The Brain and Neuropsychology Flashcards
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
A network of unmyelinated nerve fibres running through the body and connecting the senses and internal organs with the central nervous system. Governs autonomic functions.
Central nervous system (CNS)
Consists of the brain and spinal cord. Where decision making takes place.
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
The network of nerve fibres connecting the various parts of the body with the central nervous system. It is made up of the somatic system (SNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Receives and sends messages.
Sensory information
Information which is picked up by the sense organs of the body and passed on to the central nervous system (CNS)
Somatic system (SNS)
Network of myelinated sensory and motor neurons that carry sensory information to, and instructions for movement from, the central nervous system. Sends information to the brian from muscles. Takes in information from sensory organs.
Stimulus
Something that is detected by the sense receptors, which the nervous system will react to
Fight or flight response
An automatic reaction to threat, stimulated by the ANS and maintained by the endocrine system, which activates the body’s reserves of energy to prepare it for action
Sympathetic nervous system
Works in opposition to the parasympathetic nervous system. A state of psyiological arousal to prepare for the fight or flight response
Parasympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system produces the opposite effect to the sympathetic nervous system. The rest and digest response returns the body to normal resting state once the threat has gone.
Fight or flight response
Immediate or automatic. Adrenaline targets the cardiovascular system, prepares the body to confront the threat or provides energy to run away.
Emotion
The moods or feelings that a person experiences
Frontal lobe
Anterior of the brain = thinking, planning. Motor area at the posterior
Parietal lobe
Behind frontal lobe. Somatosensory area at anterior
Occipital lobe
Posterior of the brain. Visual area
Temporal lobe
Behind frontal lobe and below occipital lobe = memory. Audiotry/language area except for Broca’s area
Cerebellum
Receives information from spinal cord and brain. Main role is movement, coordination and balance. Also involved in attention and language
Localisation
Specific brain areas do particular jobs
Motor area
Damage to the motor are in the left hemisphere affects the right side of the body, and vice verca
Somatosensory area
The most sensetive body parts take up the most ‘space’, e.g sensations for face and hands use over half of the neurons available in the somatosensory area. Damage means less ability to feel temperature and pain
Visual area
Right visual field of each eye sends information to visual area in the left hemisphere and vice versa. Damage in left hemisphere may cause blindness in the right visual field of both eyes and vice versa
Auditory area
Damage can lead to deafness
Language area
Language areas in the left hemisphere only. Damage to Broca’s area leads to difficulty remembering and forming words. Damage to Wernicke’s area leads to difficulty understanding and producing language.
CT scan
Computerised Tomography, which scans the brain by building up a 3D image from a series of X-ray ‘slices’
fMRI scan
functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which scans the brain by identifying the magnetic activity of water molecules in active brain cells
PET scan
Positron Emission Tomography, which locates blood flow in the brain by detecting radioactive tracers
CT scan strengths
Useful for revealing abnormal structures such as tumours
Quality of the images provided is higher than traditional X-rays
CT scan weaknesses
Requires more radiation than X-rays
Only produces still images
PET scan strengths
Shows brain in action
Shows localisation of function when person asked to perform a specific task
PET scan weaknesses
Expensive
Images difficult to interpret
Ethical issues due to injection of radioactive substance
fMRI scan strengths
Shows brain in action
Clear images
No radiation
fMRI scan weaknesses
Expensive
Person must stay very still
Time lag between activity and image appearing
Stroke
A sudden interruption to the blood supply in a part of the brain
Angular gyrus
An area on the parietal lobe which deals with reading
Auditory cortex
The area of the cerebral cortex concerned with hearing
Broca’s area
An area on the frontal lobe which deals with speech production
Visual cortex
The area of the cerebral cortex concerned with vision
