neural tube

Examples of neural tube in the following topics:

• Development of the Human Brain

  • In the embryos of vertebrates, the predecessor to the brain and spinal cord is the neural tube.
  • As the fetus develops, the grooves and folds in the neural tube deepen, giving rise to different layers of the brain.

• Prenatal Brain Development

  • After the zygote divides for about 7–10 days and has 150 cells, it travels down the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the lining of the uterus.
  • The first part of the embryo to develop is the neural tube, which will become the spinal cord and brain.
  • The fetus moves with more coordination, indicating more neural connections within the brain.

• Lower-Level Structures

  • The diencephalon is the region of the embryonic vertebrate neural tube that gives rise to posterior forebrain structures.

• Neural Networks

  • Neural networks consist of a series of interconnected neurons, and serve as the interface for neurons to communicate with each other.
  • A neural network (or neural pathway) is the interface through which neurons communicate with one another.
  • However, we do know that we have neural networks to thank for much of our higher cognitive functioning.
  • A neural network (or neural pathway) is the complex interface through which neurons communicate with one another.
  • Explain the different theories of how neural networks operate in the body

• Network Models of Memory

  • The basis of these theories is that neural networks connect and interact to store memories by modifying the strength of the connections between neural units.
  • PDP posits that memory is made up of neural networks that interact to store information.
  • Taking its metaphors from the field of computer science, this model stresses the parallel nature of neural processing.
  • Under PDP, neural networks are thought to work in parallel to change neural connections to store memories.
  • This theory also states that memory is stored by modifying the strength of connections between neural units.

• Neural Underpinnings of Consciousness

  • The study of NCC seeks to link objective, observable, neural activity to subjective, unobservable, conscious phenomena.
  • Scientists believe it may be the case that every phenomenal, subjective state has its own neural correlate.
  • Continued advances in the ability to stimulate or induce activity in certain brain regions or sets of neural networks will help scientists answer ever more complicated questions about the characteristics and commonalities among neural correlates.
  • Scientists are interested in locating which neural correlates lead to differing mental interpretations.
  • The study of neural correlates of consciousness seeks to link activity within the brain to subjective human experiences in the physical world.

• Introducing the Neuron

  • An axon, at its most basic, is a tube-like structure that carries an electrical impulse from the cell body (or from another cell's dendrites) to the structures at opposite end of the neuron—axon terminals, which can then pass the impulse to another neuron.
  • This is the basic chain of neural signal transmission, which is how the brain sends signals to the muscles to make them move, and how sensory organs send signals to the brain.

• Neural Correlates of Memory Storage

  • Although the physical location of memory remains relatively unknown, it is thought to be distributed in neural networks throughout the brain.
  • Memory traces, or engrams, are the physical neural changes associated with memory storage.
  • However, scientists have gained much knowledge about neuronal codes from studies on neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to change its neural connections.
  • The hippocampus may be involved in changing neural connections for at least three months after information is initially processed.
  • Long-term memory is maintained by stable and permanent changes in neural connections spread throughout the brain.

• Stages of the Action Potential

  • Neural impulses occur when a stimulus depolarizes a cell membrane, prompting an action potential which sends an "all or nothing" signal.
  • The central nervous system (CNS) goes through a three-step process when it functions: sensory input, neural processing, and motor output.
  • Neural impulses from sensory receptors are sent to the brain and spinal cord for processing.
  • After the brain has processed the information, neural impulses are then conducted from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands, which is the resulting motor output.
  • Reuptake refers to the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a presynaptic (sending) neuron after it has performed its function of transmitting a neural impulse.

• Neuroplasticity

  • Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to create new neural pathways to account for learning and acquisition of new experiences.
  • Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to create new neural pathways based on new experiences.
  • It refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses that result from changes in behavior, environmental and neural processes, and changes resulting from bodily injury.
  • It is true that the brain is especially "plastic" during childhood's critical period, with new neural connections forming constantly.
  • This process strengthens important connections and eliminates weaker ones, creating more effective neural communication.