Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience - Exam 1 (UIOWA)

Behavioral Neuroscience

application of biology to the study of behavior in humans and animals

Behavioral neuroscience examines how ____

experience or environment modify the brain and behavior

Neuroscience

study of the nervous system

biological psychology/ biopsychology/ psychobiology

synonyms for behavioral neuroscience

neurobiology

same as neuroscience, but used more in biology

neurology

branch of medicine that studies brain and nervous system and their diseases

neuropsychology

more about the use of tests/imaging to diagnose disorders

psychophysics

not neuroscience; investigates relationship between physical stimuli and how they affect sensation

4 biological explanations of behavior

descriptive, evolutionary, developmental, mechanistic

descriptive explanation of behavior

what does behavior look like

evolutionary explanation of behavior

how behavior/function diversified from earlier/less complex species

developmental explanation of behavior

biological characteristics over the life span

mechanistic explanation of behavior

relate a behavior to an activity/circuit/cell/molecule in the brain

neurons

basic elements for connectivity in the brain

the ____ of neurons are critically important

spatial relationships

reductionism

reduce the nature of complex things to their interactions or more fundamental parts (complex system is just a sum of its parts)

emergentism

system is more than a sum of its parts (new properties emerge from the sum of the others)

minde-body problem

reconciling the relationship between mental processes and bodily processes

dualism

different substances that exist independently; one substance for mind and other for body

monism

universe is only made of one substance

3 types of monism

materialism, mentalism, identity position

materialism

everything that exists is physical/material

mentalism

both physical and psychological phenomena are mentally constructed --> everything is the mind

identity position

mental processes and brain processes are the same but described in different terms

localization theory

different parts of the brain have different functions; structures that look same/different have same/different functions

holism

brain function is distributed throughout brain/not localized

Thomas Willis

seminal book in history of brain sciences; understood functions of different parts of the brain

Descartes

dualism; brain is a "reflexive machine"

Bell-Magendie law

dorsal = sensory, ventral = motor

dorsal roots

sensory

ventral roots

motor

phrenology

skull features were indicative of brain development

Broca

proved cortical localization

nerve-net theory

branches of nerve cells formed a continuous net (anti cortical localization)

Theodore Schwann

proposed neuron doctrine

neuron doctrine

entire body (including nervous system) is made up of individual cells

Golgi staining

silver staining used to visualize occasional cells

Santiago Ramon y Cajal

used silver stains, improved method, and got anatomical data to describe individual neuron structure

structures that look different should have ____ functions

different

connectionism

mental phenomena and behavior can be described in terms of interconnected brain regions

2 types of cells in human nervous system

neurons, glia

the __ of a neuron determines its connections with other neurons and its contribution to the nervous system

shape

5 major components of neuron

dendrites, soma, axon, presynaptic terminal, synapse

info flows through neurons from __ to ___

dendrites, synapse

neurons have ___ dendrites and ____ axon

many, one

which part of the neuron receives info?

dendrites

where are pyramidal neurons located?

prefrontal cortex

where are Purkinje neurons located?

cerebellum

synapse

junctions between neurons (separated by a small gap) that transmits/receives electrical and chemical impulses

neuron types based on shape

stellate, fusiform/spindle, pyramidal

neuron types based on number of poles

unipolar, bipolar, multipolar

pyramidal cell

cell body is pyramid shaped

fusiform (spindle) cell

almond shaped

stellate cell

radial, starlike distribution of dendrites

sensory neuron

one end is specialized to be highly sensitive to a type on stimulation (unipolar)

motor neuron

soma in spinal cord; receives excitation from other neurons and ocnducts impulses to a muscle (multipolar)

dendrite

branching fiber lined with synaptic receptors to bring information back into the neuron

dendritic spines

tiny protuberances that give space for postsynaptic contact

dendritic spines are highly _____ --> five the brain he capacity to _______

malleable; undergo rapid changes in connectivity

soma

cell body/perikaryon; contains organelles

axon

transmits nerve impulses to neurons/organs/muscles

bifurcate neuron

the axon branches (still only one axon but it branches)

presynaptic terminal

end point of an axon that releases chemicals

myelin sheath

insulating material made of lipids

Nodes of Ranvier

gaps in the myelin sheath; increase impulse efficiency

interneuron

dendrites and axon are completely contained within a single structure

4 functional zones of neuron

input, integration, conduction, output

input zone

mostly dendrites, some soma; receive info from other neurons

integration zone

cell body; incoming info is combined to determine whether or not to send a signal of its own

conduction zone

axon; carries electrical signal

output zone

axon terminals/boutons; activity is transmitted across synapse

active zone

region in presynaptic bouton that regulates release of chemicals

synaptic vesicles

tiny hollow spheres in presynaptic axon terminal; contain neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters

used to communicate with the postsynaptic neuron; bind to postsynaptic receptors

postsynaptic density

protein-dense area attached to postsynaptic membrane; ensures receptors are in close proximity to active zone to catch NT's

light microscope

shines visible light on sample

laser scanning microscope (LSM)

uses fluorescent labeling in tissue

confocal LSM

use pinhole to eliminate out-of-focus info

electron miscroscope

use electron beam as source of illumination; wavelength is smaller than light --> reveals smaller objects

only way to visualize synapses

electron microscopy

glia

exchange chemicals with adjacent neurons

astrocytes

regulate blood flow and supply nutrients to neurons; form synapses in development

microglial cell

survey for damage to NS; immune cells of the NS

cells that build myelin sheath

oligodendrocytes and schwann cells

radial glia

guide neuron growth during development

2 layers of blood brain barrier

endothelium, astrocytes

endothelial cells of BBB

prevent diffusion in/out of blood vessels

astrocytes of BBB

support and ramify endothelial cells

neuroanatomy

structure/organization of NS (localizationist/connectionist approach)

hierarchical

increasing complexity; systems are overlaid over simpler ones

network

equally-weighted units work together

serial

separation and sequence of different pathways

parallel

simultaneous multiple levels of processing of related information

somatic NS

convey messages from sensory organs to CNS and from CNS to muscles

autonomic NS

regulates automatic behaviors to maintain homeostasis

parts of PNS

somatic and autonomic

parts of autonomic NS

sympathetic and parasympathetic

sympathetic NS has long pre/post ganglionic fibers

post

sympathetic NS uses ___ as main NT

norepinephrine

parasympathetic NS has long pre/post ganglionic fibers

pre