Brain Flashcards
(10 cards)
At the base of the brain, controls heartbeat and breathing
Medulla
Above the medulla, controls sleep and helps coordinate movement
Pons
Network of neurons that travels through the brain stem into the thalamus, helps control arousal and filters incoming sensory stimuli
Reticular formation
Top of brain stem, relay station for incoming and outgoing sensory information except for smell
Thalamus
At the rear of the brain stem, processing sensory input coordinating movement and balance, nonverbal learning and memory
Cerebellum
Measures brain waves. Used in a lot of sleep research.
An amplified recording of the waves of the electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
Just a really sophisticated x-ray of the brain. It gives us a 3D picture of the brain which is great for locating tumors, but it does NOT show brain activity or function
Cat scan
Gives us the most detailed picture of the brain. It uses magnetic fields to knock electrons of their orbit and takes a picture by seeing them run back to their orbits (kind of). There is no radiation so the procedure is safe, but once again it only gives us an idea of structure and not function
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
The best way for us to see activity in the brain. The patient will usually swallow a substance (like glucose) and the PET scan will see what parts of the brain are using the substance. If a patient seems to be using alot of the substance in a certain part of the brain, we can tell what part of the brain is working.
PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography)
This is essentially a combination of the PET scan and the MRI. The fMRI can give us the best picture of the brain while showing use blood flow information
Functional MRI
