BIOPSYCH Exam 1

Behavioral Neuroscience

The scientific study of the biological basis of behavior - the nervous system

Systemic

Describes behavior with very precise, very minute, details; how did something happen, this then this, etc.

Mechanistic

A description of how the behavior is executed; how did this then this then this happen?

Evolutionary

How did we get/come to have this behavior; over time

Developmental

Looks at how structures and functions change over a lifespan (one individual

Electroencephalography (EEG)

 a tap/band that attaches electrodes to your scalp (makes contact with skin to pick up activity in the brain) -- brain waves, sleep

Electrophysiology

pokey kinds of electrodes; inserted either directly into a cell or a population of cells

CT

easier, cheaper. Not as crisp/clear. still pictures of the brain

MRI

more detail, more structure. pictures of the brain; color. uses magnetic fields and radio waves to provide higher-resolution images with fewer damaging effects. Powerful magnet that causes all the protons in the brain to line up in parallel and be knocked over by powerful radio waves. After the pulse is turned off, the protons go back to normal while emitting radio waves; this is measured by detectors and used to make a cross-sectional view of the brain that is used to evaluate the size and shape of distinct brain regions

fMRI

gives picture of brain structures, but also brain function. Looks like a heat map.  images localized changes in the brain activity. Uses rapidly oscillating magnetic fields to detect regional changes in brain metabolism, particularly patterns of oxygen use and blood flow in the most active regions of the brain. Cannot get a fine structure of the brain and is slow, but can get complex cognitive processes

PET scan

It uses a radioactive substance called a tracer to look for disease in the body. Grainy, longer form of what’s happening. depicts the brain’s activity during behavioral tasks. Short-lived radioactive chemicals are injected into the bloodstream, and radiation detectors encircling the head map the destination of these chemicals in the brain. Glucose is often used; not as detailed as an fMRi, but is faster for quick changes in brain activity.

Mag EEG

even more modern, vague data on structure, but good for temporal resolution (flash a stimulus (very brief) and an MEG is going to capture the brain responding very quickly; very precise)

CAT Scan

use x-ray energy to generate images by moving an x-ray source in steps around the head.

Galen

Father of medicine

Descartes

Proposed the concept of spinal reflexes and a neural pathway. Also came up with dualism

Dualism

idea that the mind has an immaterial aspect that is distinct from the material body and brain

Thomas Willis

studied the relation between various disorders and damage to regions of the human brain (idea that the brain coordinates behavior is accepted at this time)

William James

modern approach to behavioral neuroscience

Karl Lashley

first true behavioral neuroscience research program (search for the engram). Gave the idea that memory is not localized to only one area of the brain

Donald Hebb

cognitive patterns can be accomplished by networks of active neurons, molded by repeated activation patterns into functional circuits

Hebbian Synapse

changeable connection between neurons

Nissl stain

used to visualize all of the cell bodies in a tissue section, making it possible to measure the size and number of cell bodies in particular regions

Golgi Stain

labels only a small minority of neurons in a sample, but the affected cells are stained completely, revealing fine details of cell structure such as the branches of dendrites and axons.

Autoradiography

animals are treated with radioactive versions of experimental drugs, and then thin slices of the brain are placed alongside photographic film. Radioactivity emitted by the labeled compound in the tissue “exposes” the emulsion (light striking film – the brain takes a picture of itself, highlighting the specific brain regions where the drug has become selectively concentrated).

Immunohistochemistry

involves creating antibodies against a protein of interest. The antibodies are equipped with colorful labels and seek out and attach themselves to target proteins within neurons in a brain slice, revealing the distribution of only those neurons that make the target protein

In Situ Hybridization

useless radioactively labeled lengths of nucleic acid labels only those neurons in which a gene of interest has been turned on.

Tract racers

substances that are taken up by neurons and transported over the routes of their axons. Some can even jump across synapses or work their way backward through the length of the neural pathway, leaving visible molecules of label on the way.

