psb3340 exam 1

chapters 1-3

What is the function of Behavioral Neuroscience in relation to the Human Genome Project?

the human genome product, or the sequencing of the human genome, created a gateway for behavioral neuroscience. it allowed for the study of functions of these genes and the outcomes as they relate to behavior

Define somatic intervention, behavioral intervention, and correlation

somatic intervention: an approach to finding relations between body variables and behavioral variables that involves manipulating body structure/function and looking for resultant changes in behavior

behavioral intervention: an approach to finding relations between body variables and behavioral variables that involved intervening in the behavior of an organism and looking for resultant changes in body structure/function

Define neuroplasticity

ability of the nervous system to change in response to experience or the environment

What is the relationship between neuroscience and social psychology?

due to the plasticity of the human brain, other individuals can affect the physical structure of your brain

What are simplification and generalization?

simplification: procedures to reduce complexity of experimental analysis without altering the level of analysis

generalization: general conclusions based on many observations

What are reductionism and explanatory reductionism?

reductionism: process of analyzing a complex behavior into elementary components (mechanisms of behavior)

explanatory reductionism: process of ascertaining knowledge of the components of a system that will ultimately explain properties of the system as a whole

What are the 4 ways in which neuroscientists explain behavior in biological terms?

physiological: relationship between behavior and activity of the brain

ontogenetic: development within an individual (genes, nutrition, experience)

functional: purpose served by particular behavior (adaptation for survival)

phylogenetic: evolutionary organization of the capacity for particular behavior

Describe mentalism, dualism, and monism

mentalism: immaterial mind is responsible for behavior

dualism: body is physical but mind is not, separate but interacting

monism: world consists only of matter and energy and the mind is a part of it

Describe blindsight and explain its importance in our understanding of consciousness

blindsight illustrates that parts of the visual system lie outside of the primary visual cortex and function in absence of conscious awareness. after damage to the brain, apparent blindness in a portion of the visual field is present, but the subject can accurately act toward an object without seeing it.

Describe split brain surgery, the outcomes of this surgery, and its importance in our understanding of consciousness

split brain surgery is the surgical transection of the corpus callosum to control intractable epileptic seizures. it demonstrated that various functions of our brain are processed on opposite sides of the stimulus

Describe unilateral neglect and its importance in our understanding of consciousness

unilateral neglect is damage to the right parietal cortex with a lack of awareness of the left half of objects. it shoes us that cognitive construction of the visual world can be affected by this

Describe the pioneering work of wilder penfield

he discovered that there were no receptors that were specifically on the brain for pain. this allowed the study of epileptic activity. (neurons that fire together, wire together)

Describe the reasons why we use animals in research

animals are used in research to benefit both animals and humans

Describe in general, the laws and guidelines that govern use of animals in research

get a grant, research protocol approved by IACUC, make sure federal guidelines are followed

What are the two main cell types of the nervous system?

neurons and glia

What are the four zones of a neuron, and what are the functions of each zone.

input zone, integration zone, conduction zone, output zone

Describe the neuroanatomical methods that are used to visualize neurons in the brain.

nissl stain and golgi stain

Describe the neuroanatomical methods that are used to trace pathways in the brain.

tract tracing and brainbow

Describe four major classes of neurons.

multipolar neuron, bipolar neuron, unipolar neuron, interneuron

What classes of neurons are motor and sensory neurons?

motor neurons: multipolar

sensory neurons: unipolar

Describe the neuronal membrane and its functions.

it is composed of 2 lipid layers with protein channels. all communication occurs across the membrane, including the exchange of neurons and release of neurotransmitters

What is selective permeability?

the ability of some molecules to freely cross the membrane. most larger molecules/ions cannot cross

Where does protein synthesis occur in the neuron?

cell body, axons, and dendrites

How does protein synthesis differ in neurons relative to other cells?

in neurons, dendrites can also synthesize proteins

Where are mitochondria located?

the cell body

What is the function of microtubules in the neuron?

the transport of substances

What is axonal transport?

the transportation of materials between the neuronal cell body and axon terminals

What is myelin?

fatty coating surrounding an axon

What are the major classes and types of glia?

astrocytes, microglial, oligodendrocytes, schwann cells, satellite cells, radial glia

Describe the blood-brain barrier.

holes in the blood vessels that form holes to allow substances we need to freely pass out of the blood vessel (more difficult than the exchanges in other body organs)

Describe the neuraxis

center of the nervous system (brain and spinal cord

What are the meninges and describe their subdivisions.

3 layers of tough, connective tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord (dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater)

Describe the importance of the CSF and where it is contained in the central nervous system.

CSF acts as a shock absorber and a medium for the exchange of materials (nutrients between blood vessels and brain tissue) located in the ventricles of the brain

Explain the production, circulation, and reabsorption of CSF.

lateral ventricles in each hemisphere of the brain are lined with the choroid plexus, which produces CSF. it flows into the 3rd ventricles then continues to the 4th between the cerebellum and the pons. CSF is circulated over the surface of the brain, then it is absorbed back into the circulatory system into large veins

Explain the pathological process of hydrocephalus, and its treatment.

the inability of CSF to flow through the ventricular system (brain and bloodstream). it is treated by the implantation of shunt

What are the lobes of the forebrain?

frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal

What is the corpus callosum?

the main band of axons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres

Describe the major functional systems of the forebrain.

thalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, amygdala, hippocampus, limbic cortex, hypothalamus, forinx, mammillary bodies, pituitary gland

Describe cortical columns.

one of the vertical columns that constitute the basic organization of the neocortex

Describe the divisions and functions of the midbrain.

tectum and tegmentum

Describe the divisions and functions of the hindbrain.

pons, medulla oblongata, and cerebellum

Describe the organization of the spinal cord.

