Cells
Name two parts of a neuron
cell body, dendrites, dendritic spines, axon hillock, axon, axon terminals
Central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
Describe where the anterior and posterior sides of the brain are
Anterior is the face portion, posterior is the back of the head
Name 2 types of imaging techniques
MRI, fMRI, PET, DTI, TMS, CT (CAT)
True of False:
Myelin insulates an axon, making the neuron's signal travel slower
It allows the signal to travel faster.
Name the input and output zones of a neuron
Input= dendrites
Output- axon terminals
Explain what a lesion study is
Damaging or removing a specific brain region in order to determine its function
Describe what the brain looks like during the embryonic period
a hockey puck like shape that is divided into the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain
Match description to the imaging technique
Imaging
1) Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
2) PET
Description
A) enables you to look at the strength of the collections of axons
B) modified form of MRI in which diffusion of water in a confined space is exploited
C) decay of radioactive isotopes, allows you to see where specific neurotransmitters are being used in the brain
1) A & B
2) C
Name the 3 main approaches to studying neuroscience
Somatic intervention, behavioral intervention, and correlations
Name the 3 parts of a synapse
Presynaptic membrane, synaptic cleft (synapse), postsynaptic membrane
Name 3 types of stains and what they allow you to see
Golgi stain- neurons
Myelin stain- myelin
Nissl stain-cell bodies
Histochemistry- targets specific chemical to see where in the brain the chemical is located
Electron microscopy- interaction between neurons
Florescent stain- different types of cells
Name the entity that combines the two hemispheres of the brain and what it is made out of
Corpus callosum- bundle of neurons
Describe the difference between MRI and fMRI
MRI only shows you structure while fMRI allows you to see what areas of the brain are active during a particular task or function
Describe the difference between white and grey matter
White matter is the area where axons are located
Grey matter is the area where cell bodies are collected
Name the four types of glial cells discussed in class
astroyctes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, Schwann cells
Name the four main ways to study the nervous system
1) Visualization (stains)
2) Lesion/inactivation/activation
3) Pharmacological
4) Recording electrical activity
Name the 4 lobes of the brain
Describe how TMS works
involves the use of a magnet to activate or deactivate areas of the brain without being invasive, it all happens at the level of the scalp but it can only alter the activity of neurons near the surface of the brain
Name the 2 theories we have disccused in class and provide either the name of the person who invented each theory or explain the theories
Reticular theory- Golgi believed all neurons are connected to each other
Neuron doctrine- Cajal believed neurons are independent entities that communicate with each other
Name the function of all four glia cells discussed in class
astrocytes- structural/nutritive support
microglia- immune system cells, clean up and remove things that don't belong (debris, dead cells, toxic compounds, etc.)
oligodendrocytes- create myelin in CNS
Schwann cells- create myelin in PNS
Name 3 specific techniques one can use to study the nervous system and explain each one
Genetic lesions, optogenetic or chemogenetic methods, TMS, drug study, microdialysis, intracellular or extracellular recording, EEG, ERP
Name the 3 parts of the brain we have covered in class so far and what their functions are
Medulla- responsible for essential processes needed to stay alive (i.e. regulating breathing and blood pressure)
Pons- serves as a bridge, relaying sensory information to the brain and motor information to the body, also involved in sleep and arousal
Cerebellum- balance and coordination
Describe how fMRI works
It detects changes in blood flow by first using a giant magnet to polarize the brain and determine where there is low versus high water volume which allows you to distinguish differences in structure. It then measures blood oxygenation and uses it as a proxy to determine where there is higher metabolism in the brain and therefore which areas are more active
Describe anterograde and retrograde tracers
Anterograde- travels down the axon in the direction messages go within the same neuron, answers the question: who gets messages from this area
Retrograde- injection is picked up at the axon terminals and then travels up the axon to the cell body so you can see where the sources of this signal are, answers the question: who is sending messages here