Ch 1 Definitions: What is Behavioral Neuroscience?

Question 1

neuroscience

Answer 1

scientific study of the brain and nervous system in health and in disease

Question 2

behavioral neuroscience/biological psychology

Answer 2

study of biological foundations of behavior, emotions, and mental processes

Question 3

mind-body dualism

Answer 3

a philosophical perspective (Rene Descartes) in which
the body is mechanistic,
whereas the mind is separate and nonphysical

Question 4

monism

Answer 4

a philosophical perspective characteristic of the neurosciences in which
the mind is viewed as the product of activity in the brain

Question 5

phrenology

Answer 5

the misguided effort to correlate character traits with bumps in the skull

Question 6

histology

Answer 6

study of cells and tissues at the microscopic level

Question 7

microtome

Answer 7

a device used to make very thin slices of tissue for histology

Question 8

Golgi stain

Answer 8

a stain developed by Camillo Golgi used to

observe single neurons

Question 9

Nissl stain

Answer 9

a stain used to

view populations of cell bodies

Question 10

myelin stain

Answer 10

a stain used to

trace neural pathways

Question 11

horseradish peroxidase

Answer 11

a stain used to
trace axon pathways
from their terminals to points of origin

Question 12

optical imaging

Answer 12

a method for preparing a brain

for examination that literally makes it transparent

Question 13

computerized tomography (CT)

Answer 13

an imaging technology in which computers are used to

enhance x-ray images

Question 14

positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 14

an imaging technique that provides

information regarding the localization of brain activity

Question 15

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 15

an imaging technique that provides

very high resolution structural images

Question 16

voxel

Answer 16

the smallest distinguishable box-shaped part of a 3D image
- short for “volume pixel”

(a pixel is the smallest distinguishable square part of a 2D image)

Question 17

functional MRI (fMRI)

Answer 17

a technology using a series of MRI images
taken 1 to 4 seconds apart in order to
assess the activity of the brain

Question 18

diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)

Answer 18

use of MRI technology
to trace fiber pathways in the brain
by tracking the flow of water

Question 19

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 19

the recording of the brain’s electrical activity

through electrodes placed on the scalp

Question 20

event-related potential (ERP)

Answer 20

an alteration in the EEG recording
produced in response to
the application of a particular stimulus

Question 21

magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Answer 21

a technology for

recording the magnetic output of the brain

Question 22

single-cell recording

Answer 22

the recording of the activity
of single neurons
through microelectrodes
surgically implanted in the area of interest

Question 23

repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

Answer 23

a technique for
stimulating the cortex at regular intervals
by applying magnetic pulse through a wire coil encased in plastic and placed on the scalp

Question 24

optogenetics

Answer 24

the genetic insertion of molecules into specific neurons

that allows the activity of the neurons to be controlled by light

Question 25

lesion

Answer 25

pathological or traumatic

damage to tissue

Question 26

ablation

Answer 26

the surgical removal of tissue

Question 27

microdialysis

Answer 27

a technique for

assessing the chemical composition of a very small area of the brain

Question 28

concordance rate

Answer 28

the statistical probability that two cases will agree;

usually used to predict the risk of an identical twin for developing a condition already diagnosed in his or her twin

Question 29

heritability

Answer 29

the amount that
a trait varies in a population
due to genetics

Question 30

genetic screen

Answer 30

methods for

correlating genotypes with phenotypes

Question 31

knockout gene

Answer 31

a gene used to replace a normal gene

that does not produce the protein product of the normal gene