chapter 2 Flashcards
Nervous system
An organism’s system of tissues specialized for distributing and processing info
Neuron
A type of cell that is specialized for info processing
Central Nervous System
The part of the vertebrate nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system that carries info from sensory receptors to the central nervous system and carries commands from the CNS to muscle
Cerebral cortex
the brain tissue covering the top and sides of the brain in most vertebrae; involving in storage and processing of sensory inputs and motor outputs
frontal lobe
the part if the cerebral cortex lying at the front of the brain; enables a person to plan and perform actions
Parietal lobe
the part of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the human brain; important for processing somatosensory (touch) info
temporal lobe
the part of the cerebral cortex lying at the side of the brain; important for language and auditory processing and for learning new facts and forming new memories of events
Occipital lobe
the part of the cerebral cortex lying at the rear of the human brain; important for visual processing
cerebellum
A brain region lying below the cerebral cortex in the back of the head. it is responsible for the regulation and coordination of complex voluntary muscular movement, including classical conditioning of motor-reflex responses
Brainstem
a group of structures that connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord and plays key roles in regulation automatic functions such as breathing and body temprature
Dendrite
Extension of a neuron that is specialized to receive signals from other neurons
Cell body
the central part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and integrates signals from all the dendrites (aka soma)
axon
the output extension of a neuron, specialized for transmitting info to other neurons or to muscles
Glia
A type of cell that provides functional or structural support to neurons
Phrenology
A field of study that attempted to determine mental abilities by measuring head shape and size
Structural Neuroimaging
Techniques (such as MRI) for creating images of anatomical structures within the living brain
Lesion
Damage caused by injury or illness
Magnetic resonance image (MRI)
A method of structural neuroimaging based on recording changes in magnetic fields
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)
A type of MRI that measures the diffusion of water in brain tissue, permitting bundles of axons throughout the brain to be imaged
Enriched environment
An environment that provides sensory stimulation and opportunities to explore and learn; for a rat, this may mean housing in a large cage with many toys to play with and other rats to socialize with
Reflex
An involuntary and automatic (unlearned) response
Synapse
A narrow gap between two neurons across which chemical messages can be transmitted
presynaptic
On the sending side of a synapse
