Neuroscience Flashcards
forebrain
top part of the brain
midbrain
middle of the brain
hindbrain
lower part of the brain
cerebral cortex (cortical structures)
the outer surface of the brain associated with higher level processing
frontal lobe
involved in high-order cognitive planning, decision making, and impulse control
motor cortex
structure in the frontal lobe involved with planning and coordinating movement
pre-frontal cortex
structure in the frontal lobe involved with higher-level cognitive functioning
parietal lobe
processes sensory information
somatosensory cortex
structure in the parietal lobe that processes information from sensory receptors
temporal lobe
responsible for hearing, memory, emotion, and language
auditory cortex
structure in the temporal lobe that processes auditory information
occipital lobe
processes visual information
primary visual cortex
structure in the occipital lobe that interprets incoming visual information
longitudinal fissure
divides each hemisphere of the brain
corpus callosum
bundle of fibers that connect the two hemispheres and allow them to communicate
gyri
patterns of folds or bumps
sulci
grooves
Broca’s area
responsible for language production
Wernicke’s area
responsible for speech comprehension
Broca’s aphasia
loss of ability to produce speech and language
Wernicke’s aphasia
loss of ability to understand incoming speech
What are the four main indicators of Broca’s aphasia?
- halting speech
- repetition of phrases
- disordered grammar and syntax
- comprehension intact
What are the four main indicators of Wernicke’s aphasia?
- fluent speech
- little spontaneous repetition
- adequate grammar and syntax
- comprehension not intact
subcortical structures
structures that lie below the cerebral cortex
thalamus
sensory relay station of the brain where senses are routed before being sent to processing areas
hypothalamus
regulates homeostatic processes and responsible for the 4 F’s
What are the four F’s that the hypothalamus controls?
fighting, feeding, fleeing, f*cking
amygdala
plays a role in emotional processes and ties emotional meaning to memories
hippocampus
essential structure for learning and memory
anterograde
difficulty forming new memories
retrograde
difficulty remembering old memories
basal ganglia
responsible for intentional movement
Parkinson’s disease
motor movement disorder
tegmentum/tectum
orients body movement in response to stimuli
cerebellum
involved in motor coordination, control, and balance
medulla
coordinates life-sustaining functions (i.e. heart rate, circulation, respiration)
reticular formation
regulates sleep, wakefulness, and arousal
pons
connects the brain and spinal cord
involved with regulating brain activity during sleep and relaying information from the cerebellum
What is the left hemisphere dominant for?
speech and language
What is the right hemisphere dominant for?
motor functions
contralateral organization
right hemisphere controls left side of body
left hemisphere controls right side of body
If a split brain patient sees “ring” on their right visual field, what will they do?
say “ring”
If a split brain patient sees “key” on their left visual field, what will they do?
draw a key
neurons
cells that specialize in receiving and transmitting information throughout the brain and nervous system
cell body (soma)
contains the nucleus
dendrites
finger-like projections that receive information from other neurons and relay to the cell body
axon
long, slender projection that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body
myelin sheath
fatty protective sheath that insulates axons and increases speed and efficiency of neural communication
axon terminal
where the axon ends and where communication with other neurons occurs
multiple sclerosis
an autoimmune disorder that involves a large-scale loss of the myelin sheath on axons
action potential
an electrical signal that is conducted along the length of a neuron’s axon to the synapse
True or False:
An action potential is an all-or-none phenomena.
True
resting potential
-70 mV
During resting potential, which is more positively charged? (more Na+ than Cl-)
outside
During resting potential, which is more negatively charged? (more A- than K+)
inside
depolarization
neuron becomes more positive
peak membrane potential
+30 mV
What happens during depolarization?
sodium channels open and Na+ ions rush into the neuron
repolarization
neuron becomes more negative
What happens during repolarization?
sodium channels close and K+ ions rush out the neuron
What is the threshold of excitation?
-55 mV
synapse
the region between the axon of the presynaptic cell and the dendrite of the postsynaptic cell where information is transmitted from one cell to another
Where are neurotransmitters housed?
synaptic vesicles in the axon terminals
What is the process of transmission across the synapse?
action potential → reaches axon terminals → neurotransmitters in synaptic vesicles are released
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that carry impulses to another cell
excitatory neurotransmitters
increase the likelihood of an action potential (more + membrane potential)
inhibitory neurotransmitters
decrease the likelihood of an action potential (more - membrane potential)
True or False:
Transmission across the synapse is an all-or-none phenomenon.
False
It is a graded phenomenon; neuron will only fire if pushed past the firing threshold (-55 mV)
acetylcholine
important transmitter between motor neurons and voluntary muscles
serotonin
plays a primary role in regulating sleep, wakefulness, and eating behavior
dopamine
regulates motor behavior, motivation, pleasure, and emotional arousal
What leads to Parkinson’s disease?
the degeneration of dopamine
agonist
chemical that enhances or mimics the action of a neurotransmitter
antagonist
chemical that blocks the action of a neurotransmitter
MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imagining
produces high-quality still images of the brain
fMRI
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
used to examine ongoing brain activity and change over time
Which brain imaging technique is best for determining location?
fMRI
EEG
Electrocephalography
direct measure of neural electrical activity
Which brain imaging technique is best for determining timing?
EEG
