Neuroscience
Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Email: chudler@uw.edu
Neuroscience?
• Why important?
• History of neuroscience
• Neuroanatomy
o Neurons
o Spinal cord
o Brain
• Senses
• Movement
• Learning/memory
• Sleep
Why Neuroscience?
Why is it important
to understand the
brain?
Why Study Neuroscience?
• Neurological disorders are common
• Education “Standards/Benchmarks”
• Career Opportunities
?
• Social Issues/Life-Style Choices
• Education Practices
• Knowing more about ourselves
Family/Individual
NEUROSCIENCE
Standards/Benchmarks/Guidelines
Society
Economic/Emotional Costs
Disease
Cost/year
Sleep Disorders---------------------$ 100 billion
Cases
70,000,000
Alzheimer’s Disease-----------
$ 148 billion
5,000,000
Hearing Loss---------------------
$ 2.5 billion
32,000,000
Traumatic Head Injury--------
$ 60 billion
5,300,000
Depressive Disorders---------
$ 70 billion
20,900,000
Stroke-------------------------------
$ 51 billion
5,200,000
Schizophrenia--------------------
$ 32.5 billion
2,000,000
Parkinson’s Disease-----------
$ 5.6 billion
1,000,000
Spinal Cord Injury---------------
$ 10 billion
250,000
Multiple Sclerosis---------------- $ 10.6 billion
400,000
Huntington’s Disease----------- $ 2 billion
Statistics from Brain Facts, Society for Neuroscience, 2008
30,000
Impending “Surge”
(Stroke)
By 2030:
• 3.88%: US population (>18 years of age) will
have had a stroke.
• $183.13 billion: Total direct annual strokerelated medical costs.
• $56.54 billion: Indirect annual costs (attributable
to lost productivity)
Ovbiagele et al., Forecasting the future of stroke in the United States: a policy statement from the American
Heart Association and American Stroke Association, Stroke, 44:2361-2375, 2013.
People with dementia (millions)
Impending Global “Surge”
90
80
Estimates of dementia
81,100,000
70
60
50
42,300,000
40
30
24,300,000
20
10
0
2001
2020
2040
YEAR
Ferri, C.P., et al., Global prevalence of dementia: a Delphi consensus study,
The Lancet, 366:2112-2117, 2005.
Social Consequences
Legal:
lie detectors, polygraph, courtroom
Ethical: mental competency, cognitive
enhancement
Medical: brain death, life, drug abuse and
mental health treatment
“NEUROETHICS”
The Nervous System
• What does the
nervous system do?
?
• What is the nervous
system made of?
• What are the parts of
the nervous system?
Functions of the Nervous System?
The Senses:
see, hear, smell, taste, touch
Emotions:
happiness, sadness, anger
Movement:
muscle control
Automatic responses:
heart rate, breathing
Cognition
think, plan, problem solve
Language
speech, reading, writing
Brain, Brain…What is a Brain?
How are these objects like a brain?
Composition of the Nervous System?
Water (78%), lipids/fats
(10%) and protein (8%).
Two main types of brain cells:
Nerve Cells (Neurons) - communicate
with other neurons; store information
Glial Cells (Glia) - support, insulation,
clean-up (made of lipid [fat])
Composition of the Nervous System?
Cerebrospinal Fluid
Protection
Buoyancy
Excretion of waste products
Endocrine medium for the brain
Divisions of the Nervous System
Central Nervous System
Brain
Spinal Cord
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19588.htm
Peripheral Nervous System
Nerves
Divisions of the Nervous System
Central Nervous System
Brain
Left
Spinal Cord
Right
Divisions of the Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
Peripheral
Nervous System
Somatic
Nervous
System
Autonomic
Nervous
System
Organization of the Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
External Features
Front
Top
Back
Top View
Bottom
Size (weight)?
Gender differences?
Side View
Brain Size
Adult human brain weight = 1.4 kg (~3 lb)
(Data from Dekaban, A.S. and Sadowsky, D., Ann. Neurology, 4:345-356, 1978)
Brain/Body Ratio
(Data from Dekaban, A.S. and Sadowsky, D., Ann. Neurology, 4:345-356, 1978)
Brain Hemispheres
Right Side
Cerebral Cortex
Corpus Callosum
Left Side
Brain Hemispheres
Left
Right
Hemisphere
Left
Right
Hand
LANGUAGE – left side!
