Behavioral Neuroscience Ch.1 Flashcards
Affective neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience in which researchers focus on the neurobiological processes that underlie emotions.
Aphasia
The loss of an individual’s ability to speak.
Behavioral genetics
The field of study that seeks to understand how the variation of a trait in a population is related to the variation of genes within that population.
Behavioral neuroscience
The scientific study of how brain activity influences behavior.
Broca’s area
The area of the third convolution of the left frontal lobe, associated with speech production.
Cellular level of analysis
The study of the morphology and physiological properties of cells within the nervous system.
Cerebral dominance
The idea that the left hemisphere is dominant in the control of speech function.
Cognitive level of analysis
The study of the neurobiological basis of higher mental processes.
Cognitive neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience that focuses on the processes within the brain that are associated with cognitive functions such as reasoning, problem solving, memory, and attention.
Computed tomography (CT scan)
A method in which X-ray images are taken from many angles and processed by a computer to produce virtual cross-sections, permitting the examination of structures deep within the brain.
Corpus callosum
The thick bundle of fibers that connect the two hemispheres, permitting them to communicate with each other.
Cortex
The outermost layer of the brain.
Covert behavior
Behavior that cannot readily be observed, such as thinking, remembering, paying attention, experiencing emotions, and a range of others.
Decision neuroscience
A branch of behavioral neuroscience that focuses on the neurobiological basis of choice behavior; sometimes known as neuroeconomics.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
Inferring the functions of a particular brain area through the administration of a low-voltage electrical current to that area.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A molecule composed of sequences of smaller molecules called nucleotides, bound together by molecules of sugar and phosphate.
Descent with modification
The idea that current forms of life evolved from preexisting forms.
Dualism
The philosophical position that mind and body are distinct and that they could exist independently of each other.
Edwin Smith Papyrus
A medical papyrus that seems to have been written around 1600 B.C.E., during the third dynasty of pharaohs.
Electroencephalography (EEG)
A method in which brain function is inferred by detecting differences in the electrical energy emitted from different brain areas.
Epigenetics
The study of changes in gene expression with no changes in DNA sequences, which can occur naturally or through the influence of environmental factors.
Event-related potentials (ERP)
Small voltage changes, called waveforms, in brain areas responsive to specific events or stimuli.
Exaptation
The adaptation of a trait that differs from the one it was selected for.
Extracellular recording
A method by which a microelectrode is inserted into the fluid surrounding neurons to record electrical currents generated by the neurons in the electrode’s vicinity.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)
A group of disorders associated with a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy, which affects the development of the baby; characterized by abnormal facial features, short height, low body weight, low intelligence, and behavioral problems.
Fissures
Large grooves that can be used to delineate cortical areas.
Fluid-mechanical theory
The idea that movement can be explained by the movement of fluids, called animal spirits, through hollow tubes in the body.
Functional brain imaging
An imaging technique that permits the measurement of subjects’ brain activity while performing a task.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Inferring brain function using MRI technology to image the brain in a way that detects the amount of oxygen used by neurons.
Genes
Once referred to as the basic functional units of heredity, genes are sequences of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), some of which code for proteins.
Genetics
The study of inherited traits and their variation.
Genotype
Every individual’s unique genetic constitution.
Glia
Cells that support neuronal function and clear debris, toxins, and bacteria from the brain.
Gyri
Ridges (or bumps) on the surface of the cortex.
Hemispheres
The two halves of the brain.
Heritability estimates
The proportion of variation in a trait that can be accounted for by genetic variation in a population.
High vocal center (HVC)
The brain area at the center of a song-learning system in song birds.
Inferior view
The brain as viewed from the bottom.
Intracellular recording
A method by which tiny electrodes are inserted directly inside neurons to record their electrical activity.
Lateral view
The surface of the brain as viewed from one of its sides.
Lesioning
Creating brain damage in experimental animals to determine the functions of particular areas.
Level of analysis
Refers to the location, scale, or size of what is being studied.
Lobes
Anatomical subdivisions of the brain.
Localization of function
The theory that individual brain areas are dedicated to distinct functions.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A method by which an image of any part of the body can be created with the use of a powerful magnetic field and the emission of a resonant frequency.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
A method in which brain function is inferred by detecting differences in the electromagnetic fields emitted from different brain areas.
Manipulation technique
A technique in which the structure or function of the brain is altered and the resulting effects on behavior are observed.
Measurement technique
A technique in which the brain activity of subjects is measured while they are engaged in some behavioral task with the aim of identifying brain areas that might be involved in its performance.
Microelectrode
A tiny electrode used to measure the electrical activity of neurons.
Mind-body problem
The age-old philosophical question concerning how the mind, which is immaterial, interacts with the material body.
Molecular level of analysis
The study of the workings of the nervous system using methods that permit the study of the genes and the chemistry of proteins within neurons.
Natural selection
The process by which evolution can be explained.
Neuroanatomy
The scientific study of the structures and organization of the nervous system.
Neurochemistry
The scientific study of how chemicals in the brain are synthesized and involved in brain function.
Neuroecology
The field that studies relationships between the brain and ecologically relevant behaviors and how they may have evolved through natural selection.
