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Neuroscience > Week 1 > Flashcards

Week 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What are neurons?

A

Basic building blocks of the nervous system that generate and conduct impulses – how our brain and body communicate

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2
Q

What are the 3 types of neurons?

A
  • Multipolar
  • Bipolar
  • Unipolar
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3
Q

What are multipolar neurons and there characteristics?

A
  • Typical motor neuron
  • Have many dendrites
  • Single axon
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4
Q

What are bipolar neurons and there characteristics?

A
  • Typical special sensory neuron
  • Found in the eyes and nose
  • Carry special sensory info for vision and smell
  • Single axon and dendrites
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5
Q

What are unipolar neurons and there characteristics?

A
  • Typical somatosensory neuron
  • Found in the somatosensory system in humans
  • Carry info about touch to the spinal cord
  • Single projection from the soma – that divides into 2 axons (peripheral axon and central axon)
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6
Q

What is grey matter?

A

Areas of the central nervous system that primarily contain neuronal cell bodies and dendrites

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7
Q

What is white matter?

A

Primarily contains axons and mylein

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8
Q

What are ganglia?

A

Collections of cell bodies outside the CNS

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9
Q

Nucelli

A

Collections of cell bodies within the central nervous system

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10
Q

What is propagation?

A

How an action potential (AP) travels down the axon of a neuron, allowing signals to be transmitted from one end of the neuron to another.

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11
Q

What is an action potential?

A

Electrical signal that propagates along neurons (along the axon), allowing information to travel along neurons.
- rapid, transient depolarisation of the cell membrane

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12
Q

What is a dendrite?

A

Branch like extensions that serve as the main input sites for the neuron. They are specialized to receive information from other neurons as synapses.

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13
Q

What is an axon?

A

Where the axon potential propagates

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14
Q

What is the axon hillock

A

Region of the neuron that controls the initiation of an electrical impulse based on the inputs from other neurons or the environment
- Part between the axon and cell body

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15
Q

What does the axon terminal do?

A

Releases neurotransmitters into the synapse to communicate with other cells.

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16
Q

What is myelin sheath

A

Acts as an insulator that increase the speed of conduction along axons

  • Fatty insulating layer that wraps around the axon
  • Helps the action potential be sent fast along the axon
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17
Q

What creates myelin in the CNS?

A

Oligodendricites – CNS- do not heal and repair themselves – creates myelin

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18
Q

What creates myelin in the PNS?

A

Schwann cells - PNS – do have the ability to heal from damage – creates myelin

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19
Q

What are the nodes of ranvier?

A

Gaps between the myelin sheaths
- Axon potential repropagates at each node of Ranvier, allowing it to travel faster

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20
Q

What is the pre-synaptic terminal?

A

Specialized end of a neuron’s axon that releases neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft, facilitating communication between neurons

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21
Q

What is the post-synaptic terminal?

A

Specialized part of a neuron or muscle cell that receives signals from a presynaptic terminal (the end of an axon) across a synapse

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22
Q

What is the synaptic cleft/gap?

A

Space between the first order neuron and second order neuron.

Neurotransmitter diffuses across the gap, when it reaches the next cell, it triggers an electrical action to be propagated along the next cell.

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23
Q

When do action potentials occur?

A

Only occur when depolarization reaches this threshold level of minus 55

Sodium channels in the membrane open and sodium flows into the cell, bringing positive electrical charge and so reducing the resting membrane potential

If the reduction of the resting membrane potential reaches threshold an AP will result

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24
Q

What is MS?

