Fundamentals of Neurobiology

To understand psychiatric disorders, it is important to have a working understanding of the normal structure and function of the nervous system.

To understand psychiatric disorders, it is important to have a working understanding of the normal structure and function of the nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS; brain, spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) are made up of…

The neurone constitutes the functional unit of the nervous system; there are over 100 billion neurones in the brain.^{[Purves et al., 2008; Martin, 2003; Kandel et al., 2000]} Each neurone has the ability to interact with and influence many…

The brain is divided into four anatomical regions: the diencephalon, brainstem, cerebrum, and cerebellum, as described on the slide.^{[Kandel et al., 2000; Tortora & Derrickson, 2009]}

References: Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM (eds). Principles of Neural…

The cerebral cortex is the main functional unit of the cerebrum.^{[Tortora & Derrickson, 2009]} The three main functional areas of the cerebral cortex are:^{[Tortora & Derrickson, 2009; Prise & Wilson, 2003]}

• motor areas that control voluntary movement (primary,…

The brain can be thought of as comprising five ‘lobes’ – the four lobes of the cerebral cortex and a fifth lobe, the insula, deep within the brain, as shown on the slide.^{[Martin, 2003; Tortora & Derrickson, 2009; Price…}

Information moves through the nervous system via two integrated forms of communication – electrical neurotransmission and chemical neurotransmission, as shown on the slide.^{[Kandel et al., 2000]}

An action potential is generated at the origin of the axon following…

Neurones do not physically touch one another; two neurones are separated by a gap, known as a synaptic cleft.^{[Kandel et al., 2000]} Because neurones do not touch, and an action potential cannot ‘jump’ across a synaptic cleft, the signal…

The idea that neurotransmission occurs at synapses and is mediated by chemicals was, at first, a contentious issue.^{[Purves et al., 2008]} It was in the first half of the 1900s that experiments proved chemical neurotransmission occurred.^{[Purves et al., 2008]}