| What is the enteric nervous system (ENS)? | Part of the PNS.
Contains 100million neurons - referred to as "2nd brain".
Has its own reflexes and senses that can act independently of the brain (acts autonomously).
Plays a major role in emotions and stress.
Does not help digestion.
90% of connections between the brain and gut go from the gut to the brain. |
| What is neuroscience? | Study of the function and structures of the nervous system (e.g. brain, neurons, synapses). |
| What does behaviour refer to? | Relates to the observable actions of humans, animals or artificial systems.
In psychology, there is a history of using behaviour as an indicator or internal mental processes, thoughts, emotions and desired ("behaviourism"). |
| What are changes to our understanding of the brain limited by? | Religious or moral views.
Methodological limitations.
Serendipity - reliance on chance discoveries.
Scientific conservatism. |
| Who was Hippocrates (460-370BCE)? | Lived during Ancient Greece.
Considered father of modern medicine.
First to propose brain controls the body.
Our brain is the command centre of body (not heart). |
| Who was Rene Descartes? | French philosopher who formulated the mind-body problem.
'I think therefore I am'. - was first to discuss interactions between mental and physical. |
| Who was Luigi Galvaini? | Suggested nerve signals are electrical. |
| Who was Franz Joseph Gall? | Proposed idea of a modular brain.
Studied relationship between brain and personality.
The brain was composed of several distinct 'organs of thought' or faculties.
Reflected by characteristic patterns of bumps on the skull. |
| What was the significance of Gall? | Introduced the notion of cortical localisation of function. |
| What is Broca's aphasia? | Defined as when someone was unable to speak after damage to the left frontal lobe, but has normal chewing and comprehension.
Significance - the first solid evidence of brain modularity. |
| What is Wernicke's aphasia? | Defined as when someone was comprehend speech after damage to the left frontal lobe, but has normal chewing and comprehension. |
| What are the physical characteristics of the brain? | Adult brain weights ~1400 grams.
3% of body weight.
100 billion neurons.
1,000,000 billion synapses.
10^(1e6) possible circuits.
Consumes 20% of energy resources of entire body.
Energy efficient (runs on 20W). |
| What are the limitations of clinical neuropsychology? | Often difficult to test intensively.
Problem of replicability in single cases.
Assumes local lesions have local effects.
No control of lesion size of location in brain 'experiments of nature'. |
| What is comparative neuroanatomy? | Comparing brain structures across species. |
| What are some of the key findings from comparative anatomy? | Brain size isn't proportional to intelligence.
Greater the number of neurons, the greater the synaptic connections between them and the greater complexity of function of the brain.
Brains support functional specialisation. |
| Give some examples of international brain projects? | Allen Brain Institute.
Human Brain Project.
The Virtual Brain. |
| What was the Allen Brain Institute project? | Creating very detailed maps/atlas with data from mouse & human brain from brain areas -> neurons -> genes. |
| What was the Human Brain Project? | EU 10-year initiative worth over $1Billion.
Emphasis on simulating neurons for “brain inspired computing”
“neuromorphic computing” (sometimes described as “brain on a chip”). |
| What was the Virtual Brain project? | Simulates whole brain dynamics and functional connectivity to understand global brain function in healthy and disordered states like epilepsy. |
| What are the two main divisions of the nervous system? | Peripheral nervous system (PNS) - cranial and spinal nerves.
Central nervous system (CNS) - brain and spinal cord. |
| What is the peripheral nervous system based off? | Somantic system.
Autonomic system. |
| What does the central nervous system consist of? | Contains the brain and spinal cord.
Brain is encased by the skull whilst the spinal cord sits within the vertebrae which allows both protection and flexibility ina moving body. |
| What is the peripheral nervous system? | Refers to network of nerves that extends to from the CNS throughout the body.
PNS sends messages from the brain to control muscle movement.
PNS received sensory information about body position, pain, temperature and transmits to the CNS. |
| What is the somatic nervous system? | Receives sensory information from the sensory organs and controls movement of skeletal muscle.
Efferent and afferent cranial nerves and spinal nerves. |
| What do efferent nerve fibers do? | Send signals from brain to muscle. |
| What do afferent nerve fibers do? | Send signals from peripheral sensory areas to communicate from sense modalities back to the brain. |
| What are spinal nerves? | Sensory and motor pathways. |
| What is the automatic nervous system (ANS) do? | Mediates non-voluntary functions of the nervous system.
Includes the smooth muscle, cardiac muscle and glands. |
| What does the ANS consist of? | Paraysympthetic system.
Sympathetic system.
These regulate important bodily functions and repsonses through opposing influences throughout the body.
Enteric nervous system which supports digestion. |
| What is the parasympathetic system? | Driven predominantly by increase Acetylchloline (Ach) release.
Dominates when the body is in "rest and digest" mode. |
| What is the Sympathetic system driven? | Driven predominantly by increase Noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline.
Dominates during times of stress or threat. Puts body into "Fight or Flight" mode. |
| What is the enteric nervous system (ENS)? | Part of the PNS.
Contains 100million neurons - referred to as "2nd brain".
Has its own reflexes and senses that can act independently of the brain (acts autonomously).
Plays a major role in emotions and stress.
Does not help digestion.
90% of connections between the brain and gut go from the gut to the brain. |
