Bio Psych brief Flashcards
What does dorsal mean
Towards the back
What plane through the brain does this image display?
Sagittal
The brain has three parts, the hindbrain, midbrain and …..?
Forebrain
What part of the brain is comprised of the medulla, pons and cerebellum?
Hindbrain
When damaged which brain region leads to dysmetria of thought? What is it?
Cerebellum
• The cerebellum (“little brain”) is in the posterior cranial fossa.
• It represents 10% of the total brain volume and contains more than 50% of the total number of neurons of the central nervous system.
• Traditionally been seen primarily to coordinate voluntary movement
• Specifically, playing an essential role in movement execution and motor control by modulating the primary motor cortex (M1) through cerebellothalamocortical connections.
• It is also responsible for several functions including motor skills such as balance, coordination, and posture.
The outer portion of the cerebrum is called the?
Cerebral Cortex
• The cerebral cortex is the outer covering of gray matter over the hemispheres. This is typically 2- 3 mm thick, covering the gyri and sulci.
• The cortex is divided into four different lobes, the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital, which are each responsible for processing different types of sensory information.
What part of the brain has multiple nuclei that receives input from sensory systems and transmits that information to different parts of the cortex.
Thalamus
• The thalamus relays sensory impulses from receptors in various parts of the body to the cerebral cortex.
• A sensory impulse travels from the body surface towards the thalamus, which receives it as a sensation. This sensation is then passed onto the cerebral cortex for interpretation as touch, pain, or temperature.
Which brain area controls homeostasis by communicating with the pituitary gland?
Hypothalamus
• The hypothalamus plays a significant role in the endocrine system.
• Responsible for maintaining your body’s internal balance, which is known as homeostasis.
• The hypothalamus helps stimulate or inhibit many of your body’s key processes, including:
• Heart rate and blood pressure
• Body temperature
• Fluid and electrolyte balance, including thirst
• Appetite and body weight
What is the function of the pituitary gland?
Synthesizes hormones
• The pituitary gland is a tiny organ, the size of a pea, found at the base of the brain.
• Termed the “master gland” of the body.
• It produces many hormones that travel throughout the body, directing certain processes or stimulating other glands to produce other hormones. The pituitary gland makes or stores many different hormones (i.e., prolactin (stimulates breast milk production), growth hormone (stimulates growth, maintains muscle/bone health) and so on)
The hippocampus is involved in which cognitive function?
Memory
• The hippocampus, which is located in the inner (medial) region of the temporal lobe, forms part of the limbic system, which is particularly important in regulating emotional responses.
• The hippocampus is thought to be principally involved in storing long-term memories and in making those memories resistant to forgetting, though this is a matter of debate.
• Thought to play an important role in spatial processing and navigation.
What fluid fills the central canal and ventricles?
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) • While the primary function of CSF is to cushion the brain within the skull and serve as a shock absorber for the central nervous system, CSF also circulates nutrients and chemicals filtered from the blood and removes waste products from the brain.
How many ventricles does the brain have?
4
What is the main commissural tract that allows the two hemispheres of the brain to communicate?
Corpus Callosum
How many distinct layers (Laminae) of cell bodies comprises the cerebral cortex?
6
What is the Occipital Lobe the primary target for?
Visual Information
• The occipital lobes sit at the back of the head and are responsible for visual perception, including colour, form and motion.
Which Lobe is important for processing spatial information?
Parietal Lobe
• Responsible for integrating sensory input to form a single perception (cognition) on the one hand, while also forming a spatial coordinate system to represent our world, on the other hand.
Damage to the inferior parietal cortex can result in …?
Hemispatial Neglect
• Hemispatial inattention is an attention disorder that prevents the patient from attending to stimuli on one side.
The postcentral gyrus is also known as?
Primary Somatosensory Cortex
• The somatosensory cortex is a part of your brain that receives and processes sensory information from the entire body.
• The main sensory receptive area for the sense of touch.
