neurons
Different parts of a neuron? and their function
Soma - cell body of a neuron
Dendrite - branched, tree like structure that attache to the soma, receives information from other neurons
Axon - conveys information from the soma to its terminal buttons
terminal buttons - bud at the end of a branch of an axon
Synapse - junction between the terminal button of an axon and the membrane of another neuron
phineas gage tells us...
rod through his head, he survived. had personality changes
this case illustrated mental changes can occur with brain changes - also suggested major brain surgeries were possible
Action potential is
the spark behind every thought, memory and movement. the fundamental language of the mind.
when a stimulation enters the sodium gated channels open, and has a huge flow of sodium. once passing a threshold an action potential happens aka depolarization.
behavior is.... and is modified by...
The planning and execution of a series of goal directed movements?
- modified by internal state of the animal (emotions, learning, memory, biological rhythyms and hormones)
- modified by external factors (temperature, light, predator/prey)
____ uses a beam of X-rays to image progressive "slices" through the brain
computerized tomography (CT - scan)
Different types of glial cells, and their main role
Astrocytes - structural support, clean up debris and maintain concentration of extra-neuronal fluid, blood-brain barrier
Oligodendrocyte - supports axons and produces the myelin sheaths, white matter
Microglia - acts as a phagocytes ("eats trash") and protect the brain from microorganisms
Split brain patient joe...
Lesion experiment, cut the corpus callosum - disconnecting the left and right hemispheres.
caused "hemineglect syndrom" , he could draw but couldn't say what he was seeing. the information processed by the right side doesn't get transferred to the hemisphere in charge of speech.
two types of forces that act on ions in the generation of an action potential?
Concentration gradient and electrical gradient
Tinbergens biological explanation of behavior (their are 4)
1. function: how does the behavior impact the animal's chances of survival and reproduction
2. causation: what are the neural bases of the behavior?
3. development: how does the behavior change with age? what role do genes and experience play?
4. evolution: how does the behavior compare with similar behaviors in related species, and how might it have arisen?
During sleep, _____ is used to measure brain activity
electroencephalogram
neurons communicate with each other by
Electrochemical communication - movement of the action potential down the length of the axon. determined by sodium and potassium flow.
Difficulty recognizing faces due to brain injury is called
Phantom face syndrome
A neuron depolarizes by and repolarizes by
depolarization happens when passing a threshold, and sodium flows inside the axon, making the cell less negative. charge separation reduces
sodium channels then close and potassium channels open, the cell then repolarizes. charge seperation happens again.
Researchers use electric current to destroy Brain Area A and conclude that the absence of a certain behavior is due to Brain Area A. However, Brain Area A is not actually involved; instead, a brain area that was passed through was involved in the circuit of interest. How could
the researchers control for this erroneous finding?
sham lesions
- a control using a saline injection (instead of chemicals or shocks). Its used to show that there was no damage caused by the injection itself. you want to see if the shock/chemical is effecting what we are looking at.
Lesions are
cutting of the brain connections to and from the front part of the brain, to cause changes. shows that different parts of the brain control different aspects of behavior
A synapse is ___ and what happens at the synapse is ___
a narrow gap between two neurons across which information is transmitted
when an AP comes down the axon the voltage gated calcium channels open and calcium rushes into the axon terminal. then the vesicles containing neurotransmitters transports to the post synaptic site receptors.
other team asks a question from discussion regarding case studies
the other team has to agree that it is correct in order to earn points
Hyperpolarization
membrane potential more negative than at rest, slowly going back to baseline. (its the dip on a graph)
Membrane potential
the voltage differences across the membrane, results from seperation of charges across the membrane
at rest the neuron has a negative charge inside because of large anions in the cytoplasm.
Noninvasive stimulation of nerve cells in the brain using magnetic fields. caused movements of distinct parts also elicted memory recalls.
the Distribution of ions (K+, Na+, Cl-, A+) across a neurons membrane ... (inside vs outside - is it a lot or small) at rest
K+ is higher inside, and high but less outside
Na+ small inside, and high inside
Cl- is small inside , and high outside
A- high inside, none outside
other team asks a question from discussion regarding case studies
other team has to agree that this correct for you to earn points
For K+ electrical force ____, concentration gradient ____
for Na+ electrical force _____ concentration gradient ____
at rest, the ions are not crossing the membrane in signficant numbers because of ______
the channel gates are _______ (only open when what is applied)
pulls in, pushes out
pulls in, pulls in
closed channels
voltage dependent
other team asks a random discussion topic that they struggle with
the other team has to say they are right for them to earn the point
Microstimulations are____ and they helped us determine ____
a technique that stimulates a small population of neurons by passing a small electrical current through a nearby microelectrode.
- these experiments can show that our brain stimulation may over rule actual real world stimuli