Brain  Bee  Boot  Camp  2013  

Rae  Nishi,  PhD  Professor,  Neurological  Sciences  

Member,  Dana  Alliance  for  the  Brain  IniBaBve  

Resources  for  You  

•  This  presentaBon  (will  post  on  VBB  website)  •  Brain  Facts  Website:  

–  h"p://www.brainfacts.org  

•  Brain  Facts  2012  booklet  (can  be  downloaded  as  a  pdf  from  the  brainfacts.org  website)  

•  Neuroscience  for  Kids  website    –  h"p://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html    

Compare  Brain  Structures  

Human  

Mou

se  

Brain  Anatomy  

cerebral  cortex  

cerebellum  corpus  callosum  

brain  stem  

thalamus  

spinal  cord  

Brain  Anatomy:  Cerebral  Cortex  

h"p://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/jpeg5/CNS014.jpg  

frontal  lobe  

parietal    lobe  

occipital    lobe    

temporal  lobe  

What does the brain look like inside?�Sagittal Plane�

The  sagi)al  plane  divides  the  brain  into  le3  and  right  halves.

MagneBc  Resonance  Imaging  (MRI)  

Coronal (frontal) Plane  

Horizontal Plane�

The Brainstem  

©  2005  Pearson  EducaBon  

pons

medulla

midbrain

Cranial Nerves  •  Oh, oh, oh, to touch and feel very green vegetables…. Ah, Heaven �•  Some Say Marry Money, But My Brother Says Big Brains Matter More  

I      Olfactory  Sensory  Smell  II  Op<c  Sensory  Sight  III  Oculomotor  Motor  Eye  movement  IV  Trochlear  Motor  Eye  movement  V  Trigeminal  Both  Face  sense,  chew  VI  Abducens  Motor  Eye  movement  VII  Facial  Both  Face  movement,  taste    VIII  Ves<bulocochlear  Sensory  Balance/hearing  IX  Glossopharyngeal  Both  Taste,  swallow  X  Vagus  Both  Taste,  heart  rate  XI  Accessory  Motor  Swallow,  turn  head  XII  Hypoglossal  Motor  S<ck  out  tongue  

Cranial  Nerves  

Figure 13-2

Spinal Cord    

©  2005  Pearson  EducaBon

The  spinal  nerves  form  the  cauda  equina  (“horse’s  tail”)

Gray  MaWer  vs  White  MaWer  

Nissl Stain

reGna.umh.es/Webvision/  VisualCortex.html  

Silver (Golgi) Stain

h"p://www.madrimasd.org/cienciaysociedad/patrimonio/personajes/sanGago_ramon_ycajal/Default.asp  

Santiago Ramon y Cajal 1854-­‐1934  

Josh  Sanes  

Jeff  Lichtman  h"p://golgi.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/SanesLichtman.html  

Neurons    

Dendrite  –  receives  input  

Soma  (cell  body)  –  cell  organelles  

Axon  –  conducts  electrical  impulse  (ac<on  poten<al)  

Myelin:  “insula<on”  for  axon  

Node  of  Ranvier  =  gap  in  myelin    

Nerve  terminal  –  contains  neurotransmi)er  vesicles  

Synapse  –  communica<on  with  next  neuron    

Gray  MaWer  vs  White  MaWer  

Gray  =  neuronal  cell  bodies  White  =  axons  (with  myelin)  

Neurons  Look  different  based  on  where  they  are  and  what  they  do

Spinal  cord  

Motor    neuron

Cerebellum�

Purkinje� neuron �

Cerebral  Cortex  

Pyramidal      neuron

Non-neuronal Cells  

Schwann  cells/Oligodendrocytes  (myelin)  

Astrocytes �

Microglia� Ependymal cells�

Neuron  connecBons  

hWp://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/synapse.html    SYNAPSE  

Many  Synapses  per  Neurons  

NeurotransmiWers  •  Small  molecules  

–  Acetylcholine  –  Catecholamines  

•  Norepinephrine  •  Dopamine  

–  Serotonin    –  Amino  acids  

•  Glycine  •  GABA  (gamma  amino  butyric  acid)  

•  Glutamate  •  Aspartate  

–  Nitric  oxide  (gas)  –  ATP,  adenosine  

•  PepBdes  –  Substance  P  –  Opioid  pepBdes  

•  Enkephalin  •  Endorphin  •  Dynorphin    

–  Many  others!  

Drugs  of  Abuse  Interfere  with  Normal  Neurotransmission  

•  Cocaine:  blocks  reuptake  of  dopamine  so  there  is  too  much  dopamine  in  the  brain  

•  NicoBne:  acts  like  acetylcholine  •  Morphine:  acts  like  opioid  pepBdes  •  Methamphetamine:  acts  on  many  transmiWer  systems:  more  dopamine,  more  sBmulaBon  

Neuromodulators  

•  Trophic  factors  – Nerve  growth  factor  (NGF)  – Brain  derived  neurotrophic  factor  (BDNF)  

•  Hormones  – Steroid  hormones  (estrogen,  androgen  (testosterone))  – Thyroid  hormone  – Metabolic  hormones  (insulin,  ghrelin,  lepBn)  

Brain  Development  

Brain  Development  

Brain  Development  MigraBon  

Growth  cones  

The  human  brain  doesn’t  stop  developing  unBl  you  are  in  your  20’s!  

•  Egg  -­‐>  divides  -­‐>  many  cells  -­‐>  nervous  system  •  Neurons  migrate  and  differenBate  •  Axons  grow  out  •  Synapses  form  •  Important  synapses  are  kept  and  unimportant  ones  are  lost  

Senses  and  PercepBon  

•  Visual  system:            hWp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajnsDVsP0Uk    

•  Auditory  system:  hWp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahCbGjasm_E    

•  Taste  and  smell:  hWp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N42c52lCQNc&playnext=1&list=PL5CF6B36F5BFD5DB6&feature=results_main    

•  Sensory  system:  •  hWp://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=TAzTFgPSPiU&playnext=1&list=PL21176A6D4AA873DC&feature=results_main    

Childhood  Disorders  

•  AuBsm  spectrum  disorders  –  Inability  to  interact  and  communicate  effecBvely  

•  AWenBon  deficit  hyperacBvity  disorder  –  Impulsivity;  inability  to  focus;  lack  of  aWenBon  

•  Down  syndrome  – Learning  disability  (3  copies  of  chromosome  21)  

•  Dyslexia  –  Inability  to  read;  lack  of  phonology  (can’t  recognize  phonemes  from  wriWen  words)  

NeurodegeneraBve  Disorders  

•  Alzheimer’s  Disease    –  age  related  loss  of  short  term  memory  followed  by  demenBa;  neurons  

die  in  hippocampus  and  cortex  

•  Parkinson’s  Disease  –  Loss  of  iniBaBon  of  voluntary  movement;  dopamine  containing  

neurons  in  midbrain  die  

•  Lou  Gehrig’s  Disease  (amyotrophic  lateral  sclerosis)  –  Paralysis;  lack  of  movement,  atrophy  of  muscles;  motor  neurons  die  

•  HunBngton’s  Disease  –  Unwanted  movements;  neurons  in  caudate-­‐putamen  (basal  ganglia)

die  

Keys  to  Success  

•  Have  fun  •  Be  curious  •  Ask  quesBons,  then  seek  answers  •  Always  want  to  learn!!