Behavioral Neuroscience Exam 1

Behavioral Neuroscience

The application of biology to study the physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in human and non-human animals

Motor symptoms

"Atypical" antipsychotics generally have fewer ____ than are associated with typical antipsychotics

DNA

A double-stranded molecule located in the nucleus of most cells that stores genetic information

White matter

Composed mostly of myelinated axons that carry information from the gray matter to the brain or other areas of the spinal cord

Superior

Term referring to a location just above another part

Electrical gradient

The difference in the electrical charge between the inside and outside of the cell

Equilibrium

When molecules are equally distributed on both sides

Voltage-sensitive ion channels

Membrane protein-forming channels whose permeability depends upon the voltage difference across the membrane

GABA

Primary fast inhibitory NT

Retrograde signal

Signal that is directed or moving backward from post to presynaptic neuron

Na+ channel

Each iGluR contains a ____

Antagonizes

CBD ____ CB1 and CB2 receptors

Reductionism

An approach to understanding based upon reducing the nature of complex things to their interactions or more fundamental parts

Emergentism

The idea that the property of a system can't be understood by combining all individual parts

Monism

The belief that the universe is only comprised of one type of substance

Materialism

The belief that everything that exists is physical by nature

Mentalism

The belief that physical/psychological phenomena are mentally constructed

Dualism

The belief that there are different kinds of substance that exist independently (one for consciousness/feelings, one for behavior/bodily functioning)

Localization (widely accepted)

Theory that different parts of the brain serve different functions (structures which look same/different should have same/different functions)

Holism

Theory that function in the brain is distributed more homogenously (brain is continuously connected and necessary for all processes)

Ontogeny

The process by which an individual changes in the course of its lifetime

Proximate Questions

The name for questions about the physical interactions that control a particular behavior

Somatic Intervention

Altering a structure/function of the brain/body to see how this alteration changes behavior

Behavioral Intervention

Intervening in the behavior/experience of an organism and looking for resulting changes in body structure/function

Correlation

Finding the extent to which a given body measure varies with a given behavioral measure

Neuroplasticity

The ability of the brain to be changed by the environment and by experience

Galen (200 AD)

Philosopher who identified the brain as being responsible for mental processes, but focused too much on ventricles

Thomas Willis (1621-1675)

Philosopher who asserted that cerebral hemispheres are controlled by memory/will/imagination and was the most important figure to generate interest in looking for functional contributions from individual brain parts

René Descartes (1596-1650)

Philosopher who was a well-known proponent of dualism and thought of the brain as a "reflexive machine"

Bell-Magendie Law

The idea that dorsal roots of spinal nerves contain only sensory fibers and ventral spinal roots contain only motor fibers

Renaissance Anatomists

Historical figures who emphasized the shape and appearance of the external surfaces of the brain to explain behavior and functioning

Phrenology

The theory that the cerebral cortex consists of separate functional areas and each area is responsible for a behavioral faculty

Broca's Area

A distinct area of the brain responsible for speech production

Hebbian Synapse

A synapse in which the neurons strengthen their connections through use

Motor, Sensory, and Internterneurons

The names of the three types of neurons (classified by their function)

RNA

A single-stranded molecule located throughout the cell that is involved in coding, decoding, and regulating gene expression

Protein

Long string of amino acids that are made based on DNA genetic code (transported via MRNA) and is important for cellular structure and function

The Nucleotides of DNA

Guanine, Cytosine, Adenine, Thymine

The Nucleotides of RNA

Adenine, Uracil, Cytosine, Guanine

Replication

A process that occurs in the nucleus by which DNA is duplicated

The Steps of Replication

1) Helicase unzips the DNA strand

2) DNA polymerase adds new nucleotides to the unzipped strand

Transcription

A process that occurs in the nucleus by which DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA) and RNA polymerase adds new base pairs

The Function of mRNA

Transporting genetic information

Translation

A process that occurs in the cytoplasm by which mRNA is read and assembled into protein and ribosomes read mRNA to create amino acid sequences

Readiness Potential (RP)

Process that shows when the brain has decided to act and can happen up to one second before action occurs

Determinism

The theory that we have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for our actions

Non-determinism

The theory that there are a lot of things that play into how we behave, including free will

Neurons and Glia

The two kinds of cells that the nervous system is comprised of

Paul Broca (1861)

The first neuroscientist to provide definitive proof of cortical localization and the language production center of the brain

The Neuron Doctrine (1839)

The idea that the entire body, including the nervous system was made up of individual cells (proposed by Schwann in 1839)

Golgi

Neuroscientist who found that neurons were interconnected, but autonomous units by developing a silver staining procedure that allowed for visualizing occasional cells

Connectionism

The theory that mental phenomena and behavior can be described in terms of interneuronal connections

Dendrites (from synapses), Soma/cell body, Axon, Presynaptic terminals (onto synapses), and Synapses

