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Human Cognition > Chapter 2 - The Neural Basis for Cognition > Flashcards

Chapter 2 - The Neural Basis for Cognition Flashcards

1
Q

Amygdala

A
  • almond-shaped structure in the limbic system

- plays a central role in emotion and in the evaluation of stimuli

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2
Q

Prefrontal cortex

A
  • outer surface of the frontmost part of the brain
  • crucial for the planning of complex or novel behaviours
  • main site for brain’s executive funcitons
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3
Q

Hindbrain

A
  • sits atop the spinal cord

- includes several structures crucial for controlling key life functions

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4
Q

Cerebellum

A
  • largest area of the hindbrain

- crucial for coordination of bodily movements and balance

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5
Q

Midbrain

A
  • plays an important role in coordinating movements

- contains structures that serve as relay stations for information arriving from the sensory organs

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6
Q

Forebrain

A
  • plays a crucial role in supporting intellectual functioning
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7
Q

Cortex

A
  • outermost surface of an organ in the body

- psychologists are most commonly interested in the cerebral cortex

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8
Q

Convolutions

A
  • wrinkles visible in the cerebral cortex

- allows surface area of the brain to fit into a small volume in the skull

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9
Q

Longitudinal fissure

A
  • separation diving the left cerebral hemisphere from the right
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10
Q

Cerebral hemisphere

A
  • left and right cerebral hemisphere

- constitute the major part of the forebrain in mammals

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11
Q

Frontal lobes

A
  • lobe that includes the prefrontal area and the primary motor projection area
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12
Q

Central fissure

A
  • separation dividing the frontal lobes from the parietal lobes
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13
Q

Parietal lobes

A
  • lies between occipital and frontal lobes

- includes the primary sensory projection areas and circuits that are crucial for the control of attention

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14
Q

Lateral fissure

A
  • separation dividing the frontal lobes from the temporal lobes
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15
Q

Temporal lobes

A
  • lies inward and down from the temples

- includes the primary auditory projection area, Wernicke’s area, amygdala, and hippocampus

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16
Q

Occipital lobes

A
  • rearmost lobe

- includes the primary visual projection area

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17
Q

Subcortical structures

A
  • pieces of the brain underneath the cortex

- includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, and various components of the limbic system

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18
Q

Thalamus

A
  • part of the lower portion of the forebrain

- major relay and integration center for sensory information

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19
Q

Hypothalamus

A
  • small structure at the base of the forebrain

- plays a role in the control of motivated behaviours (eg. eating, drinking, sexual activity)

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20
Q

Limbic system

A
  • includes amygdala, hippocampus, and parts of the thalamus

- involved in the control of emotional behaviour, motivation, learning, and memory

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21
Q

Hippocampus

A
  • structure in the temporal lobe

- involved in the creation of long-term memories and spatial memories

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22
Q

Commisures

A
  • thick bundle of fibre along which information is sent back and forth between the cerebral hemispheres
23
Q

Corpus callosum

A
  • largest of the commissures linking the left and right hemispheres
24
Q

Lesion

A
  • a specific area of tissue damage
25
Q

CT scans

A
  • computerized axial tomography

- uses X-rays to construct a 3D image

26
Q

PET scans

A
  • positron emission tomography

- determines how much glucose is being used by specific areas of the brain at a particular moment in time

27
Q

MRI scans

A
  • magnetic resonance imaging
  • uses magnetic fields to construct a 3D representation of brain tissue
  • more precise than CT scans
28
Q

fMRI scans

A
  • functional magnetic resonance imaging
  • uses magnetic fields to construct a 3D representation of the activity levels in different areas of the brain at a particular moment in time
29
Q

EEG

A
  • electroencephalogram

- recording of voltage changes occuring at the scalp that reflect activity in the brain underneath

30
Q

Event-related potentials

A
  • changes in an EEG in the brief period just before, during, and after an explicitly defined event
  • usually measured by averaging together many trials in which this event has occurred
31
Q

Fusiform face area (FFA)

A
  • a brain area apparently specialized for the perception of faces
32
Q

TMS

A
  • transcranial magnetic stimulation
  • 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
33
Q

Localization of function

A
  • the research endeavor of determining what specific job is performed by a particular region of the brain
34
Q

Primary motor projection areas

A
  • located at the rear of the frontal lobe
  • departure point for nerve cells that send signals to lower portions of the brain and spinal cord
  • result in muscle movement
35
Q

Primary sensory projection areas

A
  • main points of arrival in the cortex for information arriving from the eyes, ears, and other sense organs
36
Q

Contralateral control

A
  • pattern in which the left half of the brain controls the right half of the body, and vice versa
37
Q

Association cortex

A
  • traditional name for the portion of the human cortex outside the motor and sensory projection areas
38
Q

Apraxis

A
  • disturbance in the capacity to initiative or organize voluntary action, often caused by brain damage
39
Q

Agnosias

A
  • disturbance in a person’s ability to identify familiar objects
40
Q

Neglect syndrome

A
  • pattern of symptoms in which individuals ignore all inputs coming from one side of space
41
Q

Aphasias

A
  • disruption to language capacities, often caused by brain damage
42
Q

Neurons

A
  • an individual cell within the nervous system
43
Q

Glia

A
  • type of cell in the central nervous system
  • functions = support of neurons, repair of neural connections, development of neural connections
  • specialized glia provide electrical insulation for faster transmission of neural signals
44
Q

Cell body

A
  • area of biological cell containing the nucleus and metabolic machinery that sustains the cell
45
Q

Dendrites

A
  • part of the neuron that usually detects the incoming signal
46
Q

Axon

A
  • part of the neuron that typically transmits a signal away from the neuron’s cell body and carries the signal to another location
47
Q

Neurotransmitter

A
  • one of the chemicals released by neurons to stimulate adjacent neurons
48
Q

Synapse

A
  • area that includes the presynaptic membrane of one neuron, the postsynaptic membrane of another neuron, and the gap between them
  • presynaptic membrane releases a small amount of neurotransmitter that drifts across the gap and stimulates the postsynaptic membrane
49
Q

Presynaptic membrane

A
  • cell membrane of the neuron sending information across the synapse
50
Q

Postsynaptic membrane

A
  • cell membrane of the neuron receiving information across the synapse
51
Q

Threshold

A
  • activity level at which a cell or detector responds, or fires
52
Q

Action potential

A
  • brief change in the electrical potential of an axon
  • physical basis of the signal sent from one end of a neuron to the other
  • usually triggers a further chemical signal to other neurons
53
Q

Myelin sheath

A
  • layer of tissue formed by specialized glial cells
  • provides insulation around the axons of many neurons
  • gaps in the insulation allowing the neuronal signal to jump from one gap to the next
  • increases speed of neurotransmission
54
Q

All-or-none law

A
  • a neuron or detector either fires completely or does not fire at all
  • no intermediate responses are possible
  • graded responses are possible based on frequency and timing

Human Cognition (3 decks)

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