Test 1 Flashcards
Scientific instruments are what?
sensory extensions
What is representationalism?
The brain representing reality
What is naive realism?
Thinking that the world is pretty much as it appears to be
What is constructivism?
The brain constructing reality
In constructivism, the world as we know it, depends on our ability to do what?
gather, interpret, and act on information in the environment
Differences in the type of senses, size and organization of the brain, and ways to interact with the environment will produce what?
Different realities
What is the scientific study of the brain and nervous system, in health and disease?
Neuroscience
Neuroscience incorporates what fields?
psychology, biology, chemistry, medicine, mathematics, physics, engineering, and computer science
What are the 5 levels of neuroscience?
Behavioral, network, synaptic, cellular, and molecular
What is the term for making a whole in the skull to allow the brain to expand?
Trepanation
Who started interest in the brain?
Aristotel
When did study of the brain begin?
the 1800’s
Franz Gall came up with what theory that was popular in the 1800s but highly inaccurate?
Phrenology
Phrenology was was started the idea of what?
mapping the brain
What was the first definitive evidence of a particular part of the brain having to do with ability?
Broca’s patient “Tan”
Broca’s area is responsible for what?
producing speech
Who had the idea that the fundamental unit in the brain is the neuron?
santiago ramon y cajal
What was the first non-invasive way to study the living brain?
EEG
When was EEG discovered?
1929
What does electroencephalography mean?
electric head measurement
REM is also called paradoxial sleep why?
because it looks like alert wakefulness that is tacked onto stage 4
What is brain stimulation?
artificial stimulation of specific brain regions and observation of resulting behavior.
What are the different types of artificial stimulation?
surface electrodes during neurosurgery, surgically implanted electrodes, repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation, and optogenics
What is the hippocampus important for?
encoding new memories
What does TMS do?
applies a brief, strong magnetic field that alters neural activity
Deep brain stimulation is effective for what kind of patients?
parkinson’s and depression
MRIs measure what?
brain structure
fMRIs measure what?
brain function
fMRI uses what method to determine brain function?
subtraction method
What is DTI?
Diffusion Tensor Imaging
What does DTI do?
Constructs maps of the brain’s fiber
CT scans do what?
pass x-rays through the head
Older CT scans are only good for looking at what?
large structural abnormalities
fMRI gives us good information about what?
where in the brain that certain functions are done
What do PET scans do?
Use a radioactive tracer that is injected into the subject
fMRI tracks what in the blood?
oxygen
Why is fMRI not a great way of detecting lies?
You could game the system by thinking of another memory, or thinking of the time you made up the lie, which is then a memory.
DTI targets what?
axons that connect the brain
DTI is great for doing what?
isolating the impact of concussions
What is the blood-brain barrier?
tightly-packed cells of blood vessel walls that prevent entry of many molecules
The posterior cerebral artery serves what areas of the brain?
Occipital lobe, Parietal lobe, inferior temporal gyrus
The anterior cerebral artery serves what areas of the brain?
Anterior prefrontal cortex, superior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus
The middle cerebral artery serves what areas of the brain?
middle temportal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, Inferior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus
What provides physical protection for the brain?
Skull, meninges, cerebrospinal fluid
There are four large bones that make up the majority of the skull. What are they?
Frontal bone, parietal bone, occipital bone, temporal bone
The dura mater means what?
tough mother
Dura mater is located where?
Under the skull
The arachnoid mater is what?
spider-web like, sinewy fibers
Under the arachoid mater, is the subarachnoid space. What is located there?
cerebrospinal fluid and cardiovascular system
The pia mater means what?
pious mother
Andreas vesalius came up with what 3 terms?
cortex, gyrus, and sulcus
CSF is produced by what?
choroid plexus
What creates neural stem cells?
ventricular walls
Grey matter is on the ______ of the brain
Outer layer
What are the three parts of the brainstem?
Midbrain, Pons, Medulla
The brainstem is in charge of what?
Basic life processes
The reticular formation is located within the brainstem. What is it in charge of?
arousal
Where is the thalamus located?
On top of the midbrain
What are the functions of the medulla?
arousal, various
What are the functions of the Pons?
Arousal, various, audition, balance/position, sleep and arousal,
What are the functions of the cerebellum?
balance, motor coordination, cognition
What are the functions of the midbrain?
arousal, various, pain, motor, vision, audition
The thalamus is the what?
relay station
What does the hypothalamus do?
Links CNS to endocrine system for hormonal control
The hypothalamus is good for the “four Fs”. What are they?
Fighting, fleeing, feeding, mating
What makes up the brain’s volume control?
reticular formation, thalamus, and hypothalamus
When the volume control is damaged, what happens?
You enter a coma
What may cause hyperactivation of the brain’s volume control?
psychotropic drugs
What causes dimming of the brain’s volume control?
general anesthetics
What does the limbic system do?
regulated motivated behaviors
What is the hippocampus involved in?
episodic memory and spatial navigation
What is the amygdala important for?
emotions, especially fear and anger
What is the cingulate cortex used for?
the “oh shit” signal
The cingulate cortex is in charge of what?
decision making, error detection, emotion, anticipation fo reward, empathy, and pain
What are the 3 parts of the basal ganglia?
putamen, head of caudate, and globus pallidus
The basal ganglia is the what?
traffic light
What does the basal ganglia do?
selects and executes particular motor/cognitive programs
What is parkinson’s disease a result of?
basal ganglia not receiving dopamine and not working properly to stop tremor movements
What is ADHD a result of?
Basal ganglia allowing too many things to come through
What is OCD a result of?
Red light is stuck on and other thoughts are not allowed in.
What is the reward center of the brain involved with addiction?
nucleus accumbens
How many layers to the cortex are there?
6 layers
Brodmann provided a map of the brain that showed how many different areas?
60
The posterior end of the brain has an area called V1. What is this responsible for?
vision
handwriting is stored where?
pre-motor cortex
What is the pre-frontal cortex involved in?
complex processing. Who you are. High level thinking. Behavior
The dorsal-visual pathway is primarily located where?
The parietal lobe
A1 is located inferior to the lateral fissure. What is it in charge of?
auditory senses
Why does vision take up the majority of space?
because we are visual creatures
The ventral visual pathway is a ______ pathway
what
The dorsal visual pathway is a ________ pathway
where/how
The prefrontal cortex is primarily ______
motor
The postcentral cortex is primarily _______
somatosensory
What is dorsolateral frontal syndrome caused by?
relatively mild head trauma
What are the symptoms of dorsolateral frontal syndrome?
Flat affect, perseverative behavior, mental regidity
People with dorsolateral frontal syndrom are at mercy of what?
environmental stimuli
What are the symptoms of orbitofrontal syndrome?
behavioral and emotional disinhibition, affect oscillating between euphoria and rage, low impulse control, low gratification, little concern for social taboos, no foresight of consequences of actions
What part of the brain is associated with disgust and interoception?
Insula
When does the prefrontal cortex mature?
21 years. This is why children are annoying and touch EVERYTHING THEY SEE
What happens to your prefrontal cortex when drinking alcohol?
It doesn’t inhibit weird things
What is interoception?
Being aware of your internal states
What organisms had the first nervous system?
hydra
What were the first types of animals with brains?
chordates
What are dermatomes?
Stripes where you could lose feeling in if you have damage to your spinal cord
What are the two ways you can modify the activity of an organ?
make it work harder, or slow it down
