Okay, this node/metanode/project started out as a tool to help me study for one of my exams, and has just sort of grown from there. The basic idea is just what the title says, for me to explain to you how your
brain works. Well, actually how
nervous systems in general work, with a strong slant on vertebrate systems. So not really like the title at all. The
vertebrate and
mammalian slant is just due to the nature of my program, which kinda sucks, but that's how it is. Most of the general principles are relatively accurate across
invertebrates as well, but stuff on specific systems or anatomy is
vertebrate, probably
mammalian, unless otherwise specified.
Here's a list of the topics I plan to present, and some extra stuff that I'll add on if I have time. Asterisks indicate things which are not yet finished. You should read
neuron first if you're not familiar with this stuff at all.
Keep in mind as you read that these nodes are intended to be a sort of
beginner's guide to neuroscience. they contain many oversimplifications, and the 'facts' on many of these subjects are constantly in debate. The idea is to provide you with enough information to have a very basic working knowledge, such that you could easily
learn more on your own, if so inclined.
The Basics
neuron: fundamental unit of the nervous system.
Electrotonic spread*: dendritic signal integration
synapse: Interneuron communication.
Neurotransmitters and receptors: Types, effects, types of effects.
Neural computation*: Information processing and information coding schemes.
Nervous system organization
Human Neuroanatomy: What's that doohickey called? And where was it again?
The Auditory system
The
ear and
cochlea: turning sound into impulses.
Auditory tuning: dynamic input modulation
Auditory localization: Where's that noise coming from?
The Visual system
Retina
LGN*
V1 and Visual Cortex*
Object processing*
Position processing*
The Somatosensory system*
Extra stuff/Just for the hell of it:
Human being emulator
Neuromorphic Analog VLSI
Neurological disorders:
agnosia/
interpretive agnosia
aphasia/
Broca's aphasia/
Wernicke's aphasia/
Conduction aphasia/
Gloabal aphasia/
Nominal aphasia/
expressive aphasia/
receptive aphasia
Parkinson's Disease
Huntington's chorea
Alzheimer's Disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
Multiple Sclerosis