.

Oligodendroglia

glial cells that myelinate axons in the central nervous system.

Schwann cells

Cells that myelinate axons in the peripheral nervous system.

Resting potential

The electrical potential across a neuron's membrane when it is not being stimulated.

Action potential

A rapid reversal of the membrane potential that propagates along the axon.

Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSP)

Changes that depolarize the postsynaptic membrane and increase the likelihood of action potential.

Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSP)

Changes that hyperpolarize the postsynaptic membrane and decrease the likelihood of action potential.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.

Ionotropic receptors

Receptors that allow ions to enter the postsynaptic neuron upon binding of neurotransmitters.

Metabotropic receptors

Receptors that activate G-proteins to influence other cellular processes upon neurotransmitter binding.

Diffusion (in neurotransmission)

The movement of neurotransmitters away from the synaptic cleft.

Cholinergic neurons

Neurons that secrete acetylcholine.

Adrenergic neurons

Neurons that secrete epinephrine (adrenaline).

Peptide

Chains of amino acids

Psychoactive drugs

Substances that alter mood, thought, and behavior.

Wanting-and-liking theory

The notion that wanting (craving) and liking (pleasure) are different processes in drug use.

Neuroplasticity

The nervous system’s ability to change in response to the environment

3 systems that peripheral nervous system controls

Somatic nervous system

Autonomic nervous system

Enteric nervous system

2 parts that central nervous system controls

Brain stem

Spinal cord

Somatic nervous system (SNS)

Carries somatic information to CNS from muscles and skin, and carries info TO them to produce movement

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Sympathetic (flight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) responses.

Enteric nervous system (ENS)

Controls the gut, occasionally gets commends from CNS via ANS, but mostly autonomous

Afferent flow of neural information

Incoming information into the CNS

Efferent flow of neural information

Outgoing information away from the CNS

Which brain-body orientation is this

Anterior

Which brain-body orientation is this

Posterior

Which brain-body orientation is this

Medial

Which brain-body orientation is this

Lateral

Which brain-body orientation is this

Ventral

Which brain-body orientation is this

Dorsal

Coronal section of brain

Vertical plane (stubby slice, like when cutting a cucumber)

Sagittal section of brain

Long slice (side profile of head w/ brain)

Horizontal section of brain

Top-down view of brain (egg-shaped)

Caudal/ posterior

Towards tail of animal/ human backside

“Inferior”

(Scar has nothing to do with this acc)

Below

Superior

Above

Meninges (and what are the layers)

Protective tissue over brain

1. Dura mater - hard outer layer

2. Arachnoid layer - delicate spiderweb layer

3. Pia mater - moderately tough inner layer on brain itself

The 4 lobes in either hemisphere

Frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

Which of the 4 lobes is most anterior?

Frontal lobe

Which of the 5 lobes is most dorsal?

Parietal lobe

Which of the 4 lobes is most posterior?

Occipital

Which of the 4 lobes is most ventral?

Temporal

Cerebrospinal fluid (where in meninges is it found, and what’s its purpose)

Between arachnoid layer and pia mater

Cushions the brain

Frontal lobe function

Brain’s executive functions like decision-making

Parietal lobe function

Directing movements

Temporal lobe function

Learning: Short-term memory, hearing, language, music, facial recognition, emotional processing (literally everything that makes us human it seems)

Occipital lobe function

Visual processing

(more on that later, as we all know :’))

Gyrus (or gyri plural)

Protrusion/ bump in brain

Sulcus (or sulci plural)

Groove in brain wrinkles

Fissure

DEEP groove in brain wrinkles

Cerebrum

Like most of the brain, both hemispheres go into this. Excl. cerebellum, and brainstem!!

What are the 3 cerebral arteries?

1. Anterior

2. Middle

3. Posterior

Gray matter

Composed of cell bodies and capillary blood vessels

White matter

Nerve fibers

What causes a stroke

Insufficient blood supply to the cerebrum from one or more of the cerebral arteries

Corpus callosum

Nerve fibers that join the 2 hemispheres

Function of glial cells

Hold neurons in place so they can do their thing

Tract vs nerves

A collection of nerve fibers inside CNS vs outside.

