Lecture 4 - Neurophysiology

Question 1

What is the basic “plan” established?

Answer 1

Embryonically

Question 2

What happens by the middle of the 4th week after conception?

Answer 2

3 distinct swellings are evident at the anterior end of the neural tube, which is going to form the brain

Question 3

What are the three primary vesicles?

Answer 3

Prosencephalon (forebrain), Mesencephalon (midbrain), Rhombencephalon (hindbrain)

Question 4

What happens during week 5?

Answer 4

These areas become modified to form 5 regions

Question 5

What does Prosencephalon (forebrain) become?

Answer 5

Telencephalon, Diencephalon

Question 6

What does Mesencephalon (midbrain) become?

Answer 6

Mesencephalon

Question 7

What does Rhombencephalon (hindbrain) become?

Answer 7

Metencephalon and Myelencephalon

Question 8

What is a Hemorraghic stroke?

Answer 8

Blood leaks into brain tissue

Question 9

What is a Ischemic stroke?

Answer 9

Clot stops blood supply to an area of the brain

Question 10

What do the midbrain and hindbrain contain?

Answer 10

Many relay centres for sensory and motor pathways, and are particularly important in the brains control of skeletal movements

Question 11

What does the Telecephalon and Diencephalon contain?

Answer 11

The forebrain (thalamus + hypothalamus)

Question 12

What does the cerebrum consist of?

Answer 12

The right and left hemispheres, connected internally by the corpus callous. Performs most of what re considered to be higher functions of the brain

Question 13

What are the four lobes in the cerebrum?

Answer 13

Occipital lobe, temporal lobe, frontal lobe, Parietal lobe

Question 14

What does the frontal lobe do?

Answer 14

Motor control

Question 15

What does the occipital lobe do?

Answer 15

Vision, and co-ordination of eye movements

Question 16

What does the parietal lobe do?

Answer 16

Perception of somatesthethic sensation - sensation arising from cutaneous, muscle, tendon and joint receptors.

Question 17

What does the temporal lobe do?

Answer 17

Interpretation and association of auditory and visual information

Question 18

What is the Insula?

Answer 18

A region buried within the lateral sulcus - the division between the frontal and temporal lobes.

Question 19

What is the insula implicated in?

Answer 19

Encoding memory, integration of sensory information with visceral responses. Receives olfactory, gustatory, auditory, and somatosensory (mainly pain) information.

Question 20

What is Cerebral Lateralization?

Answer 20

Each cerebral hemisphere receives different input, but the two hemispheres communicate with each other via the corpus callosum

Question 21

When has the corpus callosum been cut?

Answer 21

Been surgically cut in some people with severe epilepsy as a way of alleviating their symptoms

Question 22

What did specifically designed experiments reveal?

Answer 22

That each hemisphere is good at certain types tasks and poor at others

Question 23

What do the spheres lead to?

Answer 23

“Handedness”

Question 24

What does damage to the right?

Answer 24

Difficulty with spacial concepts, maps

Question 25

What does damage to the left?

Answer 25

Severe speech problems, though interestingly may leave the ability to sing unaffected

Question 26

What is "handlessness"?

Answer 26

Applicable to ~97% of people.

Question 27

What do SSRI's do?

Answer 27

Allow serotonin to hang out in the synapse longer

Question 28

Describe the events of Neurotransmitters, SSRIs and mood disorders?

Answer 28

1.) Message is sent across synaptic gap 2.) Message is received; excess seratonin molecules are reabsorbed by sending neurons 3.) Prozac partially blocks normal reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin; excess serotonin in synapse enhances its midd-lifting effect

Question 29

Who is Kim Peek?

Answer 29

He has no corpus callosum and can remember every page he reads of over 9000 books

Question 30

What do 68% of the population have an IQ distribution of?