33 vertebrae and 31 spinal nerves (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral), white matter, and grey matter

Describe the major imaging techniques that are used for studies in the living human brain.

angiography, CAT scan, MRI, DTI

What are the subdivisions of the PNS and what do they do?

somatic and autonomic nervous system

Describe the anatomy and functions of the branches of the autonomic nervous system.

sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, and enteric nervous system

Describe the resting membrane potential.

difference in electrical charge across the membrane at resting from the inside out (-70mV)

Describe the general distributions of chloride, sodium, and potassium ions in neurons (i.e., higher or lower on inside, \n etc.)

Ca, Na, Cl outside

K, proteins inside

What is membrane permeability?

diffusion of ions that is limited by the cell membrane

What are the forces that create membrane potentials?

diffusion and electrostatic force

What is meant by the “all-or-none” principal?

the amplitude of the action potential is independent of the magnitude of the stimulus

What is the Nernst equation?

equation that will predict the voltage needed inside a cell that counteracts the movement of ions

Describe the mechanism by which the Na+-K+ pump works.

they are actively transported across the membrane specific to those proteins (3 Na out and 2 K in)

Distinguish the resting membrane potential and the action potential.

resting is the average membrane potential between action potentials. the action potential is the all or none firing of a neuron that causes a chain reaction down the axon

Which ions are responsible for the inward and outward currents during an action potential?

Na is responsible for the inward, negative current while K is responsible for the delayed outward, positive current

How do voltage-gated ion channels contribute to an action potential?

sodium voltage-gated open when the cell depolarizes. once this happens, the channel lets in a flow of sodium ions that rapidly depolarizes the cell

Reconstruct the action potential in terms of the movement of ions across the plasma membrane.

\-70 to -55: some Na and K channels open

\-55 to +40: Na channels open and allow large influx, K channels open later and allow large efflux; rapid depolarization

\+40 to -70: Na channels close, all K channels open and allow efflux; rapid repolarization

afterhyperpolarization: Na channels reset, K channels close but cause hyperpolarization, excess K diffuses

Describe the refractory period.

takes place after the cell has fired an action potential in which a cell cannot fire another action potential

What is saltatory conduction?

the ability for action potentials to leap from myelin to node of Ranvier, etc. that allows for action potentials to move faster down the axon

How does the myelin sheath contribute to the propagation of an action potential down the axon?

the myelin sheath offers resistance to the flow of ions across the membrane and allows the action potential to jump across myelin to nodes of Ranvier

How is an action potential conducted in an unmyelinated neuron?

the action potential moves passvely down the axon. it is initiation at the axon hillock, which causes enough depolarization for the adjacent voltage gated sodium channel to open

the cell body function

synthesis, metabolism, energy

dendrites function

input

axon function

transmission

axon hillock function

establishing the action potential

myelin function

insulation and conduction of action potential

nodes of ranvier function

facilitate conduction of action potential

axon terminal function

release neurotransmitters into synapse

synapse function

transmission of information

input zone

where neurons collect and process information from the environment or other cells

integration zone

where the decision to produce a neural signal is made

conduction zone

where information can be electrically transmitted over great distances

output zone

where neuron transfers information to other cells

nissl stain

outline all cell bodies due to the dye’s attraction to RNA

golgi stain

only stains a small minority of cells, which reveals fine details about cell structure

tract tracing

compounds used to identify the routes and interconnections of neuronal projections

brainbow

trace pathways in the brain; scientists genetically manipulate neurons to activate genes for the production of fluorescent proteins in a neuron

motor neurons function

govern the movement of muscles or glands

sensory neuron function

carry messages from peripheral tissue back into the spinal cord and brain

interneuron function

convey information short distances (typically within the brain)

2 types of axonal transport

anterograde and retrograde transport

anterograde transport

from the soma to the axon terminal by kinesins

retrograde transport

from the axon terminal to the soma by dyneins

astrocytes function

uptake glucose and hand it off to neurons, push off waste to other portions of the body, and insulate synapses

microglial function

respond to challenges by mobilizing to engulf and remove waste and invaders

oligodendrocytes function

myelin sheath in CNS neurons

schwann cell function

myelin in the PNS, form new glial cells along axon’s path after it has been cut

satellite cells

function like astrocytes as tropic support and insulation for peripheral neurons

radial glia

guide migration of neurons in embryonic development

ipsilateral

same side of the body

contralateral

opposite side of the body

proximal

near the center

distal

towards the periphery / end of a limb

saggital plane

bisects brain in two halves

coronal plane

divides the brain into front and back (ear to ear)

horizontal plane

divides the brain into upper and lower parts

afferent nerves

carry information into the brain: arriving

efferent nerves

carry information away from the brain: exiting

what is in the central nervous system

spinal cord, brain (forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain)

what is in the peripheral nervous system

somatic nervous system (somatosensory and motor), autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic)

forebrain function

sensory processing, endocrine structures, and higher reasoning