Flashcards in Chapter 2 - The Neural Basis for Cognition Deck (54)
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Amygdala
- almond-shaped structure in the limbic system
- plays a central role in emotion and in the evaluation of stimuli
2
Prefrontal cortex
- outer surface of the frontmost part of the brain
- crucial for the planning of complex or novel behaviours
- main site for brain's executive funcitons
3
Hindbrain
- sits atop the spinal cord
- includes several structures crucial for controlling key life functions
4
Cerebellum
- largest area of the hindbrain
- crucial for coordination of bodily movements and balance
5
Midbrain
- plays an important role in coordinating movements
- contains structures that serve as relay stations for information arriving from the sensory organs
6
Forebrain
- plays a crucial role in supporting intellectual functioning
7
Cortex
- outermost surface of an organ in the body
- psychologists are most commonly interested in the cerebral cortex
8
Convolutions
- wrinkles visible in the cerebral cortex
- allows surface area of the brain to fit into a small volume in the skull
9
Longitudinal fissure
- separation diving the left cerebral hemisphere from the right
10
Cerebral hemisphere
- left and right cerebral hemisphere
- constitute the major part of the forebrain in mammals
11
Frontal lobes
- lobe that includes the prefrontal area and the primary motor projection area
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Central fissure
- separation dividing the frontal lobes from the parietal lobes
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Parietal lobes
- lies between occipital and frontal lobes
- includes the primary sensory projection areas and circuits that are crucial for the control of attention
14
Lateral fissure
- separation dividing the frontal lobes from the temporal lobes
15
Temporal lobes
- lies inward and down from the temples
- includes the primary auditory projection area, Wernicke's area, amygdala, and hippocampus
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Occipital lobes
- rearmost lobe
- includes the primary visual projection area
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Subcortical structures
- pieces of the brain underneath the cortex
- includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, and various components of the limbic system
18
Thalamus
- part of the lower portion of the forebrain
- major relay and integration center for sensory information
19
Hypothalamus
- small structure at the base of the forebrain
- plays a role in the control of motivated behaviours (eg. eating, drinking, sexual activity)
20
Limbic system
- includes amygdala, hippocampus, and parts of the thalamus
- involved in the control of emotional behaviour, motivation, learning, and memory
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Hippocampus
- structure in the temporal lobe
- involved in the creation of long-term memories and spatial memories
22
Commisures
- thick bundle of fibre along which information is sent back and forth between the cerebral hemispheres
23
Corpus callosum
- largest of the commissures linking the left and right hemispheres
24
Lesion
- a specific area of tissue damage
25
CT scans
- computerized axial tomography
- uses X-rays to construct a 3D image
26
PET scans
- positron emission tomography
- determines how much glucose is being used by specific areas of the brain at a particular moment in time
27
MRI scans
- magnetic resonance imaging
- uses magnetic fields to construct a 3D representation of brain tissue
- more precise than CT scans
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fMRI scans
- functional magnetic resonance imaging
- uses magnetic fields to construct a 3D representation of the activity levels in different areas of the brain at a particular moment in time
29
EEG
- electroencephalogram
- recording of voltage changes occuring at the scalp that reflect activity in the brain underneath
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Event-related potentials
- changes in an EEG in the brief period just before, during, and after an explicitly defined event
- usually measured by averaging together many trials in which this event has occurred
31
Fusiform face area (FFA)
- a brain area apparently specialized for the perception of faces
32
TMS
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- technique in which a series of strong magnetic pulses at a specific location on the scalp causes temporary disruption in the brain region directly underneath
33
Localization of function
- the research endeavor of determining what specific job is performed by a particular region of the brain
34
Primary motor projection areas
- located at the rear of the frontal lobe
- departure point for nerve cells that send signals to lower portions of the brain and spinal cord
- result in muscle movement
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Primary sensory projection areas
- main points of arrival in the cortex for information arriving from the eyes, ears, and other sense organs
36
Contralateral control
- pattern in which the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body, and vice versa
37
Association cortex
- traditional name for the portion of the human cortex outside the motor and sensory projection areas
38
Apraxis
- disturbance in the capacity to initiative or organize voluntary action, often caused by brain damage
39
Agnosias
- disturbance in a person's ability to identify familiar objects
40
Neglect syndrome
- pattern of symptoms in which individuals ignore all inputs coming from one side of space
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Aphasias
- disruption to language capacities, often caused by brain damage
42
Neurons
- an individual cell within the nervous system
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Glia
- type of cell in the central nervous system
- functions = support of neurons, repair of neural connections, development of neural connections
- specialized glia provide electrical insulation for faster transmission of neural signals
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Cell body
- area of biological cell containing the nucleus and metabolic machinery that sustains the cell
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Dendrites
- part of the neuron that usually detects the incoming signal
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Axon
- part of the neuron that typically transmits a signal away from the neuron's cell body and carries the signal to another location
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Neurotransmitter
- one of the chemicals released by neurons to stimulate adjacent neurons
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Synapse
- area that includes the presynaptic membrane of one neuron, the postsynaptic membrane of another neuron, and the gap between them
- presynaptic membrane releases a small amount of neurotransmitter that drifts across the gap and stimulates the postsynaptic membrane
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Presynaptic membrane
- cell membrane of the neuron sending information across the synapse
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Postsynaptic membrane
- cell membrane of the neuron receiving information across the synapse
51
Threshold
- activity level at which a cell or detector responds, or fires
52
Action potential
- brief change in the electrical potential of an axon
- physical basis of the signal sent from one end of a neuron to the other
- usually triggers a further chemical signal to other neurons
53
Myelin sheath
- layer of tissue formed by specialized glial cells
- provides insulation around the axons of many neurons
- gaps in the insulation allowing the neuronal signal to jump from one gap to the next
- increases speed of neurotransmission
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