Brainbow experiments

inserted genes can cause neurons to express fluorescent proteins in hundred of different hues; study of interconnections of neurons

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

focal magnetic currents are used to briefly stimulate the cortex of alert people; can be used to map cortical surfaces by activating discrete areas of the brain while tracking any resulting changes in behavior.

Magnetoencephalography

a large array of ultrasensitive detectors measures the minuscule magnetic fields produced by the electrical activity of cortical neurons to construct real-time maps of brian activity during ongoing cognitive processing. Good for quick changes and rapidly shifting patterns of brain activity

Somatic Intervention

altering a structure or function of the brain or body to see how this alteration changes behavior

Behavioral intervention

scientist alters or controls the behavior of an organism and looks for resulting changes in body structure or function

Input zone

Receives messages from other neurons

Integration

Axon hillock; determines whether a signal is regenerated and passed onto the next cell

Conduction

Conducts the electrical signal down the body/axon (from hillock to terminal)

Output

Axon terminal – chemical signals are made, stored, and waiting in the terminal for the electrical signal

Multipolar Neuron

1 axon, multiple dendrites. Motor and interneuron (CNS)

Bipolar Neuron

2 extensions. Sensory (not touch, auditory and visual)

Unipolar neuron

1 extension. Two different directions. Touch sensory neurons

Astrocyte

A glial cell that is part of the blood brain barrier. Phil podea attach to blood vessels. Maintains chemical balance, pulls waste of brain, communication between neurons, synaptic structure and maintenance.

Reactive gliosis

Astrocytes and other glial cells get together and knit themselves together around the reaction to wall off the (impenetrable barrier) damage

Microglial cells

Most populous cells in the brain. Immune cells. Helps create barriers

Ventral

towards your belly

Santiago Cajal

Showed that neurons are continuous. 1. Neurons and other cells of the brain are structurally, metabolically, and functionally independent. 2. Information is transmitted from neuron to neuron across tiny gaps

Anterograde

To the terminals

Retrograde

Sending used materials to the soma

Motor

oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves innervate muscles to move the eyes; the spinal accessory nerves control neck muscles; and hypoglossal nerves control the tongue

Sensory

olfactory (smell), optic (visual), vestibulocochlear (hearing and balance)

Mixed

trigeminal (facial sensations and also chewing muscles), facial (facial muscles and taste sensation), glossopharyngeal (additional taste sensations and throat muscles), and vagus (goes from head to the heart, liver, intestines, and other organs.

Sagittal plane

divides the body or brain into R and L portions

Coronal plane

frontal/transverse plane; divides the body or brain into front and back parts

Horizontal plane

divides the body or brain into upper and lower parts

Medial

Middle

Lateral

Side

Ipsilateral

same side

Contralateral

opposite side

basal

toward the bottom

anterior

front

Afferent

info into a region

Efferent

carries info away from a region

White matter

a light-colored layer of tissue, consisting mostly of myelin-sheathed axons, that lies underneath the gray matter of the cortex – mostly transmits information. Lots of fatty myelin that insulates many axons

Gray matter

areas of the brain that are dominated by cell bodies and are devoid of myelin; gray matter mostly receives and processes information. The outer layers of the cortex have a darker grayish shade because they contain a preponderance of neuronal cell bodies and dendrites

Sylvian fissure

a deep fissure that demarcates the temporal lobe

Central sulcus

a fissure that divides the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe

Cortex

the outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres, which consists largely of nerve cell bodies and their branches

Postcentral gyrus

The strip of parietal cortex, just posterior to the central sulcus, that receives somatosensory information from the entire body. Primary somatosensory cortex. largest part of the limbic system for decision making

Precentral gyrus

 the strop of frontal cortex, just anterior to the central sulcus, that is crucial for motor control

Neural tube

an embryonic structure with subdivisions that correspond to the future forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain

