Lecture 1

What is neuroscience?

study of all aspects of nervous system function from molecular to cellular to systems to cognitive

T/F The basic function of neurons is similar across the large range of animals but the basic anatomy is complexly different

False, both basic function and anatomy of neurons are the same across the large range of animals

Neurologist

An M.D. trained to diagnose and treat diseases of the nervous system

Psychiatrist

An M.D. trained to diagnose and treat disorders of mood and behavior

Neurosurgeon

An M.D. trained to perform surgery on the brain and spinal cord

Neuropathologist

An M.D. or Ph.D trained to recognize the changes in nervous tissue that result from disease

Developmental neurobiologist

analyzes the development and maturation of the brain

Molecular biologist

uses the genetic material of neurons to understand the structure and function of brain molecules

Neuroanatomist

studies the structure of the nervous system

Neurochemist

studies the chemistry of the nervous system

Neuroethologist

studies the neural basis of species-specific animal behaviors in natural settings

Neuropharmacologist

Examines the effects of drugs on the nervous system

Neurophysiologist

measures the electrical activity of the nervous system

Physiological psychologist

studies the biological basis of behavior

Psychophysicist

quantitatively measures perceptual abilities

Alzheimers’s disease

a progressive degenerative disease of the brain, characterized by dementia and always fatal

Autism

a disorder emerging in early childhood characterized by impairments in communication and social interactions, and restricted and repetitive behaviors

Cerebral palsy

a motor disorder caused by damage to the cerebrum before, during, or soon after birth

Depression

a serious disorder of mood, characterized by insomnia, loss os appetite, and feelings of dejection

Epilepsy

A condition characterized by periodic disturbances of brain electrical activity that can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, and sensory disturbances

Multiple sclerosis

a progressive disease that affects nerve conduction, characterized by episodes of weakness, lack of coordination, and speech disturbance

Parkinson’s disease

a progressive of the brain that leads to difficulty in initiating voluntary movement

Schizophrenia

A severe psychotic illness characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre behavior

Spinal paralysis

a loss of feeling, and movement caused by traumatic damage to spinal cord

Stroke

loss of brain function caused by disruption of blood supply, usually leading to permanent sensory, motor, or cognitive deficit

Neuroanatomy

Study of the gross and microscopic anatomy of the nervous \n system

Neurophysiology

Study of the electrical signaling of neurons

Neurochemistry

Study of how neurotransmitters are synthesized, released \n and degraded

Neuropharmacology

Study of drug actions on the brain

Molecular neuroscience

Study of gene actions as they relate to nervous \n system function

Developmental Neuroscience

Study of the mechanisms involved in the \n wiring of the nervous system during development

Systems Neuroscience

study of neural circuits for sensory systems, behavior, emotions, cognition, and motor control

Cognitive Neuroscience

The study of higher order functions

The two main division for gross organization of the Mammalian Nervous System

1. Central nervous system (CNS)
2. Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

What is the central nervous system composed of?

BRAIN and SPINAL CORD

CNS levels of organization

gray and white matter

Gray matter

rich in neuronal cell bodies

White matter

long range myelinated axonal fiber tracts

T/F overall brain structure and organization is complexly different across a large spectrum of vertebrate animals

False, the overall structure and organization is similar

Briefly explain the comparative anatomy between a rat and a human

Most areas in which human genes have diseases in have a counterpart in rat genome that make rats excellent models for medical research

Central nervous consists of what parts?

cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord

Cerebrum

right hemisphere receives sensation from and controls movement of left side of body, and vice versa

Cerebellum

\-the movement control center

\-left hemisphere control the left side of the body

\-right hemisphere control the left side of the body

Brain stem

\-relays information from cerebrum to the spinal cord and cerebellum, and vice versa.

\-controls vital functions, breathing, consciousness and control of body temperature

Sagittal view of brain

slicing from the mid line

Horizontal view of brain

brain cut in half horizontally

Coronal view of the brain

slicing from anterior to posterior

Dorsal/ventral

top/bottom

Medial/lateral

closer to mid line/ further from mid line

Anterior/posterior or rostral/caudal

front/back

Briefly explain neocortical evolution

Throughout time certain areas evolved with less neocortex (part of cerebral cortex concerned with sight and hearing) and fewer cortical areas

Common features of cerebral cortex in vertebrates

* cell bodies in layers or sheets
* surface layer separated from pia matter, layer I
* apical dendrites from multiple branches

Cortical regions associated with defined processes

1. motor cortex
2. visual cortex
3. auditory cortex
4. somatosensory cortex
5. prefrontal cortex (cognitive processing)

Meninges

three membranes that surround the brain dura matter, arachnoid membrane, pia matter

subarachnoid space

filled with salty clear liquid called cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

ventricles

CSF filled caverns and canals inside the brain

Choroid plexus

specialized tissue in ventricles that secretes CSF

What do choroid plexus consist of?

many capillaries, separated from the ventricles by choroid epithelial cells. Fluid filters through these cells from blood to become CSF

Briefly explain the ventricular system

CSF circulates through ventricles; absorbed in subarachnoid space at small openings near the cerebellum (brain stem intersection). CSF in a subarachnoid space is absorbed back into the blood

What are the parts of the central nervous system encased in?

bone

Where is the spinal chord located?

attached to brain stem

What is the purpose of the brain stem?

conveyer of information from brain to body

What are some examples of receivers of information from the brain stem?

skin, joints and muscles

Spinal nerves are composed of what?

dorsal and ventral root

dorsal root

sensory fibers

ventral root

outgoing motor fibers (inside CNS, but project axons to the PNS)

The peripheral nervous system is composed of what?

somatic nervous system and automatic nervous system

What is the somatic nervous system composed of?

somatic motor and sensory

What is the automatic nervous system composed of?

sympathetic and parasympathetic

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord

somatic PNS

innervates skin, joints, muscles

Dorsal root ganglia

clusters of neuronal cell bodies outside the spinal cord that contain somatic sensory axons

Autonomic PNS

Innervates internal organs, blood vessels, glands

Afferent nerves

Carry information toward a particular point

efferent

carry information away from a point

Somatic nervous system

all the spinal nerves that innervate the skin, the joints and the muscles are under voluntary control (command the skeletal muscles)

T/F ANS has both sensory and motor components

true

The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems have ____________ properties

antagonistic

______________ __non invasively revealed for the first time the gross organization of gray and white matter, position of__ ______________

CT scans, ventricles

How do MRIs work?

Based on how hydrogen atoms respond in the brain to perturbations of a strong magnetic field

MRI vs CT

more detail, no x-irradiation required, brain slice image in any angle

functional MRI (fMRI)

detects changes in regional blood flow and metabolism within the brain