An Introduction to Neuroscience

1. An Introduction to Neuroscience What exactly are we talking about? Robert Vick, Ph.D. Department of Biology Elon University

2. Disclaimer • I am a physiologist with an interest in cellular neurochemistry. I have tried to include as many aspects of neuroscience as I can, and this presentation should be taken with a grain of salt. I apologize to any one, group, or discipline that I may not have given adequate due to. Any perceived slight is unintentional.

3. Challenges Faced by Neuroscientists • Understand the biological basis of • Consciousness • Perception • Actions • Learning • Memory • Disease

4. Challenges Faced by Neuroscientists • Are these processes localized to specific regions of the brain? • If so, how does the anatomy and physiology of these specific regions work? • What level (region, sub region, neuron) do we need to go to understand? • Are these processes a collective property of the whole brain?

5. Challenges Faced by Neuroscientists • How does the genetics of an organism influence behavior or perceptions or memory, etc? • How does previous experience alter the way the brain processes and perceive subsequent events?

6. What Do Neuroscientists Study? • Medical problems • Diseases, treatments • Comparative animal problems • Sensory, behavior • Psychological problems • Learning and memory, behavior, processing • Exercise problems • Motivation, effective training techniques

7. Where Do You Find a Neuroscientist? • Hospitals and Medical Centers • Government • FDA • Colleges and Universities • Pharmaceutical companies • Private research organizations

8. What part of the organism do we study? • Cellular Level • CNS v PNS • Neurons • Glia • Astrocytes v Fibroblasts • Oligodendrocytes v Schwann Cells • Microglia • Ependymal cells

9. What part of the organism do we study?

10. What part of the organism do we study? • Neurochemistry • Neurotransmitters • Acetylcholine, Catecholamines, Neuropeptides, Histamines, etc. • Neuropharmachology • Tylenol, Imitrex, Tegretol, etc. • Behavioral Neurochemistry • Psychotic disorders, Affective disorders, Anxiety, Learning and Memory

11. What part of the organism do we study?

12. What part of the organism do we study? • Neurophysiology • Electrical signaling • Action potentials • Vm=RT/zFln Co/Ci • Neural circuitry • Muscle control, Reflexes, Learning, Memory • Processing sensory inputs and making sense of them

13. What part of the organism do we study? • Neurophysiology • How the brain controls the musculature • Process that control what the brain is used for – sleep and attention • How the brain processes and uses language

14. What part of the organism do we study?

15. What part of the organism do we study? • Neuroanatomy • Gross level • Neurohistology

16. What part of the organism do we study?

18. Neurobiology - Multidisciplinary • Molecular Biology • Biochemistry • Cell Biology • Physiology • Anatomy • Behavior

19. What organisms do we use? • Honey bee • Fruit fly • C. elegans • Aplysia • Octopus • Rodents • Humans

20. A Neuroscience Example • Multiple sclerosis • Chronic progressive autoimmune disease that affects the nerves in the brain and spinal cord • Affects 400,000 in the US and 2.5 million people worldwide • 2-3 times as many women are affected as men

21. Multiple Sclerosis • Molecular biology approach • Try to determine what is attacking the myelin sheath

22. Multiple Sclerosis • Biochemical/Cell Biology • An attack on the myelin in the CNS • May be viral, may be autoimmune • Scarring occurs and may form sclerotic areas • Try to determine what is being exposed in the myelin to trigger an immune response • Lipid/protein biochemistry • Immunology

23. Multiple Sclerosis • Physiologic • Damage can slow or block electrical nerve signals that control muscle coordination, strength, sensation, and vision • MS patients are extremely heat sensitive – can be a cause of death • Examine the pathways that are being affected

24. Multiple Sclerosis • Pharmachologic • Drugs that may lessen the effects of the disease • Beta interferon, Copaxone, Tysabri, Novantrone • Drugs that may help with quality of life • Corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, fatigue reduction, bladder issues

25. Multiple Sclerosis • Anatomically • Identify areas of insult • Identify exactly what is being changed • Identify if treatments are having a positive or negative effect on the disease

26. Support the National MS Society

27. Other neurological diseases in the US • Alzheimer’s disease – 3 million and increasing • Parkinson’s disease – 500,000 • Depression – 15 million • Schizophrenia – 2 million • Stroke – 100,000 per year • Addiction

28. Recap • Society for Neuroscience • Over 30,000 attendees at 2007 San Diego meeting • 2008 meeting is in Washington DC in November • Variety of levels and topics to study • Probably someone you know has some connection to neuroscience

29. Acknowledgments • Kandel, Schwartz, and Jessell (1991) Principles of Neural Science 3 ed • Matthews (2002) Neurobiology 2ed • Enchantedlearning.com • Siegel, Agranof, Albers, Molinoff (1989) Basic Neurochemistry4ed • National Multiple Sclerosis Society • MIT open courseware: 901 An Introduction to Neuroscience http://ocw.mit.edu • Belmonte and ThoroughmanIntroduction to Neurosciencehttp://www.mattababby.org • Clancy, Barbara An Introduction to Neuroscience http://faulty.uca.edu/~bclancy/bio3370.html • The Wizard of Oz (1939) www.youtube.com • Pinky and the Brain www.youtube.com • National Society for Neuroscience • Perronet al (1997) Molecular Identification of a Novel Retrovirus Repeatedly Isolated from Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. PNAS 94(14):7583-7588