Forebrain

the frontal division the neural tube, containing the cerebral hemispheres, the thalamus, and the hypothalamus

Telencephalon

the anterior part of the fetal forebrain (becomes the cerebral hemispheres in the adult brain)

Diencephalon

the posterior part of the fetal forebrain, which will become the thalamus and hypothalamus in the adult brain

Brainstem

the region of the brain that consists of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla

Limbic System

involved in emotion and learning; loosely defined, wide-spread group of brain nuclei that innervate each other and form a network

Amygdala

involved in emotional regulation and perception of odor; a group of nuclei in the medial anterior part of the temporal lobe

Hippocampus

a medial temporal lobe structure that is important for learning and memory

Basal Ganglia

 a group of forebrain nuclei, including the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, and putamen (deep in the cerebral hemisphere). Critical role in control of movement

Fornix

a fiber tract that extends from the hippocampus to the mammillary body. Also important for learning and memory

Cingulate gyrus

a strip of cortex found in the frontal and parietal midline; part of the limbic system and implicated in many cognitive functions

Olfactory bulb

an anterior projection of the brain that terminates in the upper nasal passages and provides the primary inputs for the sense of smell. smell info and emotion and memory

Thalamus

paired structures to either side of the third ventricle that direct the flow of sensory information to and from the cortex. Direct info the the app. regions of the cortex for processing and receiving instructions bac from the cortex about which sensory info is to be transmitted (not smell)

Hypothalamus

part of the diencephalon, lying ventral to the thalamus. Packed with discrete nuclei involved in vital functions like hunger, thirst, temp regulation, sex, etc. Also controls pituitary gland – hormones.  tells mind to activate the motor system using the endocrine system

Tectum

the dorsal portion of the midbrain, consisting of the inferior and superior colliculi

Superior colliculi

paired gray matter structures of the dorsal midbrain that process visual information

Inferior colliculi

paired gray matter structures of the dorsal midbrain that processes auditory information

Tegmentum

the main body of the midbrain; contains the substantia nigra, periaqueductal gray, part of the reticular formation, and multiple fiber tracts

Substantia nigra

a brainstem structure that innervates the basal ganglia and is a major source of dopaminergic projections

Periaqueductal gray

 a midbrain region involved in pain perception and instinctive behavior

Reticular formation

An extensive region of the brainstem, extending from the medulla thru the thalamus, that is involved in sleep and arousal

Cerebellum

a structure located at the back of the brain, dorsal to the pons, that is involved in the central regulation of movement and in some forms of learning. Coordinates our behaviors (motor) in our world. Receives input about incoming sensory information. Gathers info about the world

Meningitis

an acute inflammation of the meninges by bacterial/viral infection (emergency because brain is squeezed and impaired

Dura mater

the outermost; tough outer sheet

Pia Mater

innermost; delicate – surface of the brain

Arachnoid

a webby substance that creates a reservoir called the subarachnoid space that suspends the brain in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); between dura and pia

cerebrospinal fluid

passing into the substance of the brain, it conveys nutrients and signals chemicals and picks up waste matter for clearance. Fills cerebral ventricles, which comprise the ventricular system. Each hemisphere has a lateral ventricle that extends into all four lobes of the hemisphere

Choroid plexus

Produces CSF from filtering blood

Glymphatic system

provides for the drainage of waste-bearing CSF-derived fluids from the brain and distribution of nutrients, immune system components, and signaling substances – occurs usually when we sleep

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transient ischemic attack

a temporary blood restriction to part of the brain that causes stroke-like symptoms that quickly resolve, serving as a warning of elevated stroke risk

Temporal

Primary auditory cortex – incoming auditory signals get sorted out

Parietal

Primary somatosensory cortex – where sensory info comes in from the body and gets sorted out (touch – temp, pain, pressure). Somatosensory association cortex tells us what we touching based on what we feel

Occipital

Visual