Module 1.4: The Brain

Question 1

What does the biopsychosocial approach to psychology evaluate?

Answer 1

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.)

Question 2

What is neuroplasticity?

Answer 2

It refers to the brain’s ability to change, build, and reorganize after damage or experience (easier for children than adults)

Question 3

What is neurogenesis?

Answer 3

It is the process by which a brain fixes itself by producing new neurons rather than mending itself by reorganizing existing tissue

Question 4

How is electroencephalogram (EEG) done?

Answer 4

Electrodes placed on the scalp measure electrical activity in neurons

Question 5

How is magnetoencephalography (MEG) done?

Answer 5

A head coil records magnetic fields from the brain’s natural electrical currents

Question 6

How is computed tomography (CT) scan done?

Answer 6

X-rays of the head generate images that may locate brain damage

Question 7

How is positron emission tomography (PET) scan done?

Answer 7

Tracks where a temporarily radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain of the person given it performs a given task

Question 8

How is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan done?

Answer 8

Lying in a chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to provide a map of brain structure

Question 9

How is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan done?

Answer 9

Measures blood flow to brain regions by comparing continuous MRI scans

Question 10

What are neural circuits?

Answer 10

They are groups of neurons linked together, organized differently in discreet brain regions that carry out specific tasks

Question 11

What is the hindbrain? What does it consist of?

Answer 11

It is the lowest level and oldest structure of the brain. It consists of structures involved with survival functions (brain stem)

Question 12

What is the midbrain? What does it consist of?

Answer 12

It is the middle level of the brain. It is involved with movement and sensation, and allows for communication between hind and forebrain

Question 13

What is the forebrain? What does it consist of?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What is the brain stem?

Answer 14

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.)

Question 15

What does the brain stem include?

Answer 15

Medulla, Pons, Cerebellum, reticular formation

Question 16

What does the medulla do?

Answer 16

It is located at the base of the brainstem and controls breathing and heartbeat

Question 17

What does the pons do?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is the reticular formation or activating system?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What does the cerebellum do?

Answer 19

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)

Question 20

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What does the cerebral cortex play a key role in?

Answer 21

Memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thinking, speaking, and consciousness

Question 22

What is the cerebral cortex divided into?

Answer 22

2 hemispheres, includes the limbic system(thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, amygdala), corpus callosum, and lobes

Question 23

What is the limbic system?

Answer 23

It is a neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres that is associates with emotions and drives

Question 24

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 24

It directs messages (from all senses except smell) to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Question 25

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 25

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)

Question 26

What does the pituitary gland do?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

What does the hippocampus do?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

What does the amygdala do?

Answer 28

It is responsible for survival emotions of fear and aggression

Question 29

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 29

It is a network of neural fibers connecting the two hemispheres of the brain together, allowing for communication between them

Question 30

What is a treatment for epilepsy?

Answer 30

Severing the corpus callosum

Question 31

What is the pineal gland?

Answer 31

It produces melatonin, regulating the body’s sleep cycle

Question 32

What are the lobes of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 32

Occipital, Temporal, Parietal, and Frontal

Question 33

What is the occipital lobe responsible for?

Answer 33

Receives information from the visual fields of opposite eyes for visual processing

Visual cortex - organization and processing of visual information

Question 34

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

Answer 34

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

Question 35

What is Wernicke’s Area?

Answer 35

It is responsible for speech and language comprehension and is located only on the left hemisphere

Question 36

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 36

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

Question 37

What is the parietal lobe responsible for?

Answer 37

it receives sensory input for touch sensations and body position; contains somatosensory cortex, angular gyrus

Question 38

What is the somatosensory cortex?

Answer 38

It processes touch sensitivity; the more sensitive an area of the body is, the more area is dedicated to it in this cortex

Question 39

What is the angular gyrus?

Answer 39

It is written language and number procession, spatial recognition, and elements of memory

Question 40

What is the frontal lobe responsible for?

Answer 40

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

Question 41

What is Broca’s area?

Answer 41

It is located only on the left frontal lobe; responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech

Question 42

What is Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 42

It is the problems with fluency in speech production due to damage to Broca’s area

Question 43

What does the motor cortex do?

Answer 43

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

Question 44

What are association areas?

Answer 44

Any areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; involved instead in higher mental functions

Question 45

What is split brain research?

Answer 45

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