Neuron Physiology and Early Discoveries Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What research derailed the study of the mind in the early 1900s?

Skinner’s operant conditioning

Watson’s behaviorism (correct)

Donders and Ebbinghaus' early research

Recording nerve impulses from single neurons

When did the study of the mind experience a cognitive revolution?

1930s

Late 1900s

1950s and 1960s (correct)

1800s

What technological advances led to a large increase in physiological research?

Digital computers

Recording nerve impulses from single neurons (correct)

Research on the mind

Study of neural networks

What inspired the information-processing model in the study of the mind?

Digital computers Signup and view all the answers

What is cognitive neuroscience primarily concerned with?

Studying the physiological basis of cognition Signup and view all the answers

What does the analogy of understanding a car from different levels imply?

Studying cognition from different perspectives Signup and view all the answers

What is the analogy drawn between behavior and physiological processes?

Behavior is analogous to measuring a car’s performance, while physiological processes are like looking under the hood Signup and view all the answers

What does studying cognitive physiology involve?

Studying brain processes at different levels, from the whole brain to chemicals within brain structures Signup and view all the answers

What are the physiological processes of perceiving and remembering related to?

Chemical reactions, neurons, and brain structures Signup and view all the answers

What is necessary for understanding any phenomenon, such as how people remember past experiences?

Studying it at different levels of analysis Signup and view all the answers

In what ways does the book describe research in cognition?

At both behavioral and physiological levels Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the basic building blocks of the nervous system?

The neuron Signup and view all the answers

What is required to understand the physiological basis of perception and memory?

Observing neurons Signup and view all the answers

What do neurons create and transmit information about?

What we experience and know Signup and view all the answers

What is involved in understanding the relation between the brain and the mind?

Observing neurons within the brain Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'levels of analysis' refer to in cognitive neuroscience?

Studying a topic in different ways to gain a comprehensive understanding Signup and view all the answers

What did Edgar Adrian use to record electrical signals from single neurons in the 1920s?

Hollow glass microelectrodes Signup and view all the answers

What is the resting potential of the axon when at rest?

70 millivolts more negative than the outside Signup and view all the answers

What is the mechanism by which information is transmitted throughout the nervous system?

Action potential Signup and view all the answers

What is the duration of the action potential?

1 millisecond Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the height and shape of action potentials as they travel down the axon?

They maintain their height and shape Signup and view all the answers

What happens when the signals reach the synapse at the end of the axon?

A neurotransmitter is released Signup and view all the answers

What is the composition of modern physiologists' choice for recording electrodes?

Metal microelectrodes Signup and view all the answers

Where is the tip of the electrode positioned in most recordings achieved in practice?

Just outside the neuron Signup and view all the answers

What is the essential component of the recording process in terms of charge difference?

Difference in charge between the recording and reference electrodes Signup and view all the answers

What development was necessary to make the extremely small electrical signals generated by the neuron visible?

Development of powerful electronic amplifiers Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in charge between the inside and outside of the axon when at rest?

270 millivolts Signup and view all the answers

What is the ideal method for sending signals over a distance?

Action potential Signup and view all the answers

Who is recognized as the pioneer of the cellular study of mental life?

Ramon y Cajal Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal conclude about the nerve net?

It is made up of individual units Signup and view all the answers

What is the basis of the neuron doctrine?

Individual cells transmit signals in the nervous system Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of dendrites in neurons?

Receive signals Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal conclude about the nature of signals transmitted by neurons?

They are a combination of electrical impulses and neurotransmitter molecules Signup and view all the answers

What did the early staining techniques reveal about brain tissue?

The nerve net is continuous Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal's work lay the foundation for understanding?

The structure and function of neurons, synapses, and neural circuits Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal conclude about the nerve net in the 19th century?

It is continuous Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of the connections between neurons?

Specific connections Signup and view all the answers

What is crucial for comprehending how the nervous system functions?

Understanding the signals that travel in neurons Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal's staining technique reveal about brain tissue?

The nerve net is discontinuous Signup and view all the answers

What did Cajal's concepts form the basis of understanding?

How the brain creates cognitions Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Recording Electrical Signals from Neurons

Edgar Adrian recorded electrical signals from single neurons in the 1920s using microelectrodes, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1932.
Microelectrodes are small shafts of hollow glass filled with a conductive salt solution, which pick up electrical signals at the electrode tip and conduct these signals back to a recording device.
A typical setup used for recording from a single neuron involves a recording electrode and a reference electrode, with the difference in charge between the two electrodes being fed into a computer and displayed on the computer’s screen.
When the axon is at rest, there is a resting potential of 270 millivolts between the inside and outside of the axon, and as a nerve impulse passes the recording electrode, the charge inside the axon rises to 140 millivolts compared to the outside.
The action potential, which is the mechanism by which information is transmitted throughout the nervous system, lasts about 1 millisecond.
Action potentials are ideal for sending signals over a distance because they travel down the axon without changing their height or shape.
When the signals reach the synapse at the end of the axon, a neurotransmitter is released, making it possible for the signal to be transmitted across the gap to the dendrite or cell body of another neuron.
Modern physiologists use metal microelectrodes for recording electrical signals from neurons.
In practice, most recordings are achieved with the tip of the electrode positioned just outside the neuron, as it is technically difficult to insert electrodes into the neuron, especially if it is small.
The difference in charge between the recording and reference electrodes is displayed on a computer monitor, and this difference in charge is an essential component of the recording process.
The exact nature of the signals transmitted by neurons had to await the development of electronic amplifiers that were powerful enough to make the extremely small electrical signals generated by the neuron visible.
The resting potential of the axon is 70 millivolts more negative than the outside, and this difference continues as long as the neuron is at rest.

Early Conceptions of Neurons

In the 19th century, special stains were applied to brain tissue, revealing a network called the nerve net, believed to be continuous.
Italian anatomist Camillo Golgi developed a staining technique that showed individual neurons in brain tissue.
Spanish physiologist Ramon y Cajal used Golgi stain and studied tissue from newborn animals to demonstrate that the nerve net was made up of individual units, not continuous.
Cajal's discovery of neurons as individual units formed the basis of the neuron doctrine, which states that individual cells transmit signals in the nervous system.
Neurons have a cell body, dendrites to receive signals, and axons to transmit signals.
Cajal also concluded that there are synapses between neurons, specific connections between neurons, and specialized receptors for environmental information.
Cajal's concepts of individual neurons, synapses, and neural circuits are fundamental to understanding how the brain creates cognitions.
Cajal's discoveries earned him the Nobel Prize in 1906 and he is recognized as the pioneer of the cellular study of mental life.
Cajal knew that neurons transmitted signals, but the nature of these signals was not initially clear.
Neurons transmit signals through electrical impulses and release neurotransmitter molecules at the synapse to communicate with other neurons.
Understanding the signals that travel in neurons is crucial to comprehending how the nervous system functions.
Cajal's work laid the foundation for understanding the structure and function of neurons, synapses, and neural circuits, which are fundamental to modern cognitive neuroscience.

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Description

Neuron Physiology and Early Discoveries Quiz: Test your knowledge on recording electrical signals from neurons and early conceptions of neurons by answering questions on microelectrodes, action potentials, Nobel Prize-winning scientists, neuron structure, synaptic transmission, and pioneering research in neuroscience.