Module 1.4: The Brain Flashcards
What does the biopsychosocial approach to psychology evaluate?
It evaluates how different aspects of human behavior are influenced by a combination of biological factors (genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, brain activity, etc.), psychological factors (emotions, cognitive processing, motives, etc.), and social factors (family/cultural influences, peer pressure, etc.)
What is neuroplasticity?
It refers to the brain’s ability to change, build, and reorganize after damage or experience (easier for children than adults)
What is neurogenesis?
It is the process by which a brain fixes itself by producing new neurons rather than mending itself by reorganizing existing tissue
How is electroencephalogram (EEG) done?
Electrodes placed on the scalp measure electrical activity in neurons
How is magnetoencephalography (MEG) done?
A head coil records magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical currents
How is computed tomography (CT) scan done?
X-rays of the head generate images that may locate brain damage
How is positron emission tomography (PET) scan done?
Tracks where a temporarily radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain of the person given it performs a given task
How is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan done?
Lying in a chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to provide a map of brain structure
How is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan done?
Measures blood flow to brain regions by comparing continuous MRI scans
What are neural circuits?
They are groups of neurons linked together, organized differently in discreet brain regions that carry out specific tasks
What is the hindbrain? What does it consist of?
It is the lowest level and oldest structure of the brain. It consists of structures involved with survival functions (brain stem)
What is the midbrain? What does it consist of?
It is the middle level of the brain. It is involved with movement and sensation, and allows for communication between hind and forebrain
What is the forebrain? What does it consist of?
It is the largest and most complex of the brain layers. It is involved in memory, emotion, reasoning, personality, communication, complex thought, and other cognitive functions
What is the brain stem?
It is the oldest part of the brain, found at the base of the skull above the spinal cord. It controls basic functioning and automatic survival functions (heart rate, breathing, etc.)
What does the brain stem include?
Medulla, Pons, Cerebellum, reticular formation
What does the medulla do?
It is located at the base of the brainstem and controls breathing and heartbeat
What does the pons do?
It connects hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain; it is involved in respiration and REM sleep, also serves as a communications and coordination center between the hemispheres
What is the reticular formation or activating system?
It is a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal (brain’s reward center), voluntary movement, eye movement, and some types of learning, cognition, and emotion
What does the cerebellum do?
It is at the rear of the brain stem; coordinates nonverbal learning and memory (one of the first parts of the brain impacted by alcohol, causing imbalance and slow reaction)
What is the cerebral cortex?
It is the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres that functions as the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center
What does the cerebral cortex play a key role in?
Memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thinking, speaking, and consciousness
What is the cerebral cortex divided into?
2 hemispheres, includes the limbic system(thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, amygdala), corpus callosum, and lobes
What is the limbic system?
It is a neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres that is associates with emotions and drives
What does the thalamus do?
It directs messages (from all senses except smell) to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
What does the hypothalamus do?
It bridges the endocrine and nervous systems; keeps the body regulated (maintains optimum body temperature), enables fight or flight, responsible for experiencing and satiating hunger and thirst, encourages the sexual response cycle
5 Fs (fight, flight, feeding, fahrenheit, fornication)
What does the pituitary gland do?
It is controlled by the hypothalamus and is responsible for the release of hormones throughout the body by controlling all endocrine glands. It plays a major role in growth and development
What does the hippocampus do?
It is crucial for learning, memory, and converting short-term to long-term memories; also responsible for processing and storing explicit memories of facts and events
What does the amygdala do?
It is responsible for survival emotions of fear and aggression
What is the corpus callosum?
It is a network of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain together, allowing for communication between them
What is a treatment for epilepsy?
Severing the corpus callosum
What is the pineal gland?
It produces melatonin, regulating the body’s sleep cycle
What are the lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Occipital, Temporal, Parietal, and Frontal
What is the occipital lobe responsible for?
Receives information from the visual fields of opposite eyes for visual processing
Visual cortex - organization and processing of visual information
What is the temporal lobe responsible for?
controls auditory and linguistic processing, each side receiving from opposite ear; assists with memory; contains Wernicke’s Area on left hemisphere, association area for facial recognition on right hemisphere
auditory cortex - organization and processing of auditory information
What is Wernicke’s Area?
It is responsible for speech and language comprehension and is located only on the left hemisphere
What is Wernicke’s aphasia?
It is problems with meaning of speech due to damage of Wernicke’s Area; the syntax and grammar are jumbled; the person is able to speak clearly, but do not recognize that what they are saying makes no sense
What is the parietal lobe responsible for?
it receives sensory input for touch sensations and body position; contains somatosensory cortex, angular gyrus
What is the somatosensory cortex?
It processes touch sensitivity; the more sensitive an area of the body is, the more area is dedicated to it in this cortex
What is the angular gyrus?
It is written language and number procession, spatial recognition, and elements of memory
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
it is involved in executive functions - ability to recognize future consequences, making judgements, planning and decision making, abstract thought, and personality
it controls linguistic processing, higher-order thinking, and executive functioning; contains Broca’s area, motor cortex
What is Broca’s area?
It is located only on the left frontal lobe; responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech
What is Broca’s aphasia?
It is the problems with fluency in speech production due to damage to Broca’s area
What does the motor cortex do?
Controls most types of skeletal (purposeful and voluntary) movement
the more a body part is used in purposeful movement, the more space is dedicated to it on this cortex
What are association areas?
Any areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; involved instead in higher mental functions
What is split brain research?
treatment for patients with severe epileptic seizures (removing corpus callosum)
- eliminated seizures but caused difficulty in basic tasks as the two hemispheres couldn’t communicate with each other
