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PSYC 213 > Chapter 3: The Brain > Flashcards

Chapter 3: The Brain Flashcards

(54 cards)

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1
Q

nervous system

A

a portion of the body consisting of neurons, nerves, and glial cells that allow different portions of the body to communicate with one another

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2
Q

neurons

A

specialized cells that can receive and transmit information

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3
Q

nerves

A

bundles of connective tissue between neurons that allow them to communicate with one another and with other parts of the body

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4
Q

glial cells

A

cells within the nervous system that provide support for neurons and overall nervous system function

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5
Q

two subsystems of the nervous system

A

central nervous system (CNS) & peripheral nervous system (PNS)

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6
Q

central nervous system (CNS)

A

the portion of the nervous system containing the brain and the spinal cord

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7
Q

peripheral nervous system (PNS)

A

the portion of the nervous system consisting of all neurons, nerves, and glial cells outside of the brain and spinal cord

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8
Q

where does cognition take place?

A

CNS (brain)

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9
Q

link between the CNS & PNS

A

The PNS provides inputs from external senses and passes them to the CNS for processing. The CNS sends a behavioural decision as an output to the PNS

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10
Q

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

A

connects most of the organs in the body and regulates unconscious bodily functions

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11
Q

subdivisions of the ANS

A

sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems

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12
Q

sympathetic nervous system

A

Unconsciously prepares the body for immediate action (fight-or-flight)

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13
Q

parasympathetic nervous system

A

regulates bodily functions under conditions where immediate action is not needed (rest & digest)

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14
Q

brainstem

A

a stalk-like structure at the base of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord and regulates involuntary functions like heart rate and breathing

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15
Q

hypothalamus

A

a small but highly complex cluster of neurons that lies in the center of the brain and is involved in regulating involuntary functions like body temperature hunger, thirst, fatigue, and sexual behaviour

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16
Q

what brain structures regulate the ANS

A

brainstem & hypothalamus

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17
Q

reflex action

A

when a stimulus generates an immediate behavioural action triggered by the spinal cord before the information reaches the brain

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18
Q

cerebrum

A

the largest portion of the human brain that consists of the cerebral cortex and related structures

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19
Q

cerebral cortex

A

a folded, layered structure that is the largest single structure and the most superficial portion of the brain.

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20
Q

the cerebral cortext is made up of

A

gray & white matter

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21
Q

gray matter

A

neuronal cell bodies

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22
Q

white matter

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A

consists of the nerve tracts that connect neurons to each other

23
Q

hippocampus

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A

a complex structure that is involved in memory formation and is structurally an extension of the temporal lobe of the cortex

24
Q

dorsal

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A

the upwards direction

25
ventral
the downwards direction
26
caudal/posterior
the direction towards the back of the head
27
frontal/anterior
the direction towards the forehead
28
contralateral
one side of the brain controls or receives outputs from the opposite side of the body
29
what hemisphere does vision project to?
For vision, everything to the left of the point you’re looking at projects to the right hemisphere and vice versa
30
gyri
the hill-like projections of the folds of the cerebral cortex
31
sulci
the valley-like indentations of the folds of the cerebral cortex
32
fissure
a deep sulcus
33
why does the brain have gyri and sulci?
because it increases the surface area that can fit into the skull
34
lobes
the four anatomical divisions of the cortex that exist on each hemisphere
35
occipital lobe
responsible for vision
36
temporal lobe
responsible for the meaning of sensory information, language and visual memory
37
frontal lobe
responsible for planning and executive control
38
parietal lobe
responsible for attention, sensory integration, and somatosensory processing
39
lateral fissure
separates the temporal and frontal lobes
40
central sulcus
separates the frontal and parietal lobes
41
parieto-occipital sulcus
separates the parietal and occipital lobes
42
hemispheres
each of the two halves of the cerebrum, divided into left and right
43
left hemisphere
dominant location of language
44
right hemisphere
dominant location of spatial processing
45
neuropsychology
the study or observation of brain function and impairment due to brain pathology
46
Phineas Gage
suffered a serious accident when a metal bar penetrated his skull and travelled through much of his frontal cortex. He recovered most of his mental faculties, but his personality was different. Demonstrated that damage to specific regions can impair specific functions
47
Split-brain patients
patients (typically epileptic) who have had their corpus callosum severed, disconnecting the two hemispheres of the cortex. Most recovered normal cognitive function, but Michael Gazzaniga found that when an object is presented in their left visual, they cannot name what they saw
48
hemodynamic response
the blood delivers oxygen more quickly to active neurons than inactive neurons
49
subtraction method
used to measure brain activity when the participant is performing the task vs. a different task/no task at all to determine what brain areas are more active when the participant is doing the task
50
Multivariate Pattern Analysis (MVPA)
a data analysis that uses machine learning to decode what stimulus or task a participant is engaging in, based on the distribution of activity throughout the brain.
51
steps of MVPA
1. The researcher must decide which neurons from different parts of the brain will be included 2. The pattern of brain activity when participants are engaged in different tasks s measured using neuroimaging typically fMRI 3. After a number of different neural patterns are gathered they are split into the training set and the test set. The training set is given o a computer with the correct labels so that it can learn which patterns of brain activity belong with which stimulus 4. Testing whether the computer can correctly identify brain activation patterns from a set it has not encountered before
52
decoding
taking some brain activity and working backwards to figure out what stimulus or other cognitive process caused it
53
Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)
uses near-infrared light to measure oxygenated vs. non-oxygenated hemoglobin, a component of blood
54
neuroplasticity
the ability of the brain to reorganize the spatial arrangement of its function

PSYC 213 (14 decks)

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