The Brain

Question 1

lesion

Answer 1

tissue destruction

Question 2

electroencephalogram (eeg)

Answer 2

amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity in the brain; mesured by electrodes placed on the scalp

Question 3

computed tomography (ct) scan

Answer 3

x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slide through the body

Question 4

positron emission tomography (pet) scan

Answer 4

visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucos goes while the brain performs a given task

Question 5

magnetic resonance imaging (mri)

Answer 5

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue; show brain anatomy

Question 6

functional mri (fmri)

Answer 6

revealing bloodflow and brain activity by comparing successive mri scans

Question 7

brainstem

Answer 7

oldest part of the central core of the brain; responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 8

medulla

Answer 8

base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 9

reticular formation

Answer 9

nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Question 10

thalamus

Answer 10

brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstep; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas on the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Question 11

cerebellum

Answer 11

processes sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Question 12

limbic system

Answer 12

neural system located below the hemispheres, associated with emotions and drives

Question 13

amygdala

Answer 13

lime bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Question 14

hypothalamus

Answer 14

directs maintenance activities, governs endocrine system; linked to emotion and reward

Question 15

cerebral cortex

Answer 15

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center

Question 16

glial cells

Answer 16

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Question 17

frontal lobes

Answer 17

just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Question 18

parietal lobes

Answer 18

near the top of the head, receives sensory input for touch and body position

Question 19

occipital lobes

Answer 19

includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Question 20

temporal lobes

Answer 20

lies roughly above the ears, includes the auditory areas, receives information primarily from the opposite ear

Question 21

motor cortex

Answer 21

registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Question 22

association areas

Answer 22

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Question 23

aphasia

Answer 23

impairment of language (caused by damage to Broca’s or Wernicke’s areas)

Question 24

Broca’s area

Answer 24

controls language expression that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Question 25

Wernicke's area

Answer 25

controls language reception- a brain area invovled in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Question 26

plasticity

Answer 26

brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 27

neurogenesis

Answer 27

formation of new neurons

Question 28

corpus callosum

Answer 28

large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Question 29

split brain

Answer 29

condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's hemispheres

Question 30

consciousness

Answer 30

awareness of one's self and the environment

Question 31

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 31

study of the brain activity linked with cognition (perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Question 32

dual processing

Answer 32

principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Question 33

medulla

Answer 33

* heart and lungs * digestion and swallowing

Question 34

pons

Answer 34

* sleep, dreaming, waking, relaxation * relays info to other parts of brain

Question 35

reticular formation

Answer 35

* controls arousal and alertness * reticular activating system (ras) * regulates sleep/wake cycle

Question 36

hippocampus

Answer 36

memory processing center

Question 37

amygdala

Answer 37

agression & fear

Question 38

somatosensory cortex

Answer 38

receives and processes sensory information across the body (touch, temperature, and pain)

Question 39

angular gyrus

Answer 39

transforms visual representations into an auditory code

Question 40

brain lateralization

Answer 40

certain cognitive processes seem to be focused in one hemisphere or the other

Question 41

where do images in the left visual field go in the brain ?

Answer 41

right visual cortex (brain is cross-wired)

Question 42

wagner preference inventory

Answer 42

discovers a person's brain dominance through a short test

Question 43

two-track mind alludes to..

Answer 43

conscious vs unconscious decisions

Question 44

what does a moral dilemma do to our brain processes ?

Answer 44

our reasoning processes conflict with our basic emotional processes and the decision takes longer