Neuroscience Basics

Question 1

What is Neuroscience?

Answer 1

the study of the brain and the rest of the nervous system

Question 2

The Human Brain: Orientation

Answer 2

• Superior (upper)
• Inferior (lower)
• Anterior (forwards)
• Posterior (backwards)

Question 3

The Human Brain - Orientation

Answer 3

• Dorsal (top)
• Caudal (back)
• Ventral (bottom)
• Rostral (front)

Question 4

Cortex

Answer 4

• brain tissue covering the top and sides of the brain, involved in many functions
• Outer layer or ‘bark’

Question 5

Cerebellum

Answer 5

regulation and coordination of complex voluntary muscular movement

Question 6

Brainstem

Answer 6

connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord and plays critical roles in regulating automatic functions

Question 7

Directions of the brain - birds-eye view

Answer 7

• Lateral (sides of the brain)
• Medial (towards the midline of the brain)

Question 8

Lobes

Answer 8

• Frontal lobe: plan and perform actions, among other things
• Temporal lobe: language and auditory processing and learning and memory, among other things
• Parietal lobe: processing somatosensory (touch) inputs, among other things
• Occipital lobe: important for visual processing

Question 9

We focus on human brains a lot, but what about other species?

Answer 9

• Across species, brains vary both in overall size and in relative proportions.
• Humans have a disproportionately large cerebral cortex.

Question 10

Regions of the cerebral cortex are specialized for processing different sensory info:

Answer 10

• light (primary visual cortex)
• sound (primary auditory cortex)
• sensation (primary somatosensory cortex).

Question 11

Grey Matter versus White Matter

Answer 11

• Grey matter: Rich in cell bodies
• White Matter: Rich in axons

Question 12

Why do different parts of the brain appear lighter versus darker?

Answer 12

White matter paths

Question 13

The Human Brain – What is it made of? (3 things)

Answer 13

(1) Close to 100 billion neurons
(2) Other types of cells (numerous)(3) Blood vessels

Question 14

Other cells:

Answer 14

Glia: cells of various types. They provide functional or structural support to neurons. Some contribute to changes in connections between neurons

Question 15

(3) Blood vessels - Blood is being supplied to the entire brain – why is this important?

Answer 15

• The blood is providing oxygen
• Important for neuroimaging

Question 16

Neurons Communicate: How?

Answer 16

Answer: electrically and chemically

Question 17

The Synapse: Where Neurons Connect - Neurons contain…

Answer 17

• neurotransmitters, chemical substances that can cross a synapse to affect the activity of a nearby (postsynaptic) neuron
• Can be excitatory (increase the likelihood of postsynaptic firing) or inhibitory (decrease the likelihood of postsynaptic firing)

Question 18

Neuromodulator

Answer 18

a neurotransmitter that modulates activity in a large number of neurons rather than at a single synapse

Question 19

How does this all relate to learning and memory?

Answer 19

Learning and memory researchers have shown that the strength of synaptic communication changes as a result of experience (synaptic plasticity); “Neurons that fire together wire together”

Question 20

Measuring Neural Patterns Due to Learning

Answer 20

• Long-term potentiation (LTP): a process in which synaptic transmission (between neurons) becomes more effective as a result of recent, repeated activity
• LTP is believed to represent a type of synaptic plasticity, which could be a neural mechanism for learning

Question 21

Long-Term Potentiation: Original Studies

Answer 21

(A) Researchers used an electrode to stimulate the axons of presynaptic neurons. A second electrode was used to record the activity of postsynaptic neurons.

(B) Initially, weak stimulation caused only a mild response in the postsynaptic neuron. But after a burst of high-frequency stimulation, the postsynaptic neuron responded more strongly to the weaker stimulation and this persisted.