Chapter 2: The neural basis for cognition Flashcards
Amygdala
Located in limbic system
Plays primarily role in emotion and stimuli evaluation
Prefrontal cortex
The outer surface (cortex) of the front part of the brain (frontal)
Crucial for planning complex and novel behaviors
Often mentioned as a main site of the brain’s executive function
Hindbrain
One of the brain’s 3 main structures (along with forebrain and midbrain)
Sits atop the spinal cord
Crucial for controlling several key life functions
Cerebellum
The largest of the hindbrain’s areas
Crucial for balance and controlling bodily movements
Midbrain
Important in sensory reflexes, movement, and pain
Forebrain
Largest and newest part of the brain
Thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum
Cortex
Outer layer of the brain
Convolutions
Wrinkles in the brain allow it to take up less space
Longitudinal fissure
Largest convolution
Divides the left and right hemispheres
Cerebral hemisphere
Either of the two halves of the cerebrum
Right controls left side of body and vice versa
Frontal lobes
Largest lobes in the human brain
Most common area for TBI
Voluntary movement, high level executive functions, expressive language
Prefrontal and primary motor projection areas
Central fissure
Separation dividing the frontal lobes on each side of the brain from the parietal lobes
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
Lateral fissure
Separation dividing the frontal lobes on each side of the brain from the temporal lobes
Temporal lobes
The lobe of the cortex lying inward and down from the temples
Each includes the primary projection area, Wernicke’s area, and, subcortically the amygdala and hippocampus
Occipital lobes
Rearmost lobe in each cerebral hemisphere
Includes primary visual projection area
Subcortical structures
Identified pieces of the brain that are underneath the cortex
Thalamus, hypothalamus, various components of the limbic system
Thalamus
Major relay & integration center for sensory information
Hypothalamus
A small structure at the base of the forebrain that plays a vital role in the control of motivated behaviors such as eating, drinking, and sex
Limbic system
A set of brain structures including the amygdala, hippocampus, and thalamus
Believed to be involved in control of emotional behavior and motivation
Key role in learning and memory
Hippocampus
Structure located in the temporal lobe
Involved in creation of long-term memories and spatial memory
Commissure
One of the thick bundles of fibers along which information is sent back and forth between the two cerebral hemispheres
Corpus callosum
Largest commissure
Links the left and right hemispheres
Lesion
A specific area of tissue damage
Neuroimaging techniques
Non-invasive methods for examining either the structure or the activation pattern within a living brain
Computerized axial tomography (CT scans)
Uses X-rays to construct a precise 3D image of brain’s anatomy
Positron emission tomography (PET scans)
Determines how much glucose (brain fuel) is being used by specific areas of the brain at a particular moment in time
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans)
Uses magnetic fields to construct a detailed 3D representation of brain tissue
Like CT, MRI reveals the brain’s anatomy, but it’s much more precise
functional Magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Uses magnetic fields to construct a detailed 3D representation of activity levels in different areas of the brain at a particular moment in time
electroencephalogram (EEG)
A recording of voltage changes occuring at the scalp that reflect activity in the brain underneath
Event-related potentials
Changes in EEG in the brief period just before, during, or after an explicitly defined event, usually measured by averaging together many trials in which this event has occured
Fusiform face area (FFA)
Brain area specialized for perception of faces
Transcranial magnetic simulation (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 this scalp area
Localization of function
A particular region of the brain performs a specific job/function
Primary motor projection areas
Located in rear of the frontal lobe
Departure point for nerve cells that send their signals to lower portiuons of the brain and spinal cord, and that ultimately result in muscle movement**
Primary sensory projection areas
Main point of arrival for information arriving from the sense organs
Contralateral control
Pattern in which the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body and the right half of the brian controls the left half of the body
Association cortext
Traditional name for the portiuoin of the human cortex outside the motor and sensory projection areas
Apraxias
Disturbance in the capacity to initiate/organize voluntary action, often caused by brain damage
Agnosias
Disturbance in ability to identify familiar objects
Unilateral neglect syndrome
Pattern of symptoms in which affected individuals ignore all inputs coming from one side of space
Aphasia
A disruption to language capacities, often caused by brain damage
Neurons
Individual cells in the nervous system
Glia
Type of nerve cell found in the central nervous system
Many functions including support of neural connections and a key role in guiding initial development of these connections
Specialized glial cells provide insulatiuon to some neurons (myelin)
Cell body
Area of cell coantaining nucleus and metabolic machinery that sustains the cell
Dendrites
Part of neuron that usually detects the incoming signal
Axon
Part of neuron that typically transmits a signal away from the neuron’s cell body and carries the signal to another location
Neurotransmitter
One of the chemicals released by neurons to stimulate adjacent neurons
Synapse
Space between neurons
Presynaptic membrane
Cell membrane of the neuron sending information
Postsynaptic membrane
Cell membrane of the neuron receiving information
Threshold
Activity level at which a cell or detector responds or fires
Action potential
A brief change in the electrical potential of an axon
The action poptential is the physical basis of the signal sent from one end of a neuron to the other
Usually triggers a further (chemical) signal to other neurons
Myelin sheath
Layer of tissue formed by specialized glial cells that provides insulation around the axons of many neurons
There are gaps in the insulationand the neuronal signal jumps from one of these gaps to the next, dramatically increasing the speed of neurotransmission
All or none law
A neuron or detector either fires completely or does not at all
No intermediate responses are possible
Coding
System through which one type of information stands for or represents a different type of information
In the context of the nervous system, this term refers to the way in which activity in neurons manages to stand for, or represent, particular ideas or thoughts
