Task 1- Biological Bases of Behaviour Flashcards
(31 cards)
What are the main functions of the hindbrain?
The hindbrain controls vital activities with no conscious control
What are the main functions of the midbrain?
The midbrain receives messages from all senses (except smell) and sends them to higher brain regions
What are the main functions of the forebrain?
The forebrain plays a role in how we think, feel and behave
What is the corpus callosum and how does it function?
The corpus callosum is a thick band of nerve fibres that connects left and right hemispheres. It allows contralateral organisation
What is a CAT scan?
Computerised (axial) tomography- scanning technique. An X-ray sends narrow beams through head and scans 180 degrees. This produces cross sectional image of brain (can be seen at any level). It also aids in detection of tumours, strokes and other injuries
What is an MRI?
An MRI is a Magnetic Resonance Image, which is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body
What is an FMRI?
An FMRI is a Functional Magnetic Resonance Image, which is used to measure activity in brain where neurons are consuming oxygen
What is a PET scan? Explain the procedure
A PET scan is Positron Emission Tomography, which is used to analyse glucose consumption in the brain. It can identify abnormalities by comparing results with a healthy person. Glucose with a radioactive tracer is injected into the blood, and the higher energy/activity level, the higher the glucose consumption
Who was Phineas Gage?
Phineas P. Gage was an American railroad construction foreman who is most remembered for his survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain’s left frontal lobe, and for that injury’s reported effects on his personality and behaviour over the remaining 12 years of his life. His friends described him as ‘no longer Gage’
What is the main function of the cerebellum?
The cerebellum uses information to regulate posture and balance and coordinate fine muscle movement.
What does the medulla control?
The medulla controls vital functions such as heart rate, breathing digestion and swallowing
What are the main functions of the Temporal lobes?
speech and hearing
What are the main functions of the Occipital lobes?
vision
What are the main functions of the Parietal lobes?
bodily sensations
What are the main functions of the Frontal lobes?
The frontal lobes have high mental ability and control of movement. They are also the most highly developed part of the brain
What does the forebrain contain?
thalamus, cerebrum, cerebral cortex, corpus callosum
What are the functions of the left hemisphere?
verbal functions, reason, interpreting information
What are the functions of the right hemisphere?
non-verbal activities, spatial tasks
What is the cell body?
part of a neuron which contains the nucleus and the organelles. It also controls maintenance and metabolism
What are the dendrites?
part of a neuron which branches from cell body that receive incoming information
What are axons?
part of a neuron that transmit information to other neurons
What is the myelin sheath?
part of a neuron that protects and insulates axons
What is an EEG?
Electroencephalograph- scanning technique which can investigate the whole brain without being invasive via recording brain waves. It can identify different patterns of brain waves and can indicate a problem (ie epilepsy or tumour). However it cannot provide information from deep within brain or identify part of brain activated
Who was Roger Sperry and why is he significant?
Roger Walcott Sperry was an American neuropsychologist who during the 1950s and 1960s, performed experiments on cats, monkeys, and humans to study functional differences between the two hemispheres of the brain. He did this through the study of the corpus callosum. He discovered that if hemispheres were not connected, they functioned independently of one another, which he called a split-brain
