introduction Flashcards
cognition
higher mental processes
thinking, perceiving, imagining, speaking, acting and planning
what does cognitive neuroscience relate to?
the neural basis of behaviour
what does cognitive neuroscience bridge the gap between?
biological sciences, psychology and psychiatry
mental representation
the sense in which properties of the outside world are copied/ stimulated by cognition
neural representation
the way in which properties of the outside world manifest in themselves in the neural signal
what has neuroimaging enabled scientists to do?
to begin to uncover the neural basis of consciousness, raising interesting questions about how our experience of the world is constructed
historical perspectives
do mental experiences arise in the heart or the brain?
how can a physical substance give rise to mental experiences (the mind brain problem)
dualism- the mind (eternal) and body (mortal) are separate substances
front
anterior/ rostral
back
posterior/ caudal
top
dorsal
bottom
ventral
lateral
towards side
medial
towards middle
same side
ipsilateral
opposite side
contralateral
transverse section
right angle to the neural axis (left to right)
sagittal section
parallel to neuraxis and perpendicular to the ground
front to back and vertical
horizontal section
parallel to the ground
peripheral nervous system contains
cranial nerves and spinal nerves
weight of the brain
large mass of glia and other supporting cells
how much body weight does the brain account for?
2%
what is the brain encased in?
tough bony skull and floating in CSF fluid
how much of or blood supply does the brain use? how much oxygen?
20% blood
15-20% 0xygen
how many miles of blood vessels does the human brain contain
400 miles
hole for the passage of the spinal cord
foramen magnum
hole for the passage of the spinal cord
foramen magnum
meninges
dura mater
arachnoid
pitamater
dura mater
tough flexible outermost meninx
arachnoid
middle layer of the meninges
like a sheet of cellophane that is draped over the brain
it does not dip into the valleys of the brain contour
pia mater
last layer of the meninges, which adheres to the surface of the brain
subarachnoid space
space between the arachnoid and pia filled with cerebrospinal fluid
ventricular system of the brain
a set of chambers within the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid
what are the ventricles
lateral
third
cerebral aqueduct
fourth
CSF is formed by?
choroid plexus
what is CSF similar to in composition
blood plasma
what does the CSF do?
forms a watery cushion to protect the brain
suspends the brain reducing its mass
shock absorber
provides optimal conditions
where is the CSF circulated?
lateral ventricles
third ventricle
cerebral aquaduct
fourth ventricle.
The CSF leaves the fourth ventricle and flows through the subarachnoid space
The CSF flows around the brain and spinal cord
CSF needs to be reabsorbed into the blood supply to prevent accumulation of fluid
what is the total volume of cerebrospinal fluid?
125-150ml
why does CSF need to be reabsorbed into the blood steam?
it is constantly being produced
is CSF passively or actively secreted from the brain?
actively
how many times a day does the entire volume of CSF turn over?
3 to 4 times a day
hydrocephalus
build up of fluid in the brain
treatment of hydrocephalus
valve to regulate pressure
tube inserted into lateral ventricle
tube into abdominal cavity
what did Luigi Galvani find?
electrical stimulation of frogs nerve caused contraction of attached muscle
balloonist theory
that brain inflated muscles by directing pressurised fluid/ air through the nerve
dual-aspect theory
mind and body are two levels of explanation of the same thing
reductionism
mind eventually explained solely in terms of physical/ biological theory
most psychologist’s deal with reductionism:
complex phenomena explained in terms of simpler ones
most psychologists deal with generalisation
particular instances of behaviour as examples of general laws, which they deduce from their experiments explained
why would the corpus callosum be split
the only relief for patients with violent and frequent epileptic seizures
what is the corpus callosum?
a bundle of nerve fibres which serve to connect the right and left cerebral hemispheres
what is the left hemisphere in control of?
language and right side motor control
what is the right hemisphere in control of?
left side motor control
what ensures stimuli are presented to only one hemisphere?
tachistoscopic presentation
