Behavioural Neuroscience

Question 1

Who was Phineas Gage?

Answer 1

Railway foreman who survived profound damage to the frontal lobe, which resulted in behaviour change.

Question 2

Four key themes in understanding historical views of the brain

Answer 2

Religious beliefs, methods available to study it, chance discoveries (serendipity), scientific conservatism

Question 3

Hippocrates’ view on the brain

Answer 3

Brain is the centre of control for the body

Question 4

Galen’s observations on the brain

Answer 4

130 CE

Used vivisection, distinguished between sensory and motor nerves and had the idea of pneumata (animal spirits).

Question 5

Andreas Vesalius’s contributions

Answer 5

1514 CE

First careful and detail drawings of the brain

Question 6

Descartes’ contributions

Answer 6

1596 CE

Came up with reflexes, created the first testable theory

Question 7

Willis’ contributions

Answer 7

1621 CE
Rejected the idea that the mind resides in the ventricles, suggested that thought is generated by the outer tissue of the cerebral hemispheres (the cortex).

Question 8

Galvani’s contributions

Answer 8

1737 CE

Rejected animal spirits, suggested an electrical charge and that nerves must be coated in fat.

Question 9

Gall’s contributions

Answer 9

1758 CE
Phrenology
Cortical localisation of function

Question 10

Broca’s contributions

Answer 10

1861

Evidence of Brain modularity, discovery of Broca’s area

Question 11

Fritsch and Hitzig contributions

Answer 11

1870

Further confirmed localisation of brain function

Question 12

Moniz’s contributions

Answer 12

Frontal lobes linked to personality, prefrontal leucotomy

Question 13

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Answer 13

An acquired neurological disorder (it is autoimmune) that attacks the myelin sheath.

Question 14

Symptoms of MS

Answer 14

Visual impairment, problems with eye movements, numbness, slurred speech, muscle weakness (leading to paraplegia in many cases)

Question 15

Withdrawal reflex (hot iron example)

Answer 15

Dendrites of a sensory neuron respond to the stimulus (iron). This signal is sent along the axon to the terminal buttons in the spinal cord with release NT across the synapse. This excites an interneuron in the spinal cord, which releases a NT to excite a motor neuron. The axon of the motor neuron joins a nerve and travels to a muscle in the arm, causing the muscle to retract and pull away from the hot iron.

Question 16

Explain inhibition in terms of withdrawal

Answer 16

Brain sends a message down the spinal cord which excites an inhibitory interneuron, which releases an inhibitory NT, decreasing the activity of the motor neuron and blocking the withdrawal reflex.

Question 17

Cytoplasm

Answer 17

contains mitochondria, which produce ATP as energy.

Question 18

Glial cell

Answer 18

Provide physical support for neurons and in supplying them with oxygen and nutrients.

Question 19

Astrocytes

Answer 19

A type of glial cell. Provides physical support and cleans up waste, provide nutrients, maintain correct chemical composition of extracelluar fluid. Takes part in phagocytosis, and after will take dead neurons place to provide support

Question 20

Phagocytosis

Answer 20

The cleaning away of debris from dead neurons

Question 21

Microglia

Answer 21

A type of glial cell. They act as phagocytes, as well as being the brain’s immune system. Largely responsible for inflammation after brain damage.

Question 22

Schwann Cells

Answer 22

Create a myelin sheath around the axons of neurons in the peripheral NS. When an axon is damaged, they digest the remaining portion of the fibre and then align themselves into a hollow cylinder to act as a guide for any resprouting axonal stump.

Question 23

Oligodendrocytes

Answer 23

Form a tube of myelin around the axon of neurons in the CNS. This tube is made up of segments of myelin, each roughly 1mm long with a gap in between.

Question 24

Nodes Of Ranvier

Answer 24

The small gaps of uncoated axon.

Question 25

Cell membrane

Answer 25

Composed of a double layer of fat molecules, and contains complex protein molecules that regulate the entrance and exit of chemicals from the neuron.

Question 26

Extracellular fluid

Answer 26

Fluid outside the cell

Question 27

Intracellular fluid

Answer 27

Fluid inside the cell

Question 28

Resting membrane potential

Answer 28

The difference between the charge of inside and outside the cell. The difference is about -70 millivolts (mV)

Question 29

Depolarisation

Answer 29

Caused by adding a positive electrical current into the cell body, causing an action potential.

Question 30

Action potential

Answer 30

The basic message that is transmitted down an axon from the cell body to the terminal buttons. Cause by depolarisation.

Question 31

Diffusion

Answer 31

The process by which molecules distribute themselves evenly throughout a medium.

Question 32

Electrostatic pressure

Answer 32

Moves ions around the medium in which they reside, in which positive ions are repelled from each other, and opposites attract.

Question 33

The ions involved in an action potential

Answer 33

Sodium (Na+), Chloride (Cl-), Potassium (K+), Proteins (A-)

Question 34

Ions in extracellular space

Answer 34

Sodium (Na+) and Chloride (Cl-)

Question 35

Ions in intracellular space (cytoplasm)

Answer 35

Potassium (K+) and Proteins (A-)