The Biological Perspective Flashcards
What is the brain-imaging method that uses computer-controlled X-rays of the brain?
Computed Tomography (CT) scan
What is the brain-imaging method that uses radio waves and magnetic fields of the body to produce detailed images of the brain?
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
What machine records the EEG?
Electroencephalograph
What is a recording of the electrical activity of large groups of cortical neurons just below the skull?
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
What is often used to record the EEG?
Scalp electrodes
What is the advantage of using MRI over CT scan?
CT scan is unable to show very small details within the brain
What measures connectivity in the brain by imaging white matter tracts?
Diffusion tensor imaging
Differentiate EEG from MRI/CT
MRI/CT: imaging brain structures
EEG: record the electrical activity of the living brain
What is the brain-imaging method in which a radioactive sugar is injected into the subject and a computer compiles a color-coded image of the activity of the brain?
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
What is the neuroimaging method similar to PET but uses a different radioactive tracer?
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)
What is SPECT used for?
Examination of brain blood flow
What are beta waves (EEG)?
Fast, irregular waves indicating waking activity
What are slightly more regular, slower waves which indicate relaxation?
Alpha waves
What type of waves is associated with drowsiness and sleep?
Theta waves
What are much slower, larger waves that indicate deep sleep?
Delta waves
What MRI-based brain-imaging method allows for examination of brain areas through changes in brain examination?
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
What is the first large swelling at the top of the spinal cord which forms the lowest part of the brain?
Medulla
What is the medulla responsible for?
Life-sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing and heart rate
What connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain?
Corpus callosum
What controls complex thought processes?
Cerebral cortex
What is the part of the forebrain that relays information from sensory organs to the cerebral cortex?
Thalamus
What is the part of the hindbrain that controls balance and maintains muscle coordination?
Cerebellum
What is the part of the hindbrain that relays messages between the cerebellum and the cortex?
Pons
What is the system of nerves running from the hindbrain and through the midbrain to the cerebral cortex?
Reticular formation
What is the function of the reticular formation?
Controls arousal and attention
What happens in the medulla?
Nerves cross from one side of the body to the opposite side of the brain
What is the function of the hippocampus?
Plays a role in learning, memory and ability to compare sensory information to expectations
What regulates all other endocrine glands?
Pituitary gland
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Part of the forebrain that regulates the amount of fear, thirst, sexual drive and aggression we feel
What is the function of the Reticular Activating System (RAS)?
Stimulates the upper part of the brain, keeping people awake and alert
*RAS is part of the Reticular Formation (RF)
What is the larger swelling above the medulla that connects the top of the brain to the bottom?
Pons
What is the function of the pons?
Plays a role in sleep, dreaming, L-R body coordination and arousal
What is the Reticular Formation (RF)?
area of neurons running through the middle of the medulla and the pons and slightly beyond that
responsible for general attention, alertness and arousal
What is the function of the cerebellum?
controls and coordinates involuntary, rapid, fine motor movement
*it is part of the lower brain, behind the pons
What happens in spinocerebellar degeneration?
Since the cerebellum is responsible for coordinating fine motor movement, cerebellar deterioration symptoms include:
tremors, an unsteady walk, slurred speech, dizziness and muscle weakness
What is the group of brain structures located under the cortex and are involved in learning, emotion, memory and motivation?
Limbic system
What is the part of the limbic system located in the center of the brain and relays sensory information from the lower part of the brain to the proper areas of the cortex?
Thalamus
- Lower part of brain —> Stimulus processed in the thalamus —> Proper area of the cortex
**All types of sensory information go through different pathways sa lower brain and end up in different parts of the cortex, BUT all of them go through the thalamus
What happens when the thalamus is damaged?
This might result in the loss or partial loss of any or all of the sensations that it processes
What is the pathway of nerve fibers that transmits information from the hippocampus to the mamillary bodies?
Fornix
What is the primary cortical component of the limbic system?
Cingulate Cortex
What is the function of the cingulate cortex?
Emotional and Cognitive Processing
What is the role of the amygdala?
Influences our motivation, emotional control, fear response and interpretations of nonverbal emotional expressions
What acts as a relay station, transmitting information between the fornix and the thalamus?
Mamillary body
What are the two bulb-like projections just under the front of the brain?
Olfactory bulb
*olfactory = receives information from receptors in the nose
What is the small structure in the brain located below the thalamus and directly above the pituitary gland?
Hypothalamus
What is the hypothalamus responsible for?
Motivational behavior such as sleep, hunger, thirst and sex
What is the curved structure located within each temporal lobe?
Hippocampus
What happens in the hippocampus?
Formation of long-term memories and storage of memory for location of objects
Where is the amygdala, which is responsible for fear responses and memory of fear, located?
Near the hippocampus
What is the Klüver-Bucy syndrome?
Monkeys with large amounts of their temporal lobes removed - including the amygdala - were completely unafraid of snakes and humans, both normally fear-provoking stimuli
*information from the senses go to the amygdala before the upper part of the brain is involved, so people can respond to danger very quickly, sometimes before they are even consciously aware of what is happening
What is the outermost covering of the brain consisting of densely packed neurons?
Cortex
What is the cortex responsible for?
Higher thought processes and interpretation of sensory input
What are the two sections of the cortex on the left and right sides of the brain?
Cerebral hemispheres
What is the thick band of neurons that connects the R and L cerebral hemispheres?
Corpus Callosum
What is the section of the brain located at the rear and bottom of each cerebral hemisphere?
Occipital lobe
What does the occipital lobe contain?
Visual centers of the brain
What sections of the brain are located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere?
Parietal lobes
What is the function of the parietal lobes?
Contains the centers for touch,t aste and temperature sensations
What is the area of neurons running down the front of the parietal lobes?
Somatosensory cortex
What is the Somatosensory Cortex for?
processes information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, body position and possibly taste
What are the areas of the cortex located just behind the temples?
Temporal lobes
What are the temporal lobes responsible for?
Sense of hearing and meaningful speech
What are the areas of the cortex in front and on top of the brain?
Frontal lobes
What are the frontal lobes responsible for?
Higher mental processes and decision-making as well as production of fluent speech
What is the section of the frontal lobe located at the back?
Motor cortex
What is the function of the motor cortex?
Sends motor commands to the muscles of the somatic nervous system
What are neurons that fire when an organism performs an action and also when an organism observes that same action being performed by another?
Mirror neurons
What are the areas within each lobe of the cortex responsible for the coordination and interpretation of information?
Association areas
- also responsible for higher mental processing
What is the condition that causes the affected person to be unable to speak fluently, to mispronounce words, and to speak haltingly?
Broca’s aphasia
What causes the affected person to be unable to understand or produce meaninful language?
Wernicke’s aphasia
What is produced by damage to the association areas of the R hemisphere resulting in an inability to recognize objects or body parts in the left visual field?
Spatial neglect
What is the upper part of the brain which consists of the two hemispheres and the structures that connect them?
Cerebrum
