COGNITIVE NEURO EXAM 1 (AUBURN UNIVERSITY Dr. Teubner-Rhodes

Anterior

front of the body

Posterior

back of body

Dorsal

toward the back

Ventral

Toward the belly

Caudual

toward the feet

Rostral

toward the head

Neuron

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

cell body (soma)

contains the nucleus and other parts of the cell needed to sustain its life

Nucleus

Control center of the cell

Axon

A threadlike extension of a neuron that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body.

axon hillock

the cone-shaped area on the cell body from which the axon originates

Dendrites

Branchlike parts of a neuron that are specialized to receive information from other cells

dendritic tree

all the dendrites of a single neuron

axon terminal

The endpoint of a neuron where neurotransmitters are stored

Nodes of Ranvier

gaps in the myelin sheath

myelin sheath

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons

Synapse

A junction where information is transmitted from one neuron to the next.

synaptic cleft

a gap into which neurotransmitters are released from the axon terminal

glial cells (glia)

Cells of the nervous system that support, regulate, and augment the functions of neurons.

sensory neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Interneurons

Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

spinal cord

a major part of the central nervous system which conducts sensory and motor nerve impulses to and from the brain

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

central nervous system

consists of the brain and spinal cord

grey matter in brain

consists of unmyelinated cell bodies and dendrites

grey matter of spinal cord

Unmyelinated Nervous Tissue

Collection of Cell Bodies

white matter of brain

myelinated axons

white matter of spinal cord

This area surrounds the gray matter. It is composed of both myelinated and unmyelinated axons. It has three regions, anterior, lateral, and posterior columns.

cerebral cortex

outer region of the cerebrum, containing sheets of nerve cells; gray matter of the brain

frontal lobe

The lobe at the front of the brain associated with movement, speech, and impulsive behavior.

parietal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex whose functions include processing information about touch.

Thalamus

relays messages between lower brain centers and cerebral cortex

Hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

corpus callosum

A thick band of axons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres and acts as a communication link between them.

Cerabellum

Posterior to the brain stem, has a left and a right hemisphere, involved in coordinating your movements, puts all the motor commands into one command, used when you memorize a certain memory

Sulci

shallow grooves that separate gyri

Gyri

ridges of the brain

brain fissures

grooves on the surface of the brain

longitudinal fissure separates

right and left cerebral hemispheres

lateral fissure

separates temporal lobe from frontal and parietal lobes

Sylvian fissure

Separates the temporal from the frontal lobe, and the temporal from the parietal lobe

Midbrain

A small part of the brain above the pons that integrates sensory information and relays it upward.

Pons

A brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain

Medulla

an extension of the spinal cord into the skull that coordinates heart rate, circulation, and respiration

basal ganglia

a set of subcortical structures that directs intentional movement(located in the forebrain)

limbic system

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

cervical vertebrae

C1-C7

thoracic vertebrae

the second set of 12 vertebrae; form the outward curve of the spine and are known as T1 through T12

sacral vertebrae

S1-S5

lumbar vertebrae

L1-L5 lower back

coronal view of brain

An imaginary plane where the body is cut into front and back parts.

Horizontal view of the brain

a plane that shows brain structures as seen from above

sagittal view of brain

means "side;" shows cortex; shows brain from the side

Axial view of brain

horizontal

Proximal

Closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

Distal

farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

How are neurotransmitters removed from the synaptic cleft?

Diffusion

Reabsorption

Enzymatic Breakdown

Na/K pump

Active transporter that moves three Na+ out of a cell and two K+ into the cell against their respective concentration gradients.

Completes the return to resting potential

3Na out 2 K in

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

Glutamate

The most common neurotransmitter in the brain. Excitatory.

Dopamine

a neurotransmitter that regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects hunger,sleep, arousal, and mood.

spatial resolution

How close in physical proximity you can get to the target brain area

temporal resolution

how close in time you can get to when the neurons fire

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)

a treatment that involves placing a powerful pulsed magnet over a person's scalp, which alters neuronal activity in the brain

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

A technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function.

DTI (diffusion tensor imaging)

Detects movement of water molecules in white matter pathways. Measures connectivity of different parts of the brain.

CT scan

a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body

PET scan (positron emission tomography)

A brain-imaging technique that reveals activity in various parts of the brain, based on patterns of blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose consumption.

neuronal signaling

Neuronal Signaling occurs within the cells of the nervous system and involves the release of hormones into localized areas of the nervous system called synapses.

EPSP (excitatory postsynaptic potential)

depolarizing graded potential in postsynaptic neuron in response to activation of excitatory synapse

IPSP (inhibitory postsynaptic potential)

an inhibitory hyperpolarization of the postsynaptic membrane of a synapse caused by the liberation of a neurotransmitter by the terminal button

split brain

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them

Oligodendrocytes

Type of glial cell in the CNS that wrap axons in a myelin sheath.

Schwann cells

produce myelin in PNS

Action Potential (AP)

the change in electrical potential associated with the passage of an impulse along the membrane of a muscle cell or nerve cell. (-55Mv)

action potential propagation

the movement of an action potential along an axon; in myelinated axons, it occurs via saltatory conduction

resting potential

The difference in electric charge between the inside and outside of a neuron's cell membrane(-70Mv)

Wada test

Test in which one hemisphere is anesthetized to test for capacity/speed of processing of other

frontal lobe

temporal lobe

occipital lobe

parietal lobe

superior frontal gyrus

Middle frontal gyrus

Inferior frontal gyrus

precentral gyrus

Postcentral gyrus

superior temporal lobe

medial temporal lobe

Inferior temporal lobe

superior parietal lobule

Inferior parietal lobule