Behavioral Neuroscience Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary terms related to Behavioral Neuroscience.

Neuroscience

A study of the nervous system to understand the brain and nervous system functioning and disease.

Trephination

Surgical procedure where holes are drilled into the skull.

Neuron

Basic unit of the nervous system.

Glia Cells

Support functions and participate in information processing in the nervous system.

Macroglia

Large glial cells originating from the ectoderm; examples include astrocytes, ependymal cells, oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells.

Astrocyte

Variety of functions (debris, blood-brain barrier, etc.).

Ependymal cells

Line ventricles of the brain.

Oligodendrocytes

Myelin in the Central Nervous System (CNS).

Schwann cells

Myelin in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).

Microglia

Small glial cells originating in the mesoderm; functions include debris cleanup and synapse removal.

Unipolar neuron

Neuron with a single branch; typically found in sensory systems.

Bipolar neuron

Neuron with two branches; typically found in sensory systems.

Multipolar neuron

Neuron with many branches; further classified based on shape.

Gross anatomy

Neuron cell bodies, dendrites, axons, and glial cells that form the tissues of the nervous system; visible to the unaided eye.

Nerves

Collections of axons bundled together in the peripheral nervous system.

Motor Nerves

Transmit information from spinal cord and brain to muscles and glands.

Sensory Nerves

Convey information from the body to the CNS.

Somatic nervous system

Nerves that interconnect the brain and the major muscles and sensory systems; a component of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).

Autonomic nervous system

Nerves connected to viscera (internal organs); a component of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS).

Spinal Nerves

Motor axons from ventral (front part) of spinal cord to organs and muscles and sensory axons that enter the dorsal (rear) part of spinal cord.

Autonomous system

Controls organs of the body.

Parasympathetic nervous system

System active during 'rest and digest'; originates in the brainstem and in sacral spinal cord; utilizes Acetylcholine.

Sylvian fissure

Divides temporal lobe from other regions of hemisphere

Central sulcus

Landmark for the frontal and parietal lobe

Corpus callosum

Brain to act as a single entity during processes

Precentral gyrus

Motor control (primary motor cortex)

Post central gyrus

Mediates touch (primary somatosensory cortex)

Lesions

Injury to neural tissue, either naturally occurring or deliberately produced.

Heritability

Amount a trait varies in a population due to genetics is influenced by the environment.

Forward genetic screen

Identify genes that seem important to the development of a phenotype.

Candidate gene

Frequency of one or few specific genes in people with and without the phenotype.

Gene-wide association studies (GWAS)

Genetic data from hundreds of participants are correlated with phenotype.

Reverse genetic screen

Testing one gene at a time to observe phenotype changes.

Somatic intervention

Relationships between body variables and behavioral variables that manipulate body structure or function.

Behavioral intervention

Alters behavior of an organism and examines body changes.

Correlation

Closely changes in one variable effect another.