The order in which information flows through the major components of a neuron

Dendrites

The branching fibers of a neuron with a surface lined with synaptic receptors responsible for bringing info into the neuron

Dendritic Spines

Tiny protuberances on dendrites that provide sites for postsynaptic contact

Soma (cell body)

Contains the nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, and other structures found in other cells

Axon

The thin fiber extending from a neuron that is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses toward other neurons, organs, or muscles

Presynaptic Terminals or Boutons

The end points of an axon where the release of chemicals to communicate with other neurons occurs

Myelin Sheath

The insulating material of an axon that is made up of lipids

Nodes of Ranvier

Interruptions in the myelin sheath that increase the efficiency of impulse propagation down the axon

Afferent Axon

Refers to bringing information toward a structure

Efferent Axon

Refers to carrying information away from a structure

Interneurons

Neurons with dendrites and axons that are completely contained within a single structure

Input Zone

Mostly dendrites (some cell body) area where neurons receive information from other neurons

Integration Zone

Cell body area where all incoming information into the neuron is combined to determine whether or not to send a signal of its own

Conduction Zone

The part of a neuron (typically the axon) that carries the neuron's own electrical signal away from the cell body and toward the next neuron

Output Zone

Specialized swellings at the end of axons called axon terminals or boutons where the neuron's activity is transmitted across synapses to other neurons

Active Zone

Region in the presynaptic bouton that regulates release of chemicals for communication with the neuron on the postsynaptic side

Presynaptic Axon Terminal

Area that contains thousands of tiny, hollow spheres called synaptic vessicles

Synaptic Vessicles

Part of the synapse that serve as "packages" that contain neurotransmitter molecules

Neurotransmitters

Specialized chemical substances that are used to communicate with the postsynaptic neuron

Synapse

The junctional point between neurons that transmits/receives electrical or chemical impulses

Stellate Neuron

A type of neuron that is wide and star-shaped, radiating from the center

Fusiform Neuron or Spindle Cell

A type of neuron that is long and narrow

Pyramidal Neuron

A type of neuron that is pyramid-shaped

Sensory Neuron

A type of neuron that is specialized at one end to be highly sensitive to a particular type of stimulation (touch, light, sound)

Motor Neuron

A type of neuron that has its Soma (cell body) in the spinal cord and receives excitation from other neurons to conduct impulses along its axon to a muscle

Receptors

Specialized proteins that capture and react when the neurotransmitter binds to them, resulting in localized changes in the electrical activity of the postsynaptic cell

Postsynaptic Density (PSD)

A protein-dense network attached to the postsynaptic membrane that ensures that all of the receptors are in close proximity to the active zone where presynaptic neurotransmitter release occurs

Glia

A cell type that exchange chemicals with adjacent neurons

Astrocytes

Star-shaped cells that can attach to neurons and blood vessels to regulate blood flow and provide supplies to neurons, participate in synaptic communication, and are involved in the formation and pruning of synapses during development

Microglial Cells

Very small cells that extend and retract very fine processes to survey for and react to damage in the nervous system

Oligodendrocytes and Schwann Cells

Cells that build the myelin sheath that surrounds the axons of neurons

Radial Glia

Cells that guide the migration of neurons and the growth of axons and dendrites during brain development

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)

The separation between circulating blood and the surrounding extracellular fluid in the brain (provides an important layer of defense against invaders)

Specialized Endothelial Cells

Layer of the BBB that prevent diffusion in and out of blood vessels (supported and ramified by astrocytes)

Passive Transport

When diffusion across the cell membrane can happen freely

Active Transport

When energy is required to move substances across a cell membrane and it is more tightly regulated

Neuroanatomy

Study of the structure or organization of the nervous system

Hierarchical

A theme in neuroanatomy involving increasing complexity; systems are overlaid over simpler ones

Network

A theme in neuroanatomy involving equally-weighted units working cooperatively

Serial

A theme in neuroanatomy involving the separation and sequence of different pathways (i.e., sensory to motor)

Parallel

A theme in neuroanatomy involving simultaneous multiple levels of processing of related info

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

One of the two major subsystems of the nervous system that includes the somatic and autonomic nervous systems

Central Nervous System (CNS)

One of the two major subsystems of the nervous system that deals with the brain and spinal cord

Somatic Nervous System

A major division of the nervous system that consists of axons conveying messages 1) from the sensory organs to the CNS and 2) from the CNS to the muscles

Autonomic Nervous System

A major division of the nervous system that sends and receives messages to regulate the automatic behavior of the body (its principal role is to maintain homeostasis)

Homeostasis

The property of a system that regulates its internal environment for maintaining a stable, constant condition

Sympathetic Nervous System

A division of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the individual for fight-or-flight responses (needs to react quickly)

Long postganglionic fibers

Parts of the sympathetic NS that project to targets, often by transversing long distances