Answer 30

Between 85 and 115

Question 31

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 31

Sheet of grey matter tissue that covers the cerebrum (and cerebellum), divided into left and right hemispheres. Especially important in emotion and memory

Question 32

What happens to people who have damage to the orbitofrontal area of the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 32

Experience severe impulsive behaviour verging on sociopathic

Question 33

What is the Thalamus?

Answer 33

Relay centre through which all sensory information (except smell) passes on the way to the cerebrum - Promotes alertness and causes arousal from sleep in response to any sufficiently strong sensory stimulus

Question 34

What is the Epithalamus?

Answer 34

Dorsal segment, contains the pineal gland, which secretes melatonin (helps maintain circadian rhythms)

Question 35

How many parts of the diencephalon is the thalamus?

Answer 35

4/5ths

Question 36

What is the Epithalamus of the Diencephalon?

Answer 36

The dorsal segment, also contains the pineal gland which secretes the hormone melatonin to help regulate circadian rhythms

Question 37

Where does the Hypothalamus sit above?

Answer 37

The optic chiasm

Question 38

What part of the diencephalon is the hypothalamus?

Answer 38

The most inferior portion - site of master circadian rhythm clock (superchiasmatic nucleus)

Question 39

What does the hypothalamus regulate?

Answer 39

"Daily" body processes such as - Hunger, thirst, regulation of body temperature - Hormone secretion from the pituitary gland - Contributes to the regulation of wake and sleep

Question 40

What does the midbrain and hindbrain contain?

Answer 40

Many relay centres for sensory and motor pathways, and are particularly important in the brain's control of skeletal muscles

Question 41

Where are cell bodies of dopaminergic neurons highly concentrated in?

Answer 41

The midbrain

Question 42

What does the midbrain have?

Answer 42

2 systems of dopaminergic neurons that project to other areas of the brain

Question 43

What is the first system?

Answer 43

Nigrostriatal dopamine system, involved in motor control

Question 44

What is Parkinson's disease caused by?

Answer 44

The degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons in the Substantia nigra

Question 45

What is the second system?

Answer 45

The mesolimbic system, involved in emotional reward

Question 46

What do alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana and morphine promote?

Answer 46

The activity of these dopaminergic neurons and plays a role in addiction

Question 47

What can overactivity in the mesolimbic system cause?

Answer 47

Schizophrenia

Question 48

What percentage of people get schizophrenia?

Answer 48

40% of men, and 23% of women and the condition is tyowially manifested before the age of 19

Question 49

What does the hindbrain consist of?

Answer 49

The cerebellum

Question 50

What is the cerebellum?

Answer 50

The 2nd largest structure of the brain with over 50 million neurons and grey and white matter

Question 51

What does the cerebellum do?

Answer 51

Monitors and refines motor activity initiated elsewhere

Question 52

Where does the cerebellum receive input?

Answer 52

From proprioceptors (joint, tendon, muscle receptors) and together with signals from the motor areas of the cerebral cortex, it participates in coordination of movement

Question 53

What is another component of the hindbrain?

Answer 53

The medulla

Question 54

What passes through the medulla?

Answer 54

All ascending and descending fiber tracts providing communication between spinal cord and brain must pass through the medulla

Question 55

Why must it pass through the medulla?

Answer 55

It is required for regulation of breathing, CV responses (vital senses)

Question 56

What is Attention and Awarness?

Answer 56

Mental process in which concentrate in a specific object, issue or activity and exclude other environmental stimuli

Question 57

What does Autism affect?

Answer 57

Speech, motor skill and social interaction

Question 58

What does the Courchesne Theory of Overstimulation suggest?

Answer 58

Autistic children can seem antisocial because they shun external stimulation, since the cerebellum cannot take it

Question 59

Why do children with Autism get stuck in repetitive behaviour?

Answer 59

Because it is "calming" the easily over stimulated brain

Question 60

What is Asperger syndrome?

Answer 60

Hyper focus, mild movement disorder, lack of social cues

Question 61

What is Pervasive Developmental Disorder?

Answer 61

Some range of the same things