Chapter 2

Question 1

acetylchlorine ACh

Answer 1

neurotransmitter that when enhanced memory can improve, and declines with ACh are suppressed

may enhance strength of synaptic potentials during long term potentiation

Question 2

action potential

Answer 2

the electrical component of neural communication, occurs when a neuron “fires” by shifting the electrical charge with enough stimulation

operates under a all-or-nothing principle with constant size

looking for rate of firing: low intensity stimulation = slow firing, high intensity stimulation = high firing

Question 3

amygdala

Answer 3

a portion of the limbic system critical for processing emotional aspects of memory

can modulate hippocampus functioning

Question 4

axons

Answer 4

part of neuron largely used for transmitting information out to other neurons, structures and glands

includes terminal buttons that contain neurotransmitters that communicate chemically with other neuron

Question 5

basal ganglia

Answer 5

collection of subcortical structures involved in memory located above and around the thalamus

important in planning movement, developing habits, other basic evolutionary mechanisms

Question 6

brain damage

Answer 6

allows for some causal neural methods such as localization of mental functions and documentation of single and double dissociation

difficult to be purely causal–affects large tissue so hard to pinpoint the connections, does not allow for unaffected areas, compensation in lesion

Question 7

brainstem

Answer 7

a subcortical structure that sends info to the spinal cord

important for sleep, alertness, facial expressions

Question 8

cerebellum

Answer 8

subcortical structure located at the back of the brain involved in physical cordination: memory of fine motor skills, attention, time estimation

Question 9

consolidation

Answer 9

process of solidifying memory traces in the neural structure over very long periods of time

system wide in larger brain structures, taking days weeks years, may function in our sleep

Question 10

convergence

Answer 10

the act of many excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters communicating with a neuron, influencing the firing rate of the action potential

interaction of these conflicting messages will result in specific firing rate

Question 11

Computer Assisted Tomography CT CAT scan

Answer 11

neuroimaging technique that involves taking multiple x-ray slices of the brain for a structural image

Question 12

dendrites

Answer 12

part of individual neuron that is specialized for receiving signals from sensory cells or other neurons

links many neurons together to axon with synapse

Question 13

diencephalon

Answer 13

includes the thalamus and hypothalamus

routing station for signals in the brain, involved in memory for conscious factual knowledge

Question 14

dopamine

Answer 14

neurotransmitter chemical important to memory & consolidation, low levels associated with Parkinson’s

Question 15

Diffuse Optical Tomography DOT

Answer 15

optical imaging using infrared light/lasers on a cap that penetrate 1-3cm of skull to track blood flow/O2 absorption reflecting from hemoglobin

–spacial, no subcortical image
–temporal, takes minutes
++invasive, just a cap on the head no drugs
++cost, cheap and portable

Question 16

Electroencephalography EEG

Answer 16

scalp electrodes measure electrical activity or ‘brain waves

–spacial, 1” raindrop analogy
++temporal, millisecond
++invasive, just a cap
++ cost, low use

Question 17

memory as an emergent property

Answer 17

it is a product of the nervous system, not a property of individual neurons
6 boards=box analogy

Question 18

Event Related Potentials

Answer 18

type of recording done in EEGs, a regular change in the pattern of electrical energy measured from the cortex at a given location as a function of the particular task or event the person is thinking about

provides amazing temporal resolution of the brain

Question 19

fMRI

Answer 19

functional magnetic resonance imaging measuring structural changed over time of the blood oxygenation and subtraction method

++spatial, 1 mm
++invasiveness, no drug required
–temporal, 6s or more
–cost, very expensive

Question 20

frontal lobes

Answer 20

major lobe of cortex located in front of the brain

language, thought, memory, motor functioning, creativity, emotional reactions,

thought to have evolved last, sign of higher cognitive function

Question 21

hippocampus

Answer 21

most important subcortical structure to memory

involves the entering of info into memory, “binding” of all things into a clear memory

Question 22

hypothalamus

Answer 22

subcortical structure in the diencephaloninvolved in bodily functions such as body temp, blood pressure, eating

Question 23

laterality

Answer 23

the dominance of one hemisphere in a certain function over the other
Left=analytical processing
right=holistic processing

Question 24

long term potentiation LTP

Answer 24

a change in neuron firing pattern following excessive stimulation, thought to be a mechanism of learning found mainly in the hippocampus

strengthens the connections between neurons by altering the ease in which post-synaptic neurons fire, requiring less stimulation for the same response

Question 25

Magnetoencephalography MEG

Answer 25

neural imaging technique using magnetic fields to measure coritcal electrical activity
\++spatial, not distorted by bone
\++temporal, 10ms
--cost, expensive and not easy to find
\++invasive, no drugs

Question 26

structural Magnetic Resonance Imagine MRI

Answer 26

neuroimaging technique relies on natural oscillations of atoms to determine their alignment

used to assess brain structure, size, lesions, issues

Question 27

myelin sheath

Answer 27

fatty substance that acts as an insulator of the neuron axons with nodes of Ranvier gaps that help transmit neural signals continuously down entire axon length

Question 28

neural code

Answer 28

information contained in the pattern of neural firing to an object or experience

how clusters of neurons fire over a period of time may represent cognitive activity

Question 29

neuron

Answer 29

specialized cell in the transmission and reception of information in nervous system

building block of the entire nervous system, hence memory,

Question 30

neurotransmitter

Answer 30

chemicals allowing for communication between neurons affecting the electrical signal, either excitatory or inhibitory in nature

released from terminal button of neuron into the synapse to communicate with dendrite

Question 31

nodes of ranvier

Answer 31

facilitate the transmition of signals within an axon by allowing signal to jump from one point to next, shortening the length of axon

Question 32

occipital lobes

Answer 32

lobes in the back of the brain primarily responsible for visual processing

Question 33

parietal lobes

Answer 33

lobes in the cerebral cortex, middle top

involved in working memory processes such as visual-spatial sketchpad, attention, touch, vision

Question 34

Positron emisson tomography PET

Answer 34

neuroimaging technique measuring blood flow directly by injecting radioactive O15 into blood, using subtraction method to correlate activity

++spatial, 1cm

• -temporal, 40sec
• -invasive, radiation
• -cost, high purchase and use in hospitals