A
  • An autoimmune condition that attacks the myelin sheath in the CNS
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25
What is the cause of MS?
Oligodendrocytes are destroyed in the central nervous system, causing signals to travel slowly along axons and sometimes the signal doesn’t make it to the end of the neuron (oligodendrocytes make myelin)
26
What are the 3 types of MS?
1. Relapsing MS 2. Secondary progressive 3. Primary progressive
27
Relapsing MS?
Periods of relapsing where disease is present and progressive, followed by a period where there is a reduction or absence of MS
28
What is secondary progressive MS?
Over time the ‘remission’ periods become less finite and steady neurological decline is seen
29
What is primary progressive MS?
Following the onset of disease there are no periods of remission, progressive decline/degeneration is seen over time.
30
What is Guilian-Barre Syndrome?
Autoimmune condition that attacks the myelin sheath in the peripheral nervous system (Shwan cells are destroyed)  - Can recover as the myelin sheath can repair
31
What is myasthenia gravis?
An abnormal immune response leads the body to destroy acetylcholine receptors on the muscle fibers at the neuromuscular junction - Leading to muscle weakness and fatigue
32
What is the neuromuscular junction?
A synaptic connection between the terminal end of a motor nerve and a muscle - Aceto choline is released from the neuron and drifts across the synapse to the muscle fiber, causing excitation and threshold is reached, causing contraction of the muscle fiber
33
What are the 3 stages of Neural development and how long does each go for?
1. Pre-embryonic - 0-14 days 2. Embryonic - 15 days to end of 8th week 3. Fetal - From end of 8th week until birth - (38-42 weeks = full term)
34
What happens during the embryonic stage?
- All the organs and tissues are formed - Nervous system begins to develop (cell growth, division, migration, specialisation) - Neural tube is formed - Development goes from cephalic to chordal (head to toes) - Embryo is most susceptible to teratogens
35
What are the three layers of the embryonic disc
Endoderm (bottom of disk): gut, liver, pancreas and respiratory system Mesoderm (middle of disk) : muscles, skeleton, excretory and circulatory systems Ectoderm (top of disk) : sensory organs, hair, skin, nails and the whole nervous system
36
What is the neural tube?
The neural tube is developed in the first month of pregnancy and eventually develops into the brain, spinal cord and spine
37
What is anencephaly?
A neural tube deficit that occurs during the embryonic stage of development of the nervous system. Resulting in failure to develop the major central nervous system structures including the cerebral hemisphere
38
What is spina bifida?
Spina Bifida is a neural tube deficit that occurs at the spinal end in the embryonic stage of development of the nervous system. It results in failure to develop the spinal cord.
39
What is an APGAR score ?
Clinical indicators of a babies condition shortly after birth. The score is based on 5 characteristics of the baby: Skin tone Heart rate Breathing Muscle tone Reflexes
40
How many weeks is a full term baby?
40-42 weeks 
41
How many weeks is a term baby?
Above 37
42
How many weeks is a pre-term baby?
below 37
43
Degree of prematurity by gestational age:
Extremely pre-term: before 28 weeks Very pre-term 28-32 weeks Moderately pre-term 32-36 weeks Late preterm 36-37 weeks
44
Central nervous system
Central Nervous System (CNS) → made up of the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord (brain + spinal cord)
45
Peripheral Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) → Made up of all the nerves that spread throughout your body. It connects the CNS to your muscles, skin, and organs.
46
What is the PNS further divided into?
Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
47
What is the Somatic nervous system?
Innervates the skeletal muscle, responsible for voluntary consciously initiated actions
48
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Supplies the internal organs and other visceral structures and operates at an automatic (mainly unconscious) level
49
What can the autonomic nervous system further be broken down into?
- Sympathetic - fight or flight, active during stressful situations - Parasympathetic - resting and digesting
50
What is the outer layer of the cerebrum called?
Cerebral cortex
51
What are Gyri?
Elevations, raised folds of the brains surface, increasing the brains surface area which allows for more cell bodies to fit within the cortex region.
52
What are sulci?
Grooves/depressions between the gyri, increased the brains cross-sectional areas - Help to find specific land marks
53
What is a longitudinal fissure?
Deep clef that separates the hemispheres into left and right
54
What is the lateral fissure/sulcus?
Divides significant lobes in the cerebrum - Helps divide the temporal lobe
55
What is the central sulcus?
Key depression that has 2 gyri that sit either side of it
56
Where does the Pre-central gyrus sit and what is its function?
Before the central sulcus - control of voluntary motor movement
57
Where does the post-central gyrus sit?
After the central sulcus 
58
What are our 4 main lobes and what are there functions?
Frontal lobe – motor functions, speech, cognitive functioning, social behavior, executive functioning Parietal lobe - sensory processing Temporal lobe – Auditory information - closest to ears Occipital lobe – vision information processing
59
What is the limbic lobe?
- Ringed shaped convolution surrounding the medial boarder of the cerebral hemispheres (one on each side) - Primarily concerned with emotion and memory
60
What is the Insula?
- Island of cortex buried within the lateral sulcus - Mood, memory and olfaction
61
What is the Broca's area associated with?
Speech production
62
What is the wernikes area associated with?
Speech comprehension
63
What is grey matter?
A collection of cell bodies
64
Where does the primary somatosensory cortex sit?
Located in the parietal lobe, within the post central gyrus
65
Where does the primary auditory cortex sit?
Sits within temporal lobe
66
Where does the primary visual cortex sit?
Within the occipital lobe
67
What is white matter and what are the 3 types?
A collection of axons - Projection fibers - Commissural fibers - Association fibers
68
What is the arcuate fasciculus?
White matter pathway the connects Broca's area to Wernike's area
69
Projection fibers
Sensory (ascending) or motor (descending) fibers within the cerebrum These fibers connect the brain with the brainstem and spinal cord
70
Commissural fibers
Connects corresponding regions of the 2 hemispheres together
71
Association fibers
Connects areas within one hemisphere
72
What is the diencephalon?
Sits rostral to the brain stem, consists of 4 parts: - Thalamus - Hypothalamus - Epithalamus - Sub-thalamus
73
What is the function of the thalamus?
A paired deep grey matter structure that acts as a relay station, filtering information between the brain and body. - Bilateral structure (left- and right-hand side)
74
What is the function of the hypothalmus?
Maintains homeostasis within the body by influencing the autonomic nervous system (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure), and works closely with the endocrine system via the Pituitary gland.
75
What is the function of the epithalamus?
Connects the limbic system to other parts of the brain and influences circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin.
76
Sub thalamus
Regulates movement along with the rest of the Basal Ganglia.

Neuroscience (12 decks)

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