Week 1 - The Brain through the Ages Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is neuroscience?
The scientific study of the nervous system; it is interdisciplinary and includes biology, physiology, psychology, computer science, etc.
What does the nervous system include?
The CNS (brain and spinal cord) and the PNS (nerves and ganglia).
What is a neuron?
A nerve cell that transmits information via electrical and chemical signals.
Why is neuroscience important to psychology?
Because behaviour is initiated by the nervous system. Understanding the nervous system helps explain behaviour.
What is cranial trepanation?
A historical practice involving drilling holes in the skull, seen in Neolithic skulls.
What did Hippocrates believe about the brain?
He believed the brain was the source of emotions and cognition.
What did Aristotle believe about the brain?
He believed the heart was the center of sensation, not the brain.
What did Galen contribute to neuroscience?
He proposed that cognition and memory were functions of the brain and discovered ventricles.
Who identified errors in Galen’s anatomy?
Andreas Vesalius.
What is Descartes’ contribution to brain theory?
Proposed dualism and the fluid-mechanical theory of brain function.
What did Luigi Galvani discover?
That nerves conduct electricity, shown through frog leg experiments.
What is the ‘law of specific nerve energies’?
Johannes Müller’s idea that different sensory nerves produce specific sensations.
What did Broca discover?
Damage to the left frontal cortex affects language production.
What is the neuron doctrine?
Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s theory that neurons are discrete cells that communicate via synapses.
What is natural selection?
Darwin’s theory: gradual changes in physiology over generations that increase survival and reproduction.
What is significant about the Peppered Moth?
Demonstrates evolution in response to environmental change (pollution).
How are vertebrate brains similar?
All have a forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
What is significant about human brain evolution?
Increased brain size, folding of the cortex, and prefrontal cortex development.
Why is the prefrontal cortex important in humans?
It supports planning, abstract reasoning, and working memory.
What role does white matter play in human cognition?
More white matter in the PFC enhances connectivity with other brain regions, critical for working memory.
