Lecture 4 - Tools of Discovery and Older Brain Structures Flashcards
what are different ways to map the brain?
lesion method, EEG, PET scan, MRI, fMRI
lesion method
damaging or removing sections of the brain
electroencephalogram (EEG).
detect electrical activity of neurons in particular regions of brain
Position Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
records biochemical changes in brain as they are happening in different locations
MRI
Uses magnetic field to show picture of soft tissues
functional Magnetic Resonance Imagining (fMRI)
measures relative activity of various brain area during tasks
what is the structure of the brain?
the older brain structures, cerebral cortex, and limbic system
brainstem
controls involuntary (i.e. heart beating) behaviors and primitive (breathing) behaviors under voluntary control
what makes up the brainstem?
medulla and pons
medulla
controls bodily functions that do not have to be consciously willed
what is essential for survival?
medulla
pons
regulates sleep and arousal: coordinates movements from left and right side of the body
thalamus
relay station
directs incoming info from sense receptors to cerebral cortex
reticular formation
controls arousal (sleep, wake); selective attention
cerebellum
concerned primarily with coordination of movement
balance, muscle coordination
memory of simple skills, language, planning, reasoning
limbic system
emotions, memory, additional control over instinctive behaviors
amygdala
emotions (aggression/fear)
hypothalamus
maintains internal balance
regulates eating, drinking, sexual behavior, body temp, “biological clock”
regulates endocrine activity
hippocampus
“gateway to memory”
forms new memories about facts and events
what is the cerebral cortex
higher forms of thinking
what are the two parts of the cerebral cortex
two hemispheres (left and right)
name the lobes on the hemispheres
occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal
frontal lobe
at front of brain and planning, creative thinking, personality
contains motor cortex
motor cortex
voluntary movement
