Chapter 2: The Neural Basis for Cognition Flashcards
Amygdala
An almond-shaped structure in the limbic system that plays a central role in emotion and in the evaluation of stimuli, may also play a role in emotional memory and decision making.
Prefrontal Cortex
The outer surface of the foremost part of the brain. The prefrontal cortex has many functions but is crucial for the planning of complex or novel behaviors, so this brain area is often mentioned as one of the main sites underlying the brain’s executive functions.
Hindbrain
One of the three main structures in the brain; the hindbrain sits atop the spinal cord and includes several structures crucial for controlling key life functions.
Cerebellum
Largest area of the hindbrain, crucial for the coordination of bodily movements and balance.
Midbrain
One of the three main structures in the brain; the midbrain plays a role in coordinating movements, and it contains structures that serve as “relay” stations for information arriving from sensory organs.
Forebrain
One of the three main structures in the brain; the forebrain plays a crucial role in supporting intellectual functioning
Cortex
The outermost surface of an organ in the body; psychologists are most commonly interested in the brains cortex and specifically, the cerebral cortex.
Convolutions
The wrinkles visible in the cerebral cortex that allow the enormous surface area of the human brain to fit into the relatively small volume of the skull.
Longitudinal Fissure
The separation dividing the brains left cerebral hemisphere from the right.
Central Fissure
The separation dividing the frontal lobes on each side of the brain from the parietal lobes.
Lateral Fissure
The separation dividing the frontal lobes on each side of the brain from the temporal lobes.
Cerebral Hemisphere
One of the two hemispherical brain structures — one on the left side, one on the right — that constitutes the major part of the forebrain in mammals.
Frontal Lobes
The lobe of the brain in each cerebral hemisphere that includes the prefrontal area and the primary motor projection area.
Parietal Lobes
The lobe in each cerebral hemisphere that lies between the occipital and frontal lobes and that includes some of the primary sensory projection areas, as well as circuits that are crucial for the control of attention.
Temporal Lobes
The love of the cortex lying inward and down from the temples. The temporal lobe in each cerebral hemisphere includes the primary auditory projection areas, Wernicke’s area, and sub-cortically, the amygdala and hippocampus.
Occipital Lobes
The rearmost lobe in each cerebral hemisphere, and the one that includes the primary visual cortex.
Subcortical Structures
Pieces of the brain underneath the cortex, therefore hidden from view, includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, and various components of the limbic system.
Thalamus
A part of the lower portion of the forebrain that serves as a major relay and integration center for sensory information.
Hypothalamus
A small structure at the base of the forebrain that plays a vital role in the control of biologically motivated behaviors such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity.
Limbic System
A set of brain structures including the amygdala, hippocampus, and parts of the thalamus. The limbic system is believed to be in control of emotional behavior and motivation, and it also plays a key role in learning and memory.
Hippocampus
A structure in the temporal lobe that is involved in the creation of long-term memories and spatial memory.
Commissures
The thick bundles of fibers along which information is sent back and forth between the two cerebral hemispheres.
Corpus Callosum
The largest of the commissures linking the left and right hemispheres.
Computerized Axial Tomography (CT Scans)
A neuroimaging technique that uses X-rays to construct a precise three-dimensional image of the brains anatomy.
- Was the primary neuroimaging tool for many years.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scans)
A neuroimaging technique that determines how much glucose (the brain’s “fuel”) is being used by specific areas of the brain at a particular moment in time.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
A neuroimaging technique that uses magnetic fields (created by radio waves) to construct a detailed three-dimensional representation of brain tissue.
- Much more precise than CT Scans
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
A neuroimaging technique that uses magnetic fields (created by radio waves) to construct a detailed three-dimensional representation of activity levels in different parts of the brain at a particular moment.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A recording of voltage changes occurring at the scalp that reflect activity in the brain underneath.
Event-Related Potentials
Changes in an EEG in a brief period just before, during, and after an explicitly defined event, usually measured by averaging together many trials in which this event occurred.
Fusiform Face Area (FFA)
A brain area apparently specialized for the perception of faces.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
A technique in which a series of strong magnetic pulses at a specific location on the scalp causes temporary disruption in the brain region directly underneath the scalp area.
Localization of Function
The research endeavor of determining what specific job is performed by a particular region in the brain.
Primary Motor Projection Areas
The strip of tissue, located at the rear of the frontal lobe, that is the departure point for nerve cells that send their signals to lower portions of the brain and spinal cord, and that ultimately result in muscle movement.
Primary Sensory Projection Area
The main point of arrival in the cortex for information arriving from the eyes, ears, and other sense organs.
Apraxia
Due to damage to the frontal lobe, disturbances in the initiation or organization of voluntary action.
Agnosia
Due to damage of the occipital lobe, disruptions in the ability to identify familiar objects.
Aphasia
Due to damage of the temporal lobe, disruptions in the language capacities.
Association Cortex
The traditional name for the portion of the human cortex outside the motor and sensory projection area.
- 75% percent of the cortical areas, with specialized sections within.
Unilateral Neglect Syndrome
A pattern of symptoms in which affected individuals ignore all inputs coming from one side of space. Individuals with this syndrome put only one of their arms into their jackets, eat food from only half of their plates, read only half of a word.
- usually occurs due to lesions in the parietal lobe.
Neurons
An individual cell within the nervous system.
Cell Body
The area of a biological cell containing the nucleus and the metabolic machinery that sustains the cell.
Dendrites
The part of a neuron that usually detects the incoming signal.
Axon
Part of the neuron that typically transmits a signal away from the neuron’s cell body and carries the signal to another location.
Glia
A type of cell found (along with neurons) in the central nervous system. Glial cells have many functions, including the support of neurons, the repair of neural connections in case of damage, and a key role in guiding the initial development of neural connections. A specialized type of glia also provide electrical insulation (myelin sheath in central nervous system) for some neurons, allowing much faster transmission of neuronal signals.
Neurotransmitter
One of the chemicals released by neurons to stimulate adjacent neurons.
Synapse
The area including the presynaptic membrane of one neuron, the postsynaptic membrane of another neuron, and the tiny gap between them.
Presynaptic Neuron
The cell membrane of the neuron “sending” information across the synapse.
Threshold
The activity level at which a cell or detector fires.
Action potential
A brief change in the electrical potential of an axon. The axon potential is the physical basis of the signal sent from one end of a neuron to the other; usually triggering further chemical signals to other neurons.
Myelin Sheath
The layer of tissue, formed by specialized glial cells, that provides insulation around the axons of many neurons. There are, however, gaps in this insulation, and the neuronal signal essentially has to “jump” from one gap to the next, dramatically increasing the speed of neurotransmission.
All-or-none Law
The principle stating that a neuron or detector either fires completely or does not fire at all; no intermediate responses are possible.
Coding
The system through which one type of information stands for, or represents, a different type of information. In the context of the nervous system, this refers to the way in which activity in neurons manages to stand for, or represent, particular ideas or thoughts.
