Overview of the Brain and Levels of Anaylsis

Exam 1

What is the input for the brain

Sensation

What is the output for the brain

Action

What is the role of the brain?

Networks of Neurons must process info about the environment, integrate with internal needs of the organism, and knowledge/memory from prior experiences, from all that decide on and execute actions

What is the brain made of?

Neurons and Glial Cells

How many neurons are in our brain?

86 billion

How many glial cells are in the brain?

85 billion

Neurons are grouped together by…

Behavioral Functions

What does it mean to say a brain region has a function?

The activity of neurons in that area is closely related to a particular behavior or stimulus

Are all functions in the brain localized?

Yes and No…. somewhat of a semantics problem

Note we do not describe regions as having

Purpose

Any one “function” cannot be singularly linked to an

Area of the Brain

Any one area of the brain cannot be singularly linked to a

Function

“Function” cannot always be organized by

Common definitions

The activity of neurons is closely related to a

Stimulus/behavior

Each region of the brain are made of…… and all work in the same……

Neurons and Basic Way

What does it mean to say a neuron is active?

-Fires an electrical signal and are firing at a higher frequency

A neuron is “active” when it is firing electrical impulses known as

Action Potentials

The action potential is the

Basic unit of the language used by the brain to hold and process information

What is an electrical event?

Tiny and fast

What is a binary event?

It happens or it doesn’t

Levels of activity are determined by

Frequently neurons are firing

If experiencing high activity such as viewing simple patterns then

More strength and size in action potentials

If experiencing low activity such as viewing natural figures then

Less strength and size of action potentials

Brains “Localization of function”

Function is nuanced and many brain regions may interact in unusual ways, thereby contributing to neural complexity

The functions the brain must perform are complex and require many neurons to

Work together and communicate with each other

What causes a neuron to fire an action potential? Where do the inputs come from?

A neuron fires more action potentials as it receives more inputs from other neurons

Neurons pass signals to each other through

Synapses

Neurons must communicate with each other by

Neural communication

Information is carried within neurons by

Changes in electrical signals(action potentials)

Information is passed between neurons by

Chemical signals(Synapse)

Each neuron makes a certain type of chemical….. that is releases onto other neurons

Neurotransmitters

The variety of chemicals endows incredible….. in the impact that one neuron can have on another

Flexibility

Different neurotransmitters are associated with

Different Functions

What determines how a cell behaves and interacts with others

Genes

What are Genes?

Sections of DNA

Where are genes?

Held in the nucleus of each cell

Genes are like a recipe book for

Chemicals/proteins that a neuron will make

What determines how a cell behaves?

While DNA is constant, how much a gene is expressed it can be adjusted, and the brain can control/modify its activity

What are the four levels of analysis for study the brain?

Behavioral, Molecular, Cellular, and Systems

Most neuroscience research can be described as characterizing relationship between

Structure and Function

Depending on the experimental techniques and experimental design findings may provide

Correlation(related) and causal(changed) evidence

If you’re studying how a certain gene influences how many dendrites a certain neuron has, what level(s) of analysis are you studying?

Cellular and Molecular

Neuroscience is integrative which means

It relies on the application of many various methods

Modern neuroscience could not be done without techniques from

Organic/Physical/Biochemistry, Engineering, computer science, biotech, biophysics, data science, psychology and ethology

Neuroscience is interdisciplinary which means

The findings inform many other fields just as other fields inform neuroscience

Neuroscience is translational which means

Research has many real-world applications

Neuroscience is the cutting edge of

Drug development, technological innovation, social/personal development and therapeutics