The left Temporal Lobe is essential for…..?
Understanding Spoken Language
• The functions of the left temporal lobe are not limited to low-level perception but extend to comprehension, naming, and verbal memory.
A tumor in the temporal lobe can give rise to:
Visual Hallucinations
Auditory Hallucinations
The Precentral Gyrus is also known as the….?
Primary Motor Cortex
• The precentral gyrus (PCG), also known as the motor strip or primary motor cortex, is the part of the brain’s neocortex responsible for executing voluntary movements.
The most anterior part of the frontal lobe is called… ?
Prefrontal Cortex
• The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the cerebral cortex covering the front part of the frontal lobe.
• Implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behaviour.
What is the consequence of damage to the precentral gyrus?
Contralateral Hemiplegia
• For example, a stroke involving the right side of the brain may cause contralateral paralysis of the left leg.
Neurons in the frontal cortex are designed to integrate vast amounts of information. What morphological feature promotes this integration?
They have 16 times as many dendritic spines
• Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical signals to the neuron’s cell body.
What were some of the consequences of frontal lobotomies?
Apathy
Lost Social Inhibitions
Inability to Plan
Which brain area when damaged can impact decision making?
Prefrontal Cortex
The question of how various brain areas produce a single perception of an object is called the …?
Binding Problem
• How items that are encoded by distinct brain circuits can be combined for perception, decision, and action.
• Another way of saying this… how the brain perceives and represents different features, or conjunctions of properties, as one object or event.
CNS stands for?
Central Nervous System.
The nervous system is a network of cells called neurons that coordinate actions and transmit signals between different parts of the body. Neurons (specialized cells of the nervous system) send signals along thin fibers called axons and communicate with other cells by releasing chemicals called neurotransmitters at cell-cell junctions called synapses. The synapse is that small pocket of space between two cells, where they can pass messages to communicate.
There are two parts to the nervous system: The central nervous system and the…?
The Peripheral Nervous System.
The PNS consists of the nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the CNS to the limbs and organs, essentially serving as a relay between the brain and spinal cord and the rest of the body.
The CNS is comprised of
Brain, Spinal Cord.
The Peripheral Nervous System can be broken up into?
Somatic Nervous System.
The somatic nervous system (SNS or voluntary nervous system) is the part of the peripheral nervous system associated with the voluntary control of body movements via skeletal muscles. The somatic nervous system consists of afferent nerves or sensory nerves, and efferent nerves or motor nerves. Autonomic Nervous System. The autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates bodily functions, such as the heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response.
What are two branches of the peripheral nervous system
Sympathetic Nervous System. The sympathetic nervous system directs the body’s rapid involuntary response to dangerous or stressful situations. A flash flood of hormones boosts the body’s alertness and heart rate, sending extra blood to the muscles.
Parasympathetic Nervous System. The parasympathetic nervous system is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes called the rest and digest system, the parasympathetic system conserves energy as it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes sphincter muscles in the gastrointestinal tract.
Lobes of the brain
Frontal, Occipital, Temporal, Parietal. Traditionally, each of the hemispheres has been divided into four lobes. The brain’s cerebral cortex is the outermost layer that gives the brain its characteristic wrinkly appearance. The cerebral cortex is divided lengthways into two cerebral hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum.
The “mini brain” which is located between the brain stem and the cerebrum. is called:
Cerebellum.
One major function of the cerebellum is to coordinate the timing and force of these different muscle groups to produce fluid limb or body movements.
What term describes a ridge on the surface of the cerebral hemisphere caused by an infolding of the cerebral cortex?
Gyrus.
In humans, the lobes of the brain are divided by several bumps and grooves.
What term describes a shallow furrow on the surface of the brain?
Sulcus.
These are known as gyri (bumps) and sulci (groves or fissures). The folding of the brain, and the resulting gyri and sulci, increases its surface area and enables more cerebral cortex matter to fit inside the skull.
