Exam 1 Flashcards
(50 cards)
What contributions did Galen and Descartes make to the understanding of the brain?
Galen: reported behavioral changes in gladiators with TBIs; believed moods were caused by imbalances of bodily fluids
Descartes: proposed concept of spinal reflexes and neural pathways; encouraged scientific thinking
Dualism
The mind is subject only to spiritual interactions while the body is subject only to material interactions
Monism
One entity (mind, body, or outside force) is more important than the others
Materialism
Matter only (Most neuroscientists identify as materialists)
What is phrenology? What were the accuracies and flaws with this practice?
Phrenology is the study of bumps on the skull that were thought to overlie enlarged brain regions that were matched to behaviors (localization of function).
Accuracies: Somewhat true because function is somewhat localized
Flaws: It’s not entirely true. function can be localized and certain regions may be more active depending on the task, but the entire brain is active during functions. Was also used to promote racism and eugenics
What did Paul Broca’s case study of “Mr. Tan” reveal about brain function?
Language is restricted to a small area of the brain (localization of function)
What did the case study of Phones Gage reveal about brain function?
The frontal lobe plays a role in personality; before injury Gage was friendly and following he was irritable with poor impulse control
What are some of the flaws in early research attempting to associate brain size and intelligence?
Measuring skull size not skull volume/brain size;
Describe how neuroscience studies can bias people’s beliefs.
Primarily test on male animals and use mice as a comparable to humans without disclosing; and rich countries are mainly running the studies
Neuron
A nerve cell
Glial Cell
A support cell
What are the two most common types of stains used for studying neurons, and how do they differ from each other?
Golgi Stain: stains the whole cell, but only stains a few cells
Nissl Stain: stains only cell bodies, good for calculating density of cells and measuring body size
What debate did the “neuron doctrine” help resolve? What are the principles of the neuron doctrine?
Cajal proposed that the brain is composed of independent cells that communicate with each other across tiny gaps; proved Golgi was wrong about neurons being continuous
Identify the main structures of the neuron (including structures that are shared with other types of cells and structures that are unique to the neuron) and know their primary functions.
Dendrite: receives information from other neurons
Axon: transmit information away from the cell body
Mitochondria: produce energy
Cell Nucleus: contains genetic information
Ribosomes: translate genetic information into proteins
What are the different information processing “zones” of a typical neuron?
Input: receives information
Integration: inputs are combined and transformed
Conduction: transmits the cell’s output info away from cell body
Output: transmits activity out of a cell into other cells
Shape Categories of Neurons
Multipolar: one axon, many dendrites (most common)
Bipolar: one axon, one dendrite
Unipolar: cell body is after integration zone (ugly looking)
Function Categories of Neurons
Motoneurons: stimulate muscles or glands
Sensory Neurons: environmental stimuli
Interneurons: receive input from and send input to other neurons
What are dendritic spines and how do they contribute to neural plasticity?
Dendritic spines increase neural area; neural plasticity allows their number and structure to be rapidly altered by experience
Function of the Axon Hillock and Axon Collateral
Hillock: where the body turns into the axon, the integration zone
Collateral: a branch of an axon that ends in branches and innervates other cells
Types of Glial Cells
Astrocytes: star-shaped cells with many processes that receive neural input and monitor activity
Microglial: small cells that remove debris from injured cells
Schwann Cells vs Oligodendrocytes
Schwann Cells: provide myelin to cells outside the brain and spinal cord
Oligodendrocytes: form the myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord
How are glial cells associated with damage or disease of the brain?
Astrocytes swell as a response to TBI that results in symptoms; Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that demyelinates cells
What are the subdivisions of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
CNS: brain and spinal cord
PNS: everything else {Autonomic NS (Sympathetic NS (thoracic and lumbar) and Parasympathetic NS (sacral and cranial)), Somatic NS (motor and sensory nerves)}
Cranial Nerves
I. Olfactory (sensory- smell)
II. Optic (sensory- vision)
III. Oculomotor (motor- eye movement)
IV. Trochlear (motor- eye movement)
V. Trigeminal (both- face/sinus/chewing)
VI. Abducens (motor- eye movement)
VII. Facial (both- tongue/soft palate/facial movement)
VIII. Vestibulocochlear (sensory- hearing/balance)
IX. Glossopharyngeal (both- taste/mouth sensations)
X. Vagal (both- info from internal organs
XI. Spinal Accessory (motor- neck muscles)
XII. Hypoglossal (motor- tongue muscles)
