Chapter 4 Flashcards
What is the map of the brain called ?
Humunculus
What is deafferentation ?
Changes to the homunculus, such as in an amputee, areas of the brain that used to be mapped for the severed limb, are used instead by neighbouring areas
What is gating ?
The brains ability to turn plasticity on and off In particular places and times. It occures only when something is relevant or meaningful for the organism.
It requires a neuromodulator
What is a neuromodulator ?
Diffusely released chemical signals that can gate plasticity.
What is a cholinergic ?
A neuron that releases the neurotransmitter Acetylcholine
Where do cholinergic neurons exist mostly ??
The basal forebrain
What is adaptive coding ?
The idea that the brain will have a larger or smaller physical representation of a particular function or sensation, depending on the needs and experiences of the individual.
What is the term used to describe the impairment or loss of language skills, usually following brain damage?
Aphasia
What is the term used to describe deliberate, internally controlled cell death ?
Apoptosis
What is the subcortical structure within the brain, including the nucleus accumbens, that use acetylcholine to innervate large extents of the cortex
Basal forebrain
What does binocular mean ?
Visual input that comes from both eyes, allowing depth perception.
What is it called when a patch of light-sensitive electrodes can be implanted onto the retina to restore sight to individuals who have damage effecting the photoreceptors
Bionic retinal implant
Chemoaffinity hypothesis
The idea that migrating axons make a connection with their target based on specific signals released by the target.
Cholinergic Neurons
Neurons that release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine
What is constraint therapy ?
A form of therapy where the more functional limb is restrained, forcing the patient to get better at using the less functional limb.
What is an experiment that removes or interrupts the incoming sensory information to a neuron. ?
Deafferentation
What is gating ?
Filtering the incoming sensory information such that the brain needs to respond only when something important happens. (Storing and encoding memory based on relevance)
Hemispherectomy
(The boy with half a brain) a Surgical procedure to remove one hemisphere of the brain
What is the homunculus
A representation of the body within the brain, such as within the somatosensory cortex.
What is the medial geniculate nucleus
A specialized part of the thalamus that is part of the auditory pathway from the choclea to the primary auditory cortex.
What is necrosis ?
An uncontrolled form of cell death
What is the neocortex ?
The grey matter covering the two cerebral hemispheres.
(Grey matter is the cell bodies)
What does NGF stand for ?
Nerve growth factor,
It’s a chemical that is secreted by cells to promote the growth and survival of adjacent axons and neurons
What is a neuromodulator ?
Chemical messengers that affect plasticity so that changes can occur only at certain times or under certain conditions.
