Chapter 7 Flashcards
exteroceptive sensory systems
the five sesnroy systems that interpret stimuli from outside the body: vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste
primary sensory cortex
an area of sensory cortex that receives most of its input directly from the thalamic relay nuclei of one sensory system
secondary sensory cortex
areas od sensory cortex that receive most of their input from the primary sensory cortex of one sensory system or from other areas of sensory cortex of the same system
association cortex
any area of the cortex that receives input from more than one sensory system
hierarchical organization
organization into a series of levels that can be ranked with respect to one another; for example, primary cortex, secondary cortex, and association cortex perform progressively more detailed analysis
sensation
the process of detecting the presence of stimuli
perception
the higher-order process of integrating recognizing, and interpreting complex patterns of sensations
functional segregation
organization into different areas, of each of which performs a different function; for example, in sensory systems, different areas of secondary and association cortex analyze different aspects of the same sensory stimulus
parallel systems
systems in which info flows through the components over multiple pathways
parallel processing
the simultaneous analysis of a signal in different ways by the multiple parallel pathways of a neural network
binding problem
the problem that asks “How does the brain combine individual sensory attribute to produce integrated perceptions?”
amplitude
perception of loudness
frequency
perception of pitch
complexity
perception of timbre
loudness
amplitude of the molecular vibrations
pitch
frequency of the molecular vibrations
timbre
complexity of the molecular vibrations
fourier analysis
a mathematical procedure for breaking down a complex wave form (e.g., an EEG signal) into component sine waves of varying frequency
fundamental frequency
the highest frequency of which the various component frequencies of a sound are multiples
missing fundamental
the characteristic of pitch perception that says that the pitch of a complex sound may not be directly related to the frequency of any of he sound’s components
tympanic membrane
the eardrum
ossicles
the three small bones of the middle ear; the malleus, the incus, and the stapes
malleus
the hammer; the first of the small bones of the middle ear
incus
the anvil; the second of the small bones in the middle ear
stapes
the stirrup the third of the small bones in the middle ear
oval window
the membrane that transfers vibrations from the ossicles to the fluid of the cochlea
cochlea
the long, coiled tube in the inner ear that is filled with fluid and contains the organ of Corti and its auditory receptors
organ of Corti
the auditory receptor organ, comprising the basilar membrane, the hair cells, and the tectorial membrane
hair cells
the receptors of the auditory system
basilar membrane
the membrane of the organ of Corti in which the hair cell receptors are embedded
tectorial membrane
the cochlear membrane that rests of the hair cells
auditory nerve
the branch of cranial nerve VII that carries auditory signals from the hair cells in the basilar membrane
retinotopic
organizaed according to a map of the retina, like the primary visual cortex
tonotopic
organized according to the frequency of sound, like the primary auditory cortex
semicircular canals
the receptive organs of the vestibular system
vestibular system
the senory system that detects changes in the direction and intensity of head movements and that contributes to the maintenance of balance through its output to the motor system
cochlear nuclei
the locations at which the axons of each auditory nerve synapse ipsilaterally
superior olives
medullary nuclei that play a role in sound localization
lateral lemniscus
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inferior colliculi
the structures of the tectum that receive auditory input from the superior olives
medial geniculate nuclei
the auditory thalamus nuclei that receive input from the inferior colliculi and project to primary auditory cortex
tinnitus
ringing in the ears
primary auditory cortex
where projection of sound ends; the part of the cerebral cortex that processes auditory info; is located bilaterally within the lateral fissure
medial superior olives
neurons located in this structure respond to slight differences in the time of arrival of signals from the two ears
lateral superior olives
neurons in this location respond to slight differences in the amplitude of sounds from the two ears
core region
the three adjacent areas that comprise the primary auditory cortex
belt
the band that surrounds the core region
parabelt areas
areas of secondary cortex outside the belt
anterior auditory pathway
pathway more involved in identifying sounds (what)
posterior auditory pathway
pathway more involved in the location of sounds (where)
conductive deafness
class of hearing impairments associated with damage to the ossicles
nerve deafness
class of hearing impairments associated with damage to the cochlea or auditory nerve
somatosensation
sensations from the body
somatosensory system
the system that mediates bodily sensations
exteroceptive system
system that senses external stimuli that are applied to the skin
proprioceptive system
system that monitors information about the position of the body that comes from receptors in the muscles, joints, and organs of balance
interoceptive system
system that provides general information about conditions within the body
mechanical stimuli
touch
thermal stimuli
temperature
nociceptive stimuli
pain
free nerve endings
neuron endings that lack specialized structures on them and that detect cutaneous pain and changes in temperature
Pacinian corpuscles
the largest and most deeply positioned cutaneous receptors, which are sensitive to sudden displacements of the skin
Merkel’s disks
cutaneous receptors that adapt slowly and respond to gradual skin indentation
Rufini endings
cutaneous receptors that adapt slowly and respond to skin stretch
stereognosis
the process of identifying objects by touch
dermatome
an area of the bosy that is innervated by the left and right dorsal roots of one segment of the spinal cord
dorsal-column medial-lemniscus system
