Exam 2

what structure is in the midbrain?

mesencephalon

what does the tectum do and what substructures are within?

it receives input from eyes and ears

superior and inferior colliculus

what do the superior and inferior colliculus do?

superior: visual integration, gaze orient, reflexes

inferior: auditory integration, localization, reflexes

what substructures are under the mesencephalon?

tectum and tegmentum

what does the tegmentum do and what substructures are under it?

covering

periaqueductal, substantia nigra, and red nucleus

what do the periaqueductal, substantia nigra, and red nucleus do?

periaqueductal: species stereotypical responses (laughing while you’re being tickled), coordinating reflexes w/ coordination and emotion

substantia nigra: dopamine source

red nucleus: motor coordination

what structures are in the diencephalon?

thalamus and hypothalamus

what are the functions of the thalamus and hypothalamus?

thalamus: gateway to cerebral cortex

hypothalamus: hormones, drive, motivation; 4 F (feeding, fighting, fleeing, mating)

how are the nuclei in the thalamus organized?

specific: map to primary cortical regions

association: map to multiple cortical regions

non-specific: map to large regions processing integrated information

what structures are under the telencephalon?

basal ganglia, cortex, limbic system

what structures are in the subcortical of the telencephalon?

basal ganglia and limbic system

what is the function of the basal ganglia and limbic system?

basal ganglia: reward and planning voluntary movements (affected in Parkinson’s and Turrets)

limbic system: emotion and memory

what are the functions of the cortex?

movement, cognition, personality, sensory processing, learning, language

what are the cortical lobes?

frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

where is the precental gyrus located and what is it’s function?

in the frontal lobe, primary motor commands

where is the post central gyrus located and what is it’s function?

in the parietal lobe, primary somatosensory

what does nucleus and tract mean?

nucleus: a collection of neurons

tract: axon bundles

what are nucleus and tract used as organization under?

CNS

what does ganglia and nerves mean?

ganglia: a collection of neurons

nerves: axon bundles

what are ganglia and nerves used as organization under?

PNS

what does each cortical lobe do?

frontal: movement and high-level cognition

parietal: somatosensory and spatial cognition

occipital: visual processing

temporal: auditory processing, sense of smell, aspects of learning

what structures are under the limbic system?

hippocampal complex, amygdala, and septum

what does the hippocampal complex do?

memory formation, specifically spatial, contextual, and autobiography

what does the amygdala do?

emotional tags open initial neutral objects or situations

what happens when there’s lesions on the amygdala?

over docility, hypersexuality, hyperorality, and emotional and motivational meanings lost

what does the septum do?

reward, social memory, play

what happens if there are lesions on the septum?

hyperaggressiwn or “septal rage”

what is evolution?

descent with modification must have variation

how did genetics transform phylogenetic?

what’s convergent evolution?

similar solutions in species not due to a recent ancestor (ex. body form of tuna and dolphin)

what are under convergent evolution and their definitions

homoplasy: resemblance of characteristics due to convergent evolution

analogy: similar function despite differences in structure and evolution

what’s homology?

similarity based on common ancestry (ex human arm, dog foreleg, seal flipper)

what’s correlated evolution?

traits evolved in tandem, independent of phylogeny (ex: fur color and habitat)

what is taxonomy?

classification of organisms

what is cladistics?

a method used to classify organisms based on shared, derived characteristics and common ancestry

what is phylogeny?

family tree used to make a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships

what is natural selection?

traits that improve survival and leave reproduction surviving, making those traits more common in following generations

what is sexual selection?

traits that improve mating success, making those traits super common in following generations even if they don’t help with survival

taxonomics vs cladistics

taxonomics classifies organisms based on their characteristics/relationships; cladistics classifies based on shared derived traits/common ancestry

trait cladograms vs DNA cladograms

trait is based off of physical characteristics/observable characteristics; DNA is based off of DNA sequences

what have species brains done to adapt in their habitats?

they have adapted their ecological niche

what do traits evolve as?

traits evolve in tandem, independent of phylogeny

what are the stages of neural development?

neurogenesis, cell migration, differentiation, synaptogenesis, neuronal cell death, synapse rearrangement

what does progenitor cell division produce?

neurons

what do radial glia cells aid in?

migration

what are the two classes of influence on differentiation?

cell autonomous and neural environment

what is cell-autonomous?

independent of other cells and driven by genes (main process in invertebrates)

what is neural environment?

cell-cell interactions “induction” (main process in vertebrates)

what is happening in neurogenesis?

mitoitic division of non neural cells

what happens in cell migration?

cell adhesion to molecules; distinct populations

what happens in differentiation?

cells become specific types

what happens in synaptogenesis?

synaptic connections

what is process of growth?

the growth of axons and dendrites

what is synaptogenesis?

the formation of synapses

how do axons know where to go?

chemicals released by the target cells

what’s the difference chemoattractants vs chemorepellents?

chemoattractants: attract growth cones

chemo repellents: repel growth cones

where do synapses form?

they form rapidly on dendrites and dendritic spines

when do the spines proliferate after?

they proliferate after birth

what is cell death?

suicide of cells

what are the reasons for cell death?

reduction in size of target area and lose competition for neurotrophic factors from target

what is synapse rearrangement?

loss or development of synapses, fine-tuning (life-long process)