Nervous Systems

Front 1

How do neurons send different messages?

Back 1

varying the number or frequency of action potentials

Front 2

What causes a neuron to trigger an action potential?

Back 2

-when the membrane potential at the base of axon exceeds threshold voltage

-the generator potential coming from inputs to dendrites and soma influences membrane potential at the base of the axon

Front 3

How do generator potentials from dendrites and soma influence action potentials?

Back 3

They affect membrane potential at base of axon

-Lots of excitatory inputs = depolarization = greater probability for an action potential

-Lots of inhibitory inputs = hyperpolarization = lower probability for an AP

-A mix of excitatory and inhibitory inputs produces an intermediate generator potential

Front 4

What affects the influence of a particular input to dendrites or soma on the probability of action potentials?

Back 4

1. Total number of synapses

2. Location

3. The number and timing of action potentials at each synapse

Front 5

Anatomy of radially symmetrical animals' nervous system

Back 5

decentralized nerve net extending throughout the body

Front 6

Anatomy of bilaterally symmetrical animals' nervous system

Back 6

cephalized (usually)

with centralization of the nervous system: bundles of nerve cells called ganglia

Front 7

The kinds of neurons that vertebrate nervous systems contain

Back 7

sensory neurons

interneurons

motor neurons

Front 8

Central Nervous System

Back 8

brain and spinal cord

contains all 3 kinds of neurons

inter neurons are located in the CNS

Front 9

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 9

outside of CNS

neurons, nerves, ganglia

Front 10

Parasympathetic

Back 10

promotes energy conservation, routing homeostasis

Front 11

Sympathetic

Back 11

prepares for action

Front 12

Somatic NS

Back 12

"voluntary" skeletal muscles

Front 13

Autonomic NS

Back 13

internal regulation

Front 14

Enteric

Back 14

digestive system functions

Front 15

What we know about brain function?

Back 15

-a lot about how the individual components (neurons) work

-A little about anatomy: which function occurs where; how the parts are connected ("wiring diagram")

-a little about evolutionary history

Front 16

What do we not know about the brain ?

Back 16

very little about mechanisms of 'emergent properties' or 'higher funtions' : memory, learning, perception, consciousness, thought

Front 17

cerebellum

Back 17

coordination of movement; largely inhibitory

smooths and modulates motor commands

may also be involved in memory

Front 18

midbrain

pons

medulla

Back 18

relay messages (sensory and motor) between peripheral NS and brain

many autonomic reflexes associated with homeostasis

Front 19

cerebral cortex

Back 19

sensory and motor processing

"intelligence" learning, memory , language

two nearly separate hemispheres, somewhat different functions

left usually dominates - concerned with "logical" functions

right is "emotional"

Front 20

corpus callosum

Back 20

junction of the two cerebral hemispheres

Front 21

gray matter

Back 21

mainly cell bodies

(processing)

Front 22

white matter

Back 22

mainly axons (wiring )

Front 23

Frontal lobe

Back 23

motor

speech

Front 24

parietal lobe

Back 24

sensory

speech

taste

reading

Front 25

occipital lobe

Back 25

reading

visual processing

kinda auditory processing

Front 26

temporal lobe

Back 26

auditory processing

hearing

smell

Front 27

How did we learn what is known about brain function?

Back 27

-examine function in animals (or people) where certain areas of the brain have been destroyed

-stimulate or record from brain regions

-anatomical techniques

-isotopically labeled compounds

-new imaging techniques

-biotechnology and molecular techniques

Front 28

Phineas Gage

Back 28

iron bar was blasted through Phineas' head

he lost sight in one eye but never lost consciousness and eventually healed

Front 29

Importance of Phineas Gage

Back 29

biological basis of behavior

showed different regions can work independently from each other

led to lobotomies

Front 30

How does the brain process information ?

Back 30

-sensory processing often done in spatially separated stages

-clusters of neurons seem to respond to specific patterns

-in some case, processing steps appear to be arranged in discrete layers in the cortex

Front 31

"Mapping"

Back 31

geographical position on cerebral cortex corresponds (roughly) to geographical position on the body surface