Unit 4: parts of the brain and nervous system

Question 1

Nervous system

Answer 1

network of nerves that control and regulate all bodily functions

Question 2

Nerves

Answer 2

bundles of neurons

Question 3

Central nervous system

Answer 3

Brain and spinal cord

Question 4

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 4

nerves that connect the brain to the rest of the body

Question 5

Somatic Nervous system

Answer 5

(part of the peripheral nervous system)
- carries commands for voluntary movement from central nervous system to muscles
- brings sensory input to central nervous system

Question 6

Automatic nervous system

Answer 6

(part of the peripheral nervous system) operates outside of conscious control to carry involuntary commands to organs, blood vessels and glands

Question 7

Sympathetic nervous system

Answer 7

prepares body for situations requiring flight or flight responses, such as redirecting energy from non-essential functions

Question 8

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 8

controls gland and organs during calm periods and returns the body back to resting state; responsible for nutrient storage repair, and growth

Question 9

Endocrine system

Answer 9

network of glands (hormone secreting organs) that work with the CNS and PNS

Question 10

Hormone

Answer 10

blood borne chemical messengers that are slower than CNS transmissions but travel over greater distances

Question 11

adrenal hormones

Answer 11

produced by adrenal glands that are located on top of the kidneys, releases adrenaline and cortisol in stressful situations

Question 12

Pituitary gland

Answer 12

master gland that directs the function of all other glands

Question 13

Oxytocin

Answer 13

hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates uterine contractions during birth, can help induce labour, promotes lactation, and is thought to play a role in social bonding

Question 14

Spinal cord

Answer 14

(part of the central nervous system)
major bundle of nerves connecting the brain to the rest of the body

Question 15

spinal reflexes

Answer 15

response to stimuli that is initiated by the spinal cord without involvement from the brain. (ie. response to painful stimuli)

Question 16

Brainstem

Answer 16

• lowest region of the brain that sits on top of the spinal cord
• where spinal nerves and most cranial nerves connect
• regulates vital functions (damage to this area is often lethal)
• contains the midbrain, pons, and medulla

Question 17

Medulla

Answer 17

part of the brainstem
- responsible for: hear rate, blood pressure, reflexes such as coughing and swallowing

Question 18

Pons

Answer 18

part of the brainstem
- responsible for breating, balance, coordination, and relaying sensations (hearing and taste) to higher levels of the brain (pons = bridge)

Question 19

reticular formation

Answer 19

part of the brainstem
- responsible for arousal (not the sex kind), attention, and wakefulness

Question 20

Midbrain

Answer 20

part of the brainstem
- responsible for orientation towards salient stimuli, movement, motivation & reward, and downregulation of pain

Question 21

Cerrebellum

Answer 21

responsible for coordination, balance, precise movement, and accurate timing

Question 22

Limbic System

Answer 22

often known as the emotional brain but also performs many other important roles
comprised of the hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and basal ganglia

Question 23

Hypothalamus

Answer 23

part of the limbic system
- interface between brain and body
- responsible for, homeostatic regulation (ie. thirst, hunger), motivation and reward-seeking, flight or fight response, and direction of the autonomic nervous sytstem and the endocrine system

Question 24

Thalamus

Answer 24

part of the limbic system
relay station for all sensory signals except for smell.
responsible for alertness and conscieousness

Question 25

Amygdala

Answer 25

part of the limbic system responsible for: processing emotional significance of sensory info, responding to positive and negative stimuli, creating vivid memories (with hippocampus)

Question 26

Hippocampus

Answer 26

part of the limbic system responsible for memory, spatial navigation, and mental time travel.

Question 27

basal ganglia

Answer 27

part of the limbic system responsible for: planning, executing, controlling, and suppressing voluntary movement; reward and pleasure

Question 28

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 28

Outermost and largest part of the human brain - divided into left and right hemispheres, which are connected by a large bundle of nerve fibres called the corpus callosum. Further divided in five lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, and insular)

Question 29

Frontal lobe

Answer 29

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for: movement and planning (contains the primary motor cortex which is a map of the body's muscles), also contains the prefrontal cortex

Question 30

prefrontal cortex

Answer 30

part of the frontal lobe responsible for: executive function, planning, judgement, decision-making, and the conscious experience of emotions

Question 31

Parietal Lobe

Answer 31

part of the cerebral cortex contains the primary somatosensory cortex (map of the skin surface) which allows us to process touch responsible for: paying attention to and locating objects, navigating surroundings

Question 32

Occipital lobe

Answer 32

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for: vision, interpreting input from eyes by responding to basic info about image (ie shading, edges, colour) contains the primary visual cortex.

Question 33

temporal lobe

Answer 33

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for: hearing and understanding language, recognizing objects and people contains: primary auditory and olfactory cortexes

Question 34

Association cortex

Answer 34

integrates incoming info from sensory areas with existing knowledge to create a meaningful understanding of the world

Question 34

Insular Lobe

Answer 34

part of the cerebral cortex responsible for: precieving the state of internal organs (ie. racing heart) contains: primary taste cortex

Question 35

Primary Sensory Areas

Answer 35

First cortical areas to receive signals from their associated sensory nerves

Question 36

Corpus Callosum

Answer 36

bridge of fibres that connect the two cerebral hemispheres and allow them to talk to each other (process called interhemispheric transter)

Question 37

Contralateral Organization

Answer 37

while both hemispheres are involved in receiving sensory info and sending motor commands, they each do so for the opposite side of the body

Question 38

Lateralization

Answer 38

some functions are located on either the right or the left side - areas in the left hemisphere are specialized for language while the analogous areas in the right side are specialized for nonverbal and visuospatial processing of information

Question 39

Broca's Area

Question 40

Wernicke's Area

Question 41

Phrenology

Answer 41

19th century belief that all mental faculties and characteristics correspond to specific parts of the brain and can be determined by examining indentations on the skull (not true)

Question 42

lesion

Answer 42

abnormal tissue resulting from disease, trauma, or surgery

Question 43

Single and Double dissociation

Answer 43

single: lesion to brain structure A disrupts function X but not Y double: lesion to brain structure A disrupts function X but not Y. Lesion to brain structure B disrupts function Y but not X

Question 44

Deep brain stimulation

Answer 44

stimulating specific parts of the brain with implanted electrodes, can be used for treatment of disorders such as depression

Question 45

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Answer 45

exposure to magnetic field to create temporary disruption or enhancement of cortical brain function (limited spatial precision)

Question 46

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS)

Answer 46

low levels of direct current delivered via electrodes on the head to stimulate brain function (limited spatial precision)

Question 47

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Answer 47

uses an injection of a radioactive tracer (glucose) that is taken up by brain tissues during a task, and traces radiation emitted from the tracer

Question 48

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI)

Answer 48

measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation with magnets -> when the brain is more active, it needs more oxygen

Question 49

Neural plasticity

Answer 49

the brain's ability to adapt throughout a person's life

Question 50

neurogenesis

Answer 50

the generation of new neurons in specific parts of the brain due to stimulus

Question 51

Critical Period

Answer 51

timeframe during development when the brain is extra receptive to environmental stimuli, which allows for larger changes in neural connections

Question 52

Damage plasticity

Answer 52

neural modification/reorganization following an injury