CH 2: Cognitive Neuroscience Flashcards
Explain what we can learn about the relationship between the mind and brain by studying the effects of brain disorders and trauma.
-Localization of function
-Plasticity
-Mental health disorders
-Cognitive and emotional processing
-Behavioral changes
Explain the role the corpus callosum plays in the brain and how lesioning that structure affects behavior.
Thick band of nerve fibers connecting right and left hemispheres, facilitating communication between them.
Lesioning leads to split brain symptoms (if object is presented to right visual field, individual can verbally identify it, but if same object is presented to left visual field, they may not be able to name it, although they can often draw it.
Explain what is meant by the terms “lateralization” and “localization of
function.”
-Lateralization- tendency for certain cognitive processes/ functions to be more dominant in one hemisphere than the other.
-Localization- idea that specific areas of the brain are responsible for specific functions or behaviors. This concept suggests that different regions of the brain are specialized for various tasks (occipital & parietal lobe)
Describe the various imaging and recording techniques that can be
used to study brain activity.
-fMRI: Used for mapping brain functions, studying cognitive processes, and understanding brain disorders by detecting changes in blood flow.
-PET: uses radioactive tracers to measure metabolic activity in the brain to detect tumors, assess brain disorders, and study neurotransmitter systems.
-EEG: records electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. captures rapid changes in brain activity. Used in sleep studies, epilepsy monitoring, and cognitive research to assess brain responses to stimuli.
-CAT: X-rays to create detailed images of brain structures. It’s primarily used for structural imaging, used in emergency medicine and for diagnosing strokes.
-MEG: measures the magnetic fields generated by neuronal activity using sensitive magnetometers. Used for localizing brain functions prior to surgery, studying sensory processing, and understanding cognitive processes.
Describe the organization of the primary motor and somatosensory
projection areas. Explain why they are called “projection areas.”
-Primary motor area: located in frontal lobe, different parts of the motor cortex correspond to specific body parts, with a greater area of the cortex devoted to regions that require finer motor control (e.g., hands and face).
-Primary somatosensory area: located in parietal lobe, different regions correspond to different body parts, with areas that receive more sensory input (like the fingers and lips) having larger representations.
-Termed “projection areas” because they receive direct inputs from sensory pathways and send outputs to motor pathways, facilitating the processing of sensory information and the execution of movements.
Explain the different functions of the motor and sensory areas of
cortex.
-Motor: The primary motor cortex is responsible for initiating voluntary movements. It sends motor signals down the spinal cord to activate muscles.
-Somatosensory: The primary somatosensory cortex processes tactile information, such as touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception (the sense of body position).
Name and describe the main parts of a neuron.
-Cell Body (contains nucleus)
-Dendrites (receive signals dorm of neurons and transmit them the cell body)
-Axon (conducts electrical impulses away from cell body)
-Axon Terminals (small branches at end of axon the form synapses w other neurons)
-Myelin sheath (insulates axon for faster conduction)
-Nodes of Ranvier (small gaps in myelin sheath along axon, help regenerate action potential)
