Neuroscience Past & Future

Question 1

Describe the major advancements in our understanding of the NS BC

Answer 1

• evidence of prehistoric trepanation 5000-3000BC - suggests they knew the head was vital
• 500BC Ancient Greece - Hippocrates postulated brain as the seat of intelligence & correlated structure and function. Then 500 yrs later a step back - Aristotle reverted to heart as centre of intellect & introduced the ‘5 senses’

Question 2

What levels of analysis are used in neuroscience to study the brain?

Answer 2

• Molecular - eg a particular protein
• Cellular
• systems - eg visual systen, motor system
• behavioural - eg what parts of the brain control particular behaviour
• cognitive

Question 3

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 2nd century

Answer 3

• 2nd century - Galen - named the cerebrum & cerebellum & correctly postulated their role - view prevailed for 1500 years

Question 4

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 16th century

Answer 4

• 16th century - Andreas Versalius - rather of anatomy

Question 5

Describe the advancement of neuroscience in the 17th century

Answer 5

• 17th century - fluid mechanics model of the brain. Descartes introduced philosophical dualism - the mind vs the brain. Postulated the “mind” was the pineal gland (nope)
• 17-18th centuries we differentiated between grey and white matter

Question 6

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 18th century

Answer 6

• 18th century - development of stains, naming brain lobes, CNS/PNS division

Question 7

Describe the advancements of neuroscience in the 19th century

Answer 7

• 19th century - away from fluid mechanics, intro of electricity model (nerves as wires). Localisation of function - some badly (Bell, and Gall - total crackpot who is responsible for phrenology), some well (Flourens - via ablation, Broca - speech). Darwin’s evolution of nervous system (common mechanisms). Cell theory arrives - Schwann introduces the neuron.

Question 8

What is a requirement for any experiment involving a sentient animal?

Answer 8

ethics committee approval (must have vets, current researchers, animal weflare and members of public)

Question 9

What defines a sentient animal for ethical purposes

Answer 9

All vertebrates and cephelapods

Question 10

What are the 3 R’s for ethical experimental design?

Answer 10

• Replacement (can we use anything else instead?)
• Reduction (minimise the number of animals while staying statistically viable)
• Refinement (ensure no suffering)

Question 11

List the different modes of imaging in the nervous system

Answer 11

Radiography
* CT
* MRI
* fMRI
* DTI

mapping with radioactive tracers
* SPECT
* PET

immunofluorescence using axoplasmic transport

Question 12

Compare options for radiography imaging of nervous system

Answer 12

• CT - xray that is digitally reconstructed into brain slice. shit for anatomy but great for finding tumours/lesions
• MRI - great for anatomy, super clear, doesnt require xray, brain slice in any angle (but only until we run out of helium)
• fMRI - detects blood flow, looks at active brain regions but task being tested has to happen inside the MRI
• DTI - measures water diffusion, great for imaging white matter tracts

Question 13

compare SPECT & PET

Answer 13

• SPECT (Single photon emission CT) - poor man’s version, measures blood flow (sort of like MRI) using radioisotope with radioligand
• PET (photon emission tomography) - VERY expensive, radioactive solution that emits positrons, positrons emitted wherever blood goes (measures metabolic activity)