As an embryo, the part that becomes the forebrain is called…

Prosencephalon

As an embryo, the part that becomes the midbrain is called…

Mesencephalon

As an embryo, the part that becomes the hindbrain is called…

Rhombencephalon

What are the 3 components of the hindbrain

• Cerebellum

• Pons

• Medulla

Pons

Nuclei in pons receive input from cerebellum

What are the tectum and tegmentum from (and which chapter is this told in)

Midbrain roof and floor

Chapter 2

What are the 2 colliculi and what do they do?

Superior colliculi: Processes visual info from optic nerve

Inferior colliculi: Processes auditory info

also prompt ‘orienting movements’ i.e. turn to see what you heard

What are the 3 brainstem structures

• Midbrain

• Pons

• Medulla

2 diencephalon structures

• Thalamus (1 per hemisphere)

• Hypothalamus

2 forebrain structures

• Cerebral cortex

• Basal ganglia

Which chapter explores the path that the olfactory system takes (albeit briefly)?

Chapter 2

What is the neocortex and how is it special?

it covers all the lobes, and is responsible for sensation, motor movements, and cognition. It has 6 layers (diff thickness for sensation and motor regions).

Special: Very complex, a filter for how information is processed before it’s acc processed (see a smiley face in the wall)

What are 3 structures in basal ganglia

• Caudate nucleus

• Putamen

• Globus pallidus

Cranial nerves

Nerves that control sensory and motor functions of head. neck. and internal organs

Dermatome

Body segment (like spinal cord segment) that has sensory nerves

segmented like a worm 🪱

Are spinal nerves ipsilateral or contralateral

Ipsilateral

Where are the 10 principles of the nervous system listed?

Chapter 2 (at the end)

In which chapter are the MRI, CT scan, and those scanning methods explained?

Chapter 7

What are 3 structures that have layers (and a number in their abbreviation: primary ____s)

V1

S1

M1

What are the types of glial cells

Astrocytes

Oligodendrocytes - (you get points if you think you’d recognize this word among others, even if you can’t spell or pronounce it)

2 possible explanations for slow frontal lobe development

1. Aversive childhood experiences compromise the development

2. Decreased intelligence as you age = shitter frontal lobe

   • Basically it’s used less so it degenerates #brainrot

What are the 2 specialized functions of neurons

Sensory neurons - info from and to sensory receptors

Interneurons - Associate sensory and motor info in CNS

Motor neurons - Carry info from the brain and spinal cord to muscles

True or false: Glial cells repair the PNS and CNS

False. They only repair the PNS. The CNS is fked if it’s damaged.

In which chapter do you find the cell’s structure and anatomy?

Chapter 3

In which chapter do you find the details of protein synthesis?

Chapter 3

Where is the cingulate cortex

Above the corpus collosum

What sulcus separates the parietal and frontal lobes?

Central sulcus

What sulcus seperates the frontal and temporal lobes?

Lateral sulcus

Which lobe is Wernicke’s area in?

Temporal lobe

Which lobe is Broca’s area in?

Frontal lobe

Point all of these out for me rq

Good job!

What does the precentral gyrus importantly include, and what’s its function?

Primary motor cortex (M1): voluntary movement

Broca’s area

Speech production

What does the postcentral gyrus importantly include, and what’s its function?

Primary somatosensory cortex (S1): Processing somatosensory info

What the superior temporal gyrus do?

Dibs on audio info

(First processing of auditory information")

What does Wernicke’s area do?

Language comprehension

What’s damaged if you can feel something, but can’t identify the object?

Superior parietal lobule

During embryogenesis, telencephalon becomes…

the whole cerebrum

During embryogenesis, diencephalon becomes…

the thalamus

During embryogenesis, metencephalon becomes…

the cerebellum + pons