BM402: Engineering in Medicine Overview

BM402: Engineering in Medicine

• Course offered at M 2170 - South Campus on October 10, 2024
• Course covers: Introduction to Engineering in Medicine, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Biomedical Instrumentation and Signal Processing (e.g., Sensors, medical devices EEG, ECG, pulse oximeters), Medical Imaging I (X-ray, CT, PET), Medical Imaging II (MRI and Multimodal Imaging e.g., EEG-fMRI, PET-MRI), Rehabilitation Technologies and Neurofeedback, and a Midterm exam.

Today's schedule (for October 10, 2024)

• Classification of animals/brains
• Anatomy of the brain
• Brain function and physiology
• Measures of physiology

Classification of animals (brains)

• All animals respond to internal and external environmental changes to survive.
• They have cells sensitive to stimuli (e.g., light, sound).
• Sensory cells connect to other cells to move or change the organism in response to stimuli.
• Invertebrates have a distributed nervous system, a network of reactive fibers throughout the body, sometimes with ganglia.

Invertebrate Brain

• The simplest nervous systems are seen in tiny aquatic invertebrates (e.g., hydra).
• These consist of a loose network of sensory cells with clumps of interconnected cells called ganglia.
• The earthworm exhibits a crude brain (cerebral ganglion) connected to a ventral nerve cord that runs the length of its body.
• Nerve fibers extend into segments, coordinating muscle contractions in response to stimuli.

Vertebrate Brain

• Vertebrate brains are well-developed and highly interconnected, compared to invertebrates.
• A central nervous system connects to the rest of the body via a peripheral nervous system including fibers to and from sensory organs.
• The basic vertebrate brain (reptilian brain) contains nuclei just above the brainstem, responsible for arousal, sensation, and reactions to stimuli.
• More advanced features like the limbic system and cerebral cortex are only found in mammals.
• Fish have a cerebrum, receiving sensory signals, and a large cerebellum for movement and pressure control.
• Amphibians have a cerebrum for sensory perception (especially smell, reflected in a large olfactory bulb), and a relatively large forebrain.
• Reptiles have a more developed basal forebrain and a larger cerebrum compared to optic lobes.
• The olfactory bulb is significantly developed.

Mammal Brains

• Mammalian brains have a complex cortex that evolved to meet the unique needs of each species.
• The cortex is a wrinkled covering.
• The limbic system (part of the brain) produces emotions and processes "grab" or "avoid" reactions, going beyond basic functions.
• Limbic system also encodes experiences as memories used to guide future actions.
• The range and complexity of mammals' behavior is greater than that of vertebrates due to limbic systems and memory faculties.
• Some mammals (humans, elephants, dolphins) have a relatively larger cortex.

Hominid Brains

• Hominid brains (humans and ancestors) display evolutionary changes.
• A major difference between humans and other mammals is the size and density of the cortex, especially the frontal lobe, responsible for complex thought, judgment, and self-reflection.

Mammal Brains (continued)

• Birds' brains are similar to reptiles' brains but have a more developed cerebellum to control balance and flight.
• Mammalian cerebellums are relatively smaller compared to the forebrain.

Human Brain

• True or False questions about the human brain.
• The average brain weighs 1.4kg (True)
• The brain is attached to the skull (False)
• There are six lobes in each hemisphere (False)
• The brain floats in cerebrospinal fluid (True)
• Neurons are the basic brain cells (True)
• Brain communicates via chemicals (True)
• Each lobe of the brain has specific functions (True)
• Human brain anatomy is complex and hidden compared to other body parts.
• The brain and spinal cord form the CNS, and gray and white matter are two different regions of the CNS.
• Gray matter contains cell bodies, dendrites and axon terminals, with synaptic connections.
• White matter consists of axons that connect different parts of gray matter.

Main Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

• The brain is divided into three units: forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
• The hindbrain includes the upper part of the spinal cord, the brain stem, and the cerebellum.
• The hindbrain controls essential body functions, like respiration, and heart rate.
• The midbrain is the uppermost part of the brainstem and crucial for reflex actions and processing visual and auditory signals.
• The forebrain is the largest part of the human brain and contains the entire cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, pineal gland, and the limbic system.
• At a higher level, a cerebrum, brainstem, and cerebellum are distinctive.
• The cerebrum handles speech, judgment, thinking, problem-solving, emotions, learning (all functions of the grey matter cortex) and vision, hearing, and touching, also contained in the grey matter.
• The cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital).

Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)

• CSF is a clear, colorless fluid in vertebrates.
• Its main functions are protection, nourishment, and waste removal.

Overview (10 Minutes)

• List of physiological processes that the slides cover (e.g., breathing, sensory integration, vision, judgment, swallowing, language, recognition, balance, emotional response, attention, hearing, touch perception, coordination, memory acquisition, categorization).

Central Nervous System (CNS)

• Contains the brain and spinal cord.
• The brain has three major parts: cerebrum (high-level thinking), cerebellum (balance and coordination), brainstem (heart rate and breathing).
• The brainstem connects the cerebrum to the spinal cord and the cerebellum.
• The brain is responsible for controlling many vital functions.
• The spinal cord connects the rest of your brain to your spinal cord and is responsible for functions including sensory processing, motor function, reflexes, and autonomic functions.
• Rapid responses to stimuli are controlled via autonomic functions.
• The corpus callosum is a large white matter nerve tract.
• The thalamus relays sensory information to the brain.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

• Composed of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
• Somatic NS is responsible for sensory information and motor commands to control voluntary movements.
• The autonomic nervous system manages involuntary functions via the sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest response).
• The autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate, digestion, sleep, mood, and blood pressure, etc.

Measures of Physiology & Devices

• Specific devices and their functions are covered and the following topics are introduced.
• Respiration Rate and Volume (RVT) measurements and Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP) belts for this purpose.
• Pulse Oximetry & Photoplethysmography are discussed along with the pulse oximeter device.
• Blood Pressure measurement and the sphygmomanometer device.
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and the GSR sensor to measure skin conductance are discussed
• Pupillometry measurements involve the pupillometer and eye camera.
• Temperature through thermometers and skin temperature sensors.
• Other devices for physiological measurements like ECG, EEG, EMG are briefly introduced as possibilities for more in-depth research of their functions.

This quiz covers key topics from the BM402 course, focusing on the intersection of engineering and medicine. It includes concepts related to human anatomy, physiological measurements, and biomedical instrumentation relevant for medical imaging. Test your understanding of how engineering principles are applied in medical technology.