Download Brain Bee at MSU Review Session

This review session concentrates on the
fundamentals of neuroscience covered in
Chs 1 – 8 of Brain Facts.
Thanks for your attention!
February 1, 2014
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy: Questions you should be able to answer
• Name the specialized parts of a neuron, and their
different functions.
• Name the different types of glial cells and their
different functions.
• Name the main divisions of the nervous system?
• The cerebrum is divided into four lobes? Name
them and indicate their main functions?
Figure 2.2 The Major Parts of the Neuron
Note that axons but not
dendrites are myelinated.
Figure 2.6 Representative Glial Cells
Figure 2.8 The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
Figure 2.11 The Autonomic Nervous System
Figure 2.12 Three Views of the Human Brain
Neuroanatomy: Questions you should be able to answer
• Name the specialized parts of a neuron, and their
different functions.
• Name the different types of glial cells and their
different functions.
• Name the main divisions of the nervous system?
• The cerebrum is divided into four lobes? Name
them and indicate their main functions?
• What other facts did you just learn about the
nervous system?
• Other questions?
Modes of communication: Questions you should be able to answer
Modes of communication
Preview of questions:
• Information is coded using both chemical
and electrical signals.
– Explain how this works.
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Neurons use two main modes of
communication to transmit information
– Electrical (action and synaptic potentials)
• Within neurons
– Chemical (synaptic transmission)
• Between neurons
Figure 3.7 Propagation of the Action Potential
Action potentials are caused by the
movement of positively charged ions
across the neuronal membrane:
• sodium moves in = rise in potential
• potassium moves out = decline in
potential
Figure 3.12 Steps in Transmission at a Chemical Synapse
Figure 2.7 Synapses
Modes of communication: Questions you should be able to answer
• Information is coded using both chemical
and electrical signals.
– Explain how this works.
• Questions
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Neurotransmitters and Drugs
Neurotransmitters and Drugs: Questions you should be able to answer
• Neurotransmitters (NTs) fall into one of four
classes. What are they?
• Drugs often affect brain function by affecting
chemical signaling between neurons (i.e.,
synaptic transmission).
– List the different ways that drugs can affect synaptic
transmission
– Give specific examples of drugs and how they work.
• Some NTs are linked to particular functions or
are relevant to a particular disease.
– Name a NT and a function or disease it is linked to.
Figure 4.9 Drug Effects on Presynaptic Mechanisms
Figure 4.10 Drug Effects on Postsynaptic Mechanisms
Figure 4.21 A Neural Pathway Implicated in Drug Abuse
Neurotransmitters and Drugs: Questions you should be able to answer
• Neurotransmitters (NTs) fall into one of four
classes. What are they?
• Drugs often affect brain function by affecting
chemical signaling between neurons (i.e.,
synaptic transmission).
– List the different ways that drugs can affect synaptic
transmission
– Give specific examples of drugs and how they work.
• Some NTs are linked to particular functions or
are relevant to a particular disease.
– Name a NT and a function or disease it is linked to.
Diseases, NTs and drugs
• Alzheimer’s disease
– Loss of memory
– ACh releasing neurons die (basal forebrain bundle)
– Inhibit acetylcholinesterase
• Parkinson’s disease
– Difficulty initiating movement, tremor at rest
– DA neurons die in substantia nigra in the Basal Ganglia
– L-dopa
• Huntington’s disease
– Uncontrolled movement
– GABA releasing neuron die in the caudate/putamen
(striatum) in the basal ganglia
– Benzodizepines (e.g., valium) and anticonvulsants binds
to GABA receptor to enhance effect of released GABA
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Development and Aging
Development and Aging: Questions you should be able to answer
• Brain development involves both progressive and
regressive processes. Name two.
• Developing neurons are said to compete to
survive?
– What are neurons competing for?
– What is the name of the first one that was discovered?
• How might early experiences in an enriched
environment change the brain long term?
• How is normal brain aging different from
neurodegenerative diseases that affect the aging
brain?
• What sort of compensation can occur in the aging
brain? .
Figure 7.1 Development of the Nervous System in the Human Embryo and Fetus
Figure 7.2 The Six Stages of Neural Development
Normal brain development involves both
progressive and regressive processes
Competition for trophic factors may drive cell death and synapse elimination
Figure 7.25 Hippocampal Shrinkage Correlates with Memory Decline in Aging
Development and Aging: Questions you should be able to answer
• Brain development involves both progressive and
regressive processes. Name two.
• Developing neurons are said to compete to
survive?
– What are neurons competing for?
– What is the name of the first one that was discovered?
• How might early experiences in an enriched
environment change the brain long term?
• How is normal brain aging different from
neurodegenerative diseases that affect the aging
brain?
• What sort of compensation can occur in the aging
brain? .
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Sensation vs. Perception
Sensation and Perception: Questions you should be able to answer
• What is the difference between sensation and
perception? Can you name an example that
demonstrates how sensory information may be
incorrectly perceived?
• How is light entering your eye perceived by the
brain? In other words, what is the basic pathway to
the cerebral cortex?
• Our brains “know” what is happening inside and
outside our bodies because of specialized receptors
throughout our body. Can you name some of these
receptors and the stimulus they respond to?
• Morphine mimics what natural chemical in the brain
to suppress pain?
Figure 10.6 Anatomy of the Retina
Figure 10.11 Visual Pathways in the Human Brain
Where sensation conflicts with percpetion (visual illusion)
Are these the same size?
Figure 8.4 Receptors in Skin
Sensation and Perception: Questions you should be able to answer
• What is the difference between sensation and
perception? Can you name an example that
demonstrates how sensory information may be
incorrectly perceived?