Handedness
Which hand is dominant?
Foot, Ear, Eye Dominance
Tube look
Finger site
Paper hole
Kick ball
Step up
Step on
Cup ear
Hear wall
Hear box
Which is dominant?
Language
Speaking the written word
Spe
Neuroanatomy
Rostral
Caudal
Dorsal
Ventral
Rostral
Medial
Lateral
Dorsal
Caudal
Rostral
Ventral
Frontal
Sagittal
Caudal
Horizontal
The Brain
Cerebral cortex
Thalamus
Midbrain
Hypothalamus
Cerebellum
Brainstem
Speaking of Neuroscience
Origin of brain words from Greek and Latin.
Amygdala = Almond
Arachnoid = Spider web
Dendrite = Tree
Cochlea = Snail shell
Function/Structure
CEREBRAL CORTEX
• Thought
• Voluntary movement
• Language
• Reasoning
• Perception
BRAIN STEM
• Breathing
• Heart Rate
• Blood Pressure
CEREBELLUM
• Movement
• Balance
• Posture
HYPOTHALAMUS
• Body Temperature
• Emotions
• Hunger
• Thirst
• Circadian Rhythms
Function/Structure
THALAMUS
• Sensory processing
• Movement
BASAL GANGLIA
• Movement
• Reward
MIDBRAIN
• Vision
• Audition
• Eye Movement
• Body Movement
LIMBIC AREAS
(amygdala, hippocampus, etc.)
• Emotions
• Memory
The Brain
Gray matter – areas of the CNS with high concentrations of cell bodies;
outer surface of cerebrum (cerebral cortex)
White matter – areas of the CNS with mostly myelinated axons; inner
part of cerebrum
Glial cells – cells in the brain that nourish and protect neurons
Cerebral Cortex
Controls information processing; wrinkled to increase surface area
Composed of 8 lobes (4 on each side)
Brain Areas are Specialized for Different Functions
Brain Areas are Specialized for Different Functions
Comparative Neuroanatomy
1
2
3
4
5
6
Comparative Mammalian Brain Museum
http://www.brainmuseum.org
Lobes of the Brain
Frontal Lobe
Temporal Lobe
Parietal Lobe
Occipital Lobe
Frontal Lobes
Located in the forehead region
Includes the motor cortex (part of brain that controls voluntary movement)
Includes Broca’s area (needed for forming words; located in left hemisphere only)
Association areas in this region – judgment, planning, processing new memories
Parietal Lobes
Located on the top and rear of head
Contains the sensory cortex (part of brain that registers and processes tactile
information (phantom limb)
Contains the angular gyrus (left hemisphere only) which is involved in
converting written words into sound
Occipital Lobes
Located in the back of the head
Contains the visual cortex
Temporal Lobes
Located on the sides of head, above ears
Receives and processes auditory information
Includes Wernicke’s area (left hemisphere only) - part of brain involved in
understanding language
Corpus Callosum
Bundle of nerves connecting the left and right hemispheres
Corpus Callosum
Men, W., et al. Brain
2013; brain.awt252
?
Brain Stem
Medulla – where spinal cord meets the skull; controls heartbeat and breathing
Pons – above the medulla, this also controls involuntary functions.
Reticular formation– bundle of nerves running through the brainstem; controls
arousal; filters irrelevant background information from senses; modulates pain.
Thalamus
Pair of egg-shaped organs above the brainstem; receives information from
the senses (EXCEPT FOR SMELL) and relays it to the rest of the brain.
Thalamus
Cerebellum
Controls balance and coordination
In the rear of the head, behind the brainstem
Spinal Cord
Cranial Nerves
Test the Cranial Nerves
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
I - smell
II - vision
III – eye move./pupil
IV – eye move
V – touch face; muscle chew
VI – eye move
VII – face muscles; ant 2/3 taste
VIII – balance, hearing
IX – post. 2/3 taste, swallow, intraoral touch
X – sensory/motor/auton. viscera
XI – head movement
XII – tongue muscles
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
Reflexes
Pupillary Reflex
Knee-jerk Reflex
Blink Reflex