FOUNDATIONS: STRUCTURE OF NERVOUS SYSTEM

Question 1

What is a subdural hematoma?

Answer 1

A collection of blood in between the dura and arachnoid mater from ruptured blood vessels passing through the dura. This can compress parts of CNS and is treated by drilling a hole in skull to drain blood

Question 2

Where are motor neuron cell bodies located?

Answer 2

Ventral root horn

Question 3

Where are sensory root cell bodies located?

Answer 3

In the dorsal root ganglion

Question 4

What does the diencephalon contain?

Answer 4

The thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and pineal gland

Question 5

What is the cerebral cortex and what are its functions?

Answer 5

The outermost sheet of neural tissue (functions in sensory perception, motor control, cognition)

Question 6

What is the basal ganglia?

Answer 6

4 internal nuclei that form feedback circuits with the cerebral cortex- critical in motor control, behaviour switching, learning, reward

Question 7

What is the limbic system and what structures does it contain?

Answer 7

Collection of nuclei grouped for their location rather than a function (limbus means border).
- Contains hippocampus (memory), amygdala (emotional valence and importance of stimuli-reward/fear)

Question 8

Is there a space between the dura and arachnoid mater OR between the arachnoid mater and pia mater?

Answer 8

Arachnoid and pia mater!! This is the sub arachnoid space and contains CSF.

Question 9

What is abundant in pia mater?

Answer 9

BLOOD VESSELS

Question 10

What do the ventricles do?

Answer 10

Carry metabolic waste from brain back to bloodstream

Question 11

How many ventricles are there in the brain and what are the names of them?

Answer 11

There are 4 ventricles; 2 lateral ventricles, a third ventricle and a fourth ventricle (base of brain)

Question 12

What is the function of the blood-brain barrier?

Answer 12

Restricting entry of macro molecules into the brain (shields brain from abnormal variations in ionic composition and potentially toxic molecules (drugs, ingested poisons)

Question 13

What does is the blood brain barrier a result of?

Answer 13

Tight junctions between endothelial cells and capillaries

Question 14

Which types of neurons regulate blood flow?

Answer 14

Astrocytes

Question 15

Which structures separate blood flow between the body and brain?

Answer 15

Blood brain barrier and circle of willus

Question 16

What is the function of the circle of willus?

Answer 16

Maintains blood flow (also with blood flow maintenance regulating pressure, concentration (CO2 O2) and pH)

Question 17

What does the anterior cerebral artery supply?

Answer 17

The forebrain–> medial portions of the frontal lobes and superior medial parietal lobe

Question 18

What does the middle cerebral artery supply?

Answer 18

Lateral cortex, anterior temporal lobes, insula.

Question 19

What is an occlusion in neuroscience?

Answer 19

A blockage of a blood vessel

Question 20

What is aphasia?

Answer 20

The inability to comprehend or speak language

Question 21

What is segregation?

Answer 21

Spatial separation

Question 22

What are clusters of brain regions known as?

Answer 22

Modules

Question 23

What is functional integration?

Answer 23

Modules may be spatially separated, but they are functionally integrated

Question 24

What does the cell-attached method of intracellular recording do?

Answer 24

• micropipette tip sealed onto the membrane

- Record single channels under patch of membrane without disrupting cytoplasm

Question 25

What does the inside out and outside out method of intracellular recordings involve?

Answer 25

- Allows the study of single channels in isolated portions of the membrane - Studies how changes on intracellular or extracellular surface of membrane alter ion channel function (sucks a portion of membrane up -cleaves it from membrane)

Question 26

What does the whole cell method of intracellular recordings work?

Answer 26

Records currents from multiple channels at once - Micropipette and cytoplasm are continuous (sucks up either ends of membrane)

Question 27

Which of the following processes dictate the amount of neurotransmitter released from a nerve ending on a short-term, MINUTE TO MINUTE, basis?

Answer 27

- Vescicle recycling in the nerve ending (recylcing may or may not involve fusion with the endosome) - Calcium availability - Neurotransmitter synthesis

Question 28

Which processes are good on the LONG TERM basis in neurons?

Answer 28

Axoplasmic transport and vesicle synthesis in the cell soma

Question 29

What is the major motor protein in RETROGRADE transport?

Answer 29

Dynein (slower transport)

Question 30

If you are bitten by a dog with rabies, what happens?

Answer 30

The rabies virus travels retrogradedly back along the motor neurons-->spinal cord--> brain and then kills neurons- also affects other neurons because they are all interconnected

Question 31

What does the axon terminal contain?

Answer 31

- Internal vesicles containing neurotransmitter - protein dense - lots of mitochondria -

Question 32

What does the axon terminal NOT contain?

Answer 32

- NO MICROTUBULES

Question 33

What are neurites?

Answer 33

- Extensions from the cell body | dendrites and axons

Question 34

Do microtubules and microfilaments change shape in dendrites and axons?

Answer 34

Their length is relatively stable however in mature neurons microtubules and microfilaments are dynamic so you can retract old ones and extend new ones (axons/dendrites)

Question 35

What are mircotubules?

Answer 35

Longditudinally down neurites (axons and dendrites) | - Mediate intracellular transport

Question 36

What do MAPs (microtubule-associated proteins) do?

Answer 36

Regulate microtubules assembly and function | - Help implicated in ALzhimers disease (tau acculmulates and could make microtubules tangle)

Question 37

What are neurofilaments?

Answer 37

Provide strucutral support | - Regulate diameter of axons

Question 38

What are microfilaments composed of ?

Answer 38

Actin molecules | - Linked to microtubules and membrane

Question 39

What does the fact that dendrites have ribosomes under spines suggest?

Answer 39

- Info received at the synapse can control protein synthesis - Could be mechanism underlying memory

Question 40

What constrains a neurons function?

Answer 40

Its dendritic arbour (tree)

Question 41

What are golgi type one neurons?

Answer 41

(projection neurons) - have long axons that extend from one part of the brain to the other e.g. pyramidal cells

Question 42

What are golgi type II neurons?

Answer 42

Neurons that have short axons that do not extend beyond vicinity of the cell body (local circuit neurons)