• How is light entering your eye perceived by the
brain? In other words, what is the basic pathway to
the cerebral cortex?
• Our brains “know” what is happening inside and
outside our bodies because of specialized receptors
throughout our body. Can you name some of these
receptors and the stimulus they respond to?
• Morphine mimics what natural chemical in the brain
to suppress pain?
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Learning and Memory
Learning and memory: Questions you should be able to answer
• What did HM teach us about how the brain
learns?
• What are the cellular correlates of short and
long term memory?
• Different forms of learning depend on or
engage different parts of the brain.
– Name a type of learning and the brain region(s)
important for this type of learning.
– Name some of the methods/approaches
neuroscientist use to identify what parts of the
brain are involved in certain forms of learning?
Figure 17.1 Brain Tissue Removed from Henry Molaison (Patient H.M.)
Figure 17.2 Henry’s Performance on a Mirror-Tracing Task
Figure 17.5 Subtypes of Declarative and Nondeclarative Memory
Figure 17.15 Brain Regions Involved in Different Kinds of Learning and Memory
Figure 17.16 Synaptic Changes That May Store Memories (Part 2)
Figure 17.22 Roles of NMDA and AMPA Receptors in Induction of LTP in the CA1 Region
Learning and memory: Questions you should be able to answer
• What did HM teach us about how the brain
learns?
• What are the cellular correlates of short and
long term memory?
• Different forms of learning depend on or
engage different parts of the brain.
– Name a type of learning and the brain region(s)
important for this type of learning.
– Name some of the methods/approaches
neuroscientist use to identify what parts of the
brain are involved in certain forms of learning?
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Language
Language: Questions you should be able to answer
• What cortical lobe is most associated with
aspects of language?
• Our capacity to produce versus understand
speech depends on two different areas of
the brain.
– What are their names and what function is lost
when each area is damaged?
• Language is functionally lateralized.
– Explain what this means.
– Are all aspects of language lateralized?
Figure 19.6 Cortical Speech and Language Areas in Humans
Figure 19.7 Brain Lesions That Produce Aphasia
Language: Questions you should be able to answer
• What cortical lobe is most associated with
aspects of language?
• Our capacity to produce versus understand
speech depends on two different areas of
the brain.
– What are their names and what function is lost
when each area is damaged?
• Language is functionally lateralized.
– Explain what this means.
– Are all aspects of language lateralized?
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Motor
Motor control: Questions you should be able to answer
• Two different kinds of mechanoreceptors help to
regulate movement.
– What are they called
– Where are they located?
– What sort of stimuli are each sensitive to?
• Placing a heavy object in someone’s hand causes
her/his arm to lower; s/he quickly recovers and brings
the arm back up.
– Describe the neural pathway and events involved.
• E.g., What detects the increased load? What is happening to allow
the am to return its original position?
• What neurodegenerative disease causes
motoneurons in the brain (what region?) and the
spinal cord to die?
Figure 11.8 Motoneurons and Neuromuscular Junctions (Part 2)
Figure 3.17 The Knee Jerk Reflex
Figure 11.10 The Stretch Reflex Circuit
Figure 11.16 Human Motor Cortical Areas
Motor control: Questions you should be able to answer
• Two different kinds of mechanoreceptors help to
regulate movement.
– What are they called
– Where are they located?
– What sort of stimuli are each sensitive to?
• Placing a heavy object in someone’s hand causes
her/his arm to lower; s/he quickly recovers and brings
the arm back up.
– Describe the neural pathway and events involved.
• E.g., What detects the increased load? What is happening to allow
the am to return its original position?
• What neurodegenerative disease causes
motoneurons in the brain (what region?) and the
spinal cord to die?
Figure 11.18 Basal Ganglia Involved in Movement
What late-onset diseases are associated with
neurodegeneration in the basal ganglia?
What parts of the basal ganglia degenerate
for what disease?
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
Sleep
• The role of light in daily rhythms
• The “master clock” in the brain
Sleep: Questions you should be able to answer.
• Brain activity changes during sleep.
– Describe these changes in brain activity during sleep and
indicate the name of the device used to measures brain
activity.
• The REM stage of sleep is paradoxical. How so?
• Name two sleep disorders and discuss what is
happening in the body and/or brain to cause these
disorders.
• A part of the brain is called the “master clock”
– What is this brain region called and what kind of
information does it receive from the environment?
• What two chemical signals in the brain are thought
be responsible for triggering sleep?
Figure 14.5 The Retinohypothalamic Pathway in Mammals
Figure 14.11 Electrophysiological Correlates of Sleep and Waking
Figure 14.27 Brain Mechanisms Underlying Sleep
Figure 14.30 Neural Degeneration in Humans with Narcolepsy
Sleep: Questions you should be able to answer.
• Brain activity changes during sleep.
– Describe these changes in brain activity during sleep and
indicate the name of the device used to measures brain
activity.
• The REM stage of sleep is paradoxical. How so?
• Name two sleep disorders and discuss what is
happening in the body and/or brain to cause these
disorders.
• A part of the brain is called the “master clock”
– What is this brain region called and what kind of
information does it receive from the environment?
• What two chemical signals in the brain are thought
be responsible for triggering sleep?
Brain Bee at MSU Review Session
• Stress
Figure 15.19 Autonomic Activation during a Stress Situation
Figure 15.21 Factors That Interact during the Development and Progression of Disease
Stress: Questions you should be able to answer.
• Stress induces striking changes in the
function of many organs in the body via the
autonomic nervous system (ANS).
– Name the two parts of the ANS and indicate
how their activity changes during stress.
– How might these changes be adaptive during
acute stress?
– What adrenal hormone increases when
someone feels stressed?
• Exposure to prolonged stressors causes
numerous health risks. What are some of
them?