Lecture 2 - Brain and Cognition

Question 1

What makes up the CNS

Answer 1

brain and spinal cord

Question 2

role of CNS

Answer 2

control centre
integration

Question 3

what makes up the PNS

Answer 3

cranial and spinal nerves

Question 4

role of PNS

Answer 4

communication lines between CNS and rest of body

Question 5

basic makeup of brain in colours

Answer 5

white - white matter
grey - grey matter
black - substantial nigra
red - blood vessels

Question 6

dorsal

Answer 6

towards back
above midbrain: superior
below midbrain: posterior

Question 7

dorsal stream

Answer 7

how stream
stream for action

Question 8

ventral

Answer 8

towards the belly;
above the midbrain: inferior,
below: anterior

Question 9

ventral stream

Answer 9

what stream
conceptual/semantic processing

Question 10

what is the dual stream hypothesis in?

Answer 10

vision, hearing, language, math etc

Question 11

blood-brain barrier

Answer 11

semi-permeable membrane that protects the brain from harmful substances

Question 12

meninges

Answer 12

connect brain & skull, produce CSF, host vessels to deliver blood to CNS
pia mater – arachnoid mater – dura mater

Question 13

cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Answer 13

in ventricles & sub- arachnoid space: “brain’s cushion”, waste removal, circulation of nutrients

Question 14

fissures

Answer 14

deep grooves that separates major regions of the brain
o transverse fissure separates cerebrum and cerebellum
o longitudinal fissure/interhemispheric fissure separates hemispheres

Question 15

sulci

Answer 15

grooves

make up the folded surface of the cerebral cortex

Question 16

gyri

Answer 16

folds, ridges
make up the folded surface of the cerebral cortex

Question 17

pattern of gyri

Answer 17

• overall pattern of main gyri and sulci is not random; it is the same for humans, details may differ from one person to the other

Question 18

part of brain affected in Parkinson’s

Answer 18

o Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive disorder that affects movement, muscle control and balance
* Cells destroyed particularly in substantia nigra part of brain stem

Question 19

grey matter

Answer 19

• Surface of hemisphere/cerebellum + deep grey matter
• Cortex: outer layer of grey matter

Question 20

white matter

Answer 20

o Long-range axons (fibres) connecting regions
o Fibres usually myelinated making them white and fast
o Fibres bundled into fibre tracts

Question 21

3 types of fibres

Answer 21

projection, association and commissural fibres

Question 22

projection fibres

Answer 22

connect cortex with other areas in CNS like deep nuclei or brainstem. They run vertically.

Question 23

association fibres

Answer 23

intrahemispheric tracts - within one hemisphere, cortex-cortex connections)
* Arcuate fasciculus (Broca’s-Geschwind’s-Wernicke’s areas connections) (left pic)

Question 24

commissural fibres

Answer 24

cross the midline, connecting the same cortical area in opposite hemispheres (right-left hemispheric connections) (right pic)

Question 25

plasticity

Answer 25

• The ability of the nervous system to modify its structural organisation and its function throughout an individual’s lifetime

Question 26

neurons

Answer 26

• Cells that communicate with each other and perform information-processing tasks
• Billions of neurons and thousands of varieties

Question 27

synapses

Answer 27

• Allow transmission of nervous impulse from one neuron to another
• Connections between neurons vary in strength based on different factors like the number of synapses and amount of chemicals that pas between them

Question 28

synaptic plasticity

Answer 28

• The ability of synapses to emerge, strengthen or weaken over time, in response to increases or decreases in their activity

Question 29

brain development

Answer 29

• Develops from a simple neural tube into a complicated structure with a distinct and complex folding pattern

Question 30

synaptogenesis

Answer 30

massive overproduction of synapses (starting ~23 weeks of gestational age)

Question 31

pruning

Answer 31

loss of synapses, highly dependent on experience

Question 32

Hebbian learning

Answer 32

cells that fire together wire together

Question 33

function of frontal lobe

Answer 33

o motor movement & planning speech production
o complex cognitive behaviour
o decision making
o problem solving
o emotion regulation
o Personality
o executive functions
o working memory
o inhibition
o shifting attention

Question 34

function of parietal lobe

Answer 34

o touch, taste, pain, temperature
o proprioception
o attention
o spatial orientation & planning
o movement control
o speech comprehension

Question 35

function of temporal lobe

Answer 35

o long-term memory
o speech comprehension
o face recognition
o place recognition
o emotional regulation
o Hearing
o smell

Question 36

function of occipital lobe

Answer 36

o visual processing
o local orientation
o size, shape, colour

Question 37

function of brainstem

Answer 37

breathing
HR
temperature

Question 38

function of cerebellum

Answer 38

posture
balance
motor control
learning

Question 39

function of basal ganglia

Answer 39

motor control
motor learning
reward processing

Question 40

function of thalamus

Answer 40

relay station

Question 41

function of limbic system

Answer 41

emotional processing
memory
reward evaluation

Question 42

function of primary motor cortex

Answer 42

motor execution (homunculus,
somatotopic organisation)

Question 43

function of premotor cortex and supplementary motor area

Answer 43

motor planning, sensorimotor integration

Question 44

function of frontal eye lids

Answer 44

control voluntary eye movements

Question 45

function of brocas area

Answer 45

speech production; close proximity to hand & mouth area of the motor cortex

Question 46

function of basal ganglia

Answer 46

motor control (start, stop, regulate intensity of voluntary movement), motor learning (e.g., writing)

Question 47

function of wernicke’s area

Answer 47

speech perception/comprehension