Biological Bases of Mental Life and Behaviour Flashcards
Hindbrain
The part of the brain above the spinal cord that includes the medulla, cerebellum and parts of the reticular formation. It links the brain to the spinal cord, sustains life by controlling the supply of air and blood to cells in the body, and regulates arousal level
Spinal Cord
Sends information from sensory neurons in various parts of the body to the brain, and it relays motor commands back to muscles and organs via motor neurons
Medulla Oblongata
The lowest brainstem structure, an extension of the spinal cord that links the cord to the brain. Controls vital physiological functions such as heartbeat, circulation and respiration
Cerebellum
A large structure at the back of the brain involved in coordinating smooth, well-sequenced movements and in maintaining balance and posture. New research shows it to be involved in sensory and cognitive processes such as learning to associate one stimulus with another
Reticular Formation
A diffuse network of neurons that extends from the lowest parts of the medulla in the hindbrain to the upper end of the midbrain, serving to maintain consciousness, regulate arousal levels, and modulate the activity of neurons throughout the central nervous system
Midbrain
The section of the brain above the hindbrain involved in some auditory and visual functions, movement, and conscious arousal and activation
Tectum
A midbrain structure involved in vision and hearing
Tegmentum
Midbrain structure that includes a variety of neural structures, related mostly to movement and conscious arousal and activation
Forebrain
Involved in complex sensory, emotional, cognitive and behavioural processes. It consists of the hypothalamus, thalamus and cerebrum.
Subcortical Structures
Structures within the cerebrum, such as the basal ganglia and limbic system, which lie below the cortex
Hypothalamus
The brain structure situated directly below the thalamus involved in the regulation of eating, sleeping, sexual activity, movement and emotion
Thalamus
A structure located deep in the centre of the brain that acts as a relay station for sensory information, processing it and transmitting it to higher brain centres
Limbic System
Subcortical structures responsible for emotional reactions, many motivational processes, learning and aspects of memory
Amygdala
A brain structure associated with the expression of rage and fear and calculation of the emotional significance of a stimulus
Hippocampus
A structure in the limbic system involved in the acquisition and consolidation of new information in memory
Basal Ganglia
A set of structures located near the thalamus and hypothalamus involved in the control of movement and in judgments that require minimal conscious thought
Cerebral Cortex
The many-layered surface of the cerebrum, which allows complex voluntary movements, permits subtle discriminations among complex sensory patterns and makes symbolic thinking possible
Association Areas
The areas of cortex involved in putting together perceptions, ideas and plans
Primary Areas
The areas of the cortex involved in sensory functions and in the direct control of motor movements
Cerebral Hemispheres
The two halves of the cerebrum
Corpus Callosum
A band of fibres that connects the two hemispheres of the brain
Occipital Lobes
Brain structures located in the rear portion of the cortex, involved in vision
Parietal Lobes
Brain structures located in front of the occipital lobes, involved in a number of functions, including sense of touch and the experience of ones own body in space and in movement
Somatosensory Cortex
The primary area of the parietal lobes, located behind the central tissue, which receives sensory information from different sections of the body
Frontal Lobes
Brain structures involved in coordination of movement, attention, planning, social skills, conscience, abstract thinking, memory and aspects of personality
Motor Cortex
The primary zone of the frontal lobes responsible for control of motor behaviour
Brocas Area
A brain structure located in the left frontal lobe at the base of the motor cortex, involved in the movements of the mouth and tongue necessary for speech production and in the use of grammar
Temporal Lobes
Brain structures located in the lower side portion of the cortex that are important in audition (hearing) and language
Wernickes Area
A brain structure located in the left temporal lobe involved in language comprehension
Lateralised
Localised to one or the other side of the brain
Split Brain
The condition that results when the Corpus Callosum has been surgically cut, blocking communication between the two cerebral hemispheres
Gene
The unit of hereditary transmission
Chromosomes
Strands of DNA arranged in pairs
Degree of Relatedness
The probability that two people share any particular gene
Monozygotic Twins (MZ, or identical)
Twins identical in their genetic make-up, having developed from the Union of the same sperm and egg
Dizygotic Twins (DZ, or fraternal)
Twins who, like other siblings, share only about half of their genes, having developed from the union of two sperm with two separate eggs
Heritability Coefficient
The statistic that quantifies the degree to which a trait is heritable
Heritability
The extent to which individual differences in phenotype are determined by genetic factors or genotype