the division of the somatosensory system that ascends in the dorsal portion of the spinal white matter and carries signals related to touch and proprioception
anterolateral system
the division of the somatosensory system that ascends in the anterolateral portion of spinal white matter and carries signals related to pain and temperature
dorsal columns
the somatosensory tracts that ascend in to dorsal portion of the spinal cord white matter
dorsal column nuclei
part of the pathway of the dorsal-column medial-lemniscus system (receives signals from the dorsal columns); the place where the neurons decussate
decussate
cross over to the other side of the brain
medial lemniscus
the somatosensory pathway between the dorsal column nuclei and the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus
ventral posterior nucleus
a thalamicc relay nucleus in both the somatosensory and gustatory systems
primary somatosensory cortex (SI)
neurons from the ventral posterior nucleus project to this part of the brain; is arranged in a somatotopic manner; the greatest portion is dedicated to receiving input from the parts of the body we used to make tactile discriminations and little info from large areas of the body
secondary somatosensory cortex (SII)
neurons of the ventral posterior nucleus project to this part of the brain; receives much of its info from SI; somatotopically organized; receives substantial info from both sides of the body
spinothalamic tract
one of the three tracts of the anterolateral system
spinoreticular tract
one of the three tracts of the anterolateral system
spinotectal tract
one of the three tracts of the anterolateral system
postcentral gyrus
when stimulated, patients report somatosensory sensations in various parts of their body (somatotopic)
parafascicular nuclei
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somatotopic
organized according to a map of the surface of the body, like the primary somatosensory cortex
somatosensory homunculus
the somatotopic map that corresponds to the primary somatosensory cortex
posterior parietal lobe
the location in the brain where much of the output of SI and SII goes to the association cortex of this structure; contains bimodal neurons
bimodal neurons
neurons that respond to activation of two different sensory systems
hemianopsia
a condition in which a scotoma covers half the visual field
astereognosia
an inability to recognize objects by touch that is not attributable to a simple sensory deficit or to general intellectual impairment
asomatognosia
a deficiency in the awareness of parts of one’s own body that is typically produced by damage to the parietal lobe
anosognosia
the common failure of neuropsychological patients to recognize their own symptoms
contralateral neglect
a disturbance of the patient’s ability to respond to visual, auditory, and somatosensory stimuli on the side of the body opposite to a site of brain damage, usually the left side of the body following damage to the right parietal lobe
rubber hand illusion
the feeling that an extraneous object, usually a rubber hand, is actually part of one’s own body
hemispherectomized
patients with one hemisphere removed
anterior cingulate cortex
the cortex of the anterior cingulate gyrus, which is involved in the emotional reaction to painful stimulation
gate-control theory
theory that suggests that the spinal cord contains a neurological “gate” that either blocks pain signals or allows them to continue on to the brain
periaqueductal gray
the gray matter around the cerebral aqueduct which contains opiate receptors and activated a descending analgesia circuit
endorphins
a class of endogeneous opioids
raphe nuclei
a cluster of serotonergic nuclei in the core of the medulla
neuropathic pain
severe chronic pain in the absence of a recognizable painful stimlulus
flavor
the combines impression of taste and smell
pheromones
chemicals released by an animal and elicit through their odor specific patterns of behavior in its conspecifics
olfactory mucosa
the mucous membrane that lines the upper nasal passages and contains the olfactory receptor cells
cribiform plate
the porous portion of the skull through which the acons of the olfactory receptor cells pass through
olfactory bulbs
the first cranial nerves, whose output goes primarily to the amygdala and piriform cortex
olfactory tracts
the place where the olfactory receptor cells synapse
olfactory glumeruli
discrete clusters of neurons on the surface of the olfactory bulbs; each neuron in a particular cluster contains the same type of receptor protein
chemotopic
organized according to a map of various odors, like the olfactory bulb
piriform cortex
an area of medial temporal cortex that is adjacent to the amygdala and that receives direct olfactory input
medial dorsal nuclei
the thalamic relay nuclei of the olfactory system
orbitofrontal cortex
the cortexof the interior frontal lobes, adjacent to the orbits, which receives olfactory input from the thalamus
taste buds
clusters of taste receptors found on the tongue and in parts of the oral cavity
papillae
small protuberances on the tongue where taste buds are located
solitary nucleus
the medullary relay nucleus of the gustatory system
ventral posterior nucleus
part of the thalamus where neurons from the solitary nucleus synapse
primary gustatory cortex
the part of the cortex hidden in the lateral fissue where the gustatory axons of the ventral posterior nucleus project
secondary gustatory cortex
part of the cortex that is in the orbitofrontal cortex
anosmia
the inability to smell
aguesia
the inability to taste
selective attention
the ability to focus on a small subset of the multitude of stimuli that are being received at any one time
endogenous attention
attention focused by internal cognitive processes
exogenous attention
attention focused by external events
cocktail-party phenomenon
the ability to unconsciously monitor the contents of one conversation while consciously focusing on another
change blindness
the difficulty perceiving major changes to unattended-to parts of a visual image when the changes are introduced during brief interruptions in the presentation of the image
simultanagnosia
a disorder characterized by the inability to attend to more than one thing at a time
top-down
a sort of neural mechanism that involves activation of lower cortical areas by higher cortical areas
bottom-up
a sort of neural mechanism that involves activation of higher-cortical areas by lower cortical areas
