Ch. 2 Flashcards
Neuroscience
The study of the brain and the rest of the nervous system
Nervous System
An organism’s system of tissues specialized for distributing and processing information
Neurons
A type of cell that is specialized for information processing
Central Nervous Systems
The part of the vertebrates nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system that carries information from sensory receptors to the central nervous system and carries command from the CNS to the muscle
Frontal Lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex lying at the front of the human brain; enables a person to plan and perform actions.
Parietal lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex losing at the top of the human brain; important for processing somatosensory(touch) information
Temporal lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex lying at the sides of the human brain; important for language and auditory processing and for learning new facts and forming new memories and events
Occipital lobe
The part of the cerebral cortex musing at the rear of the human brain; important for visual processing.
Cerebellum
A brain region lying below the cerebral cortex in the back of the head. It is responsible for the regulation and coordination of complex voluntary muscular movement. Including classical conditioning of motor-reflex responses.
Brainstem
A group of structures that connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord and plays key roles in regulating automatic functions such as breathing and body temperature
Dendrite
Extension of a neuron that is specialized to receive signals from other neurons
Cell Body
The central part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and intercepted signals from all the dendrites; also know as the soma
Axon
The output extension of a neuron, specialized for transmitting information to other neurons or to muscles.
Goal
A type of cell that provides functional or structural support to neurons
Phrenology
A field of study that attempted to determine mental abilities by measuring head shape and size
Synapse
A narrow gap between two neurons across which chemical messages can be transmitted
Presynaptic
On the sending side of a synapse
Postsynaptic
On the receiving side of a synapse
Neurotransmitter
One of s fetal classes of molecule released by neurons to carry chemical messages to others neurons
Receptors
A specialized molecule, located on the surface of a neuron, to which one or more particular neurotransmitter can bind.
Neuromodulator
A neurotransmitter that acts to modulate activity in a large number of neurons rather than in a single synapse
Difference image
An image of difference in brain activity obtained by taking an fMRI or PET image of a person performing a particular task, then subtracting the image of the same individual at the baseline
Positron emission tomography
PET. A method of functional neuroimaging based on detecting radiation from the emission of subatomic particles called positrons, associated with the brain’s use of glucoses from the blood.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
fMRI. A method of functional neuroimaging based on comparing an MRI of the brain during performance of a task with an MRI of the brain at rest
Electronencephalography
EEG. A method for measuring electrical activity in the brain by means of electrodes place on the scalp
