CHAPTER 2 COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE Flashcards
prosopagnosia is… and is also called?
problem in seeing the differences between faces and having trouble remembering faces. also called face blindness
descartes is associated with..? and what is its definition?
dualism: The idea, that there is a distinction between the physical world, where the brain resides, and a nonphysical world, where the mind and soul reside.
modern psychologists believe in..?
materialism: the mind is entirely a product of the brain
what is cognitive neuroscience…?
is the interdisciplinary study of the neural mechanisms of cognition and behavior.
- Focuses on role of brain mechanisms
- Many clinical problems and behavioral disorders are linked to brain disorders
functional specialization is..?
The principle that different brain areas serve different perceptual and cognitive skills.
how. do neurons receive input…?
via dendrites
how dp neurons make decisions
through molecular interactions in the cell body or soma
how do neurons send info?
via axons!
what happens when a neurons receives a signal that is above the threshold..?
dendrites and soma will generate an action potential
action potentials cause the release of what chemicals?
neurotransmitters :D
synapses are p…?
plastic! which means their strength can change with learning and experience
what function do glial cells give to the neuron…?
they give structural and funcional support for neurons
sensory receptors do what..?
send environments info to the brains sensory neurons.
motor neurons do what…?
control motor output for speech or action.
how many hemispheres in the brain divided into..?
2 the left and right hemisphere
which hemisphere controls what side of the body?
sensory and motor information for the right side of the body, while the right hemisphere processes the left side of the body.
what tends to be stronger in the left hemisphere?
language function
what tends to be stronger in the right hemisphere?
visiospatial tasks are more concentrated in the right hemisphere.
what connects the hemispheres?
the corpus callosum, which is a massive bundle of axons.
the outer layer of the hemispheres is called the…?
cerebral cortex
a groove ( kind of inner groove in the brain) is called
sulcus
a bump on the outer part of the brain is called
gyrus
how many lobes are there in the brain and what are their names?
4, occipital, temporal, frontal and parietal
the occipital lobe controls..?
visual perception
the temporal lobe controls…?
complex percpetion, memory and language
the frontal lobe controls…?
thinking, planning, and decisions making.
the parietal lobe controls..?
visuospatial functions
spatial resolution entails
being able to pinpoint WHERE neural activity occurs
temporal resolution entails..?
ability to pinpoint WHEN neural activity occurs
invasivness entails
the AMOUNT of impact a method has on an individuals brain
the discoveries of these 2 areas supported materialism over dualism
brocas area, and werickes area
brocas area is..?
left frontal lobe, controls the motor aspect of language
wernickes area
left temporal lobe controls the understanding on language
what is electrophysiology?
the study of direct electrical activity of neurons measured by inserted electrodes
what is Electrocorticography (ECoG)
are intercranial recordings, used to localize seizure activity. Guides surgery to remove minimal amount of brain tissue. think of open brain picture . kind of invasive
EEG or Electroencephalography
- less invasive recording of neural activity using scalp electrodes
- aggravate activity of millions to billions of neurons
- limited spatial resolution
- high temporal resolution
- can look at different states of consciousness and sleep
- can see large oscillating waves in epileptics.
FmRI or Funtional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Provides detailed views of internal structures and noninvasive measures of brain activity. scans brain and provides picture.
FMRI subtraction method
allows for comparison of the patterns of the brain activity for two categories or stimuli.
Blood oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD)
signal increases with increased brain activity.- Neurons use more oxygen when active.
- The BOLD signal can be plotted on the structural image to show where brain activity is changing.
- Helps clinicians predict deficits with damage.
- Identifies regions of interest (ROIs) for future testing.
reverse inference
Inferring what someone is thinking or feeling by observing brain activity.
what is Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
- Temporarily disrupt brain activity using focal magnetic pulses targeted over different areas of the scalp
- Help determine if a brain region is needed for a function
- Noninvasive
- think of someone using a scope or tool directly (hovering) above someones head
What is Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
is a portable, wearable brain stimulation technique that delivers a low electric current to the scalp.
- Increases or decreases the likelihood of neuronal firing
- Evidence for increasing motor learning and working memory
Genotype
entire set of genes an individual carries
phenotype
Phenotype refers to an individual’s observable traits, such as height, eye color and blood type. A person’s phenotype is determined by both their genomic makeup (genotype) and environmental factors.
Behavioral Genetics studies what..?
the field that attempts to link behavior (phenotypes) and genes (genotypes).
- Understanding the interaction between genes and environment is crucial for isolating genetic influences
epigenetics
The study of external factors that affect how genes operate.
