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psychology unit one > the role of the brain > Flashcards

the role of the brain Flashcards

chapters 3-5

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1
Q

what is electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)

A

a technique that uses mild electical impulses through a probe to map the brain

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2
Q

electroencephalograph (EEG)

A

a device that detects, amplifies and records electrical activity in the brain in the form of brainwaves (doesn’t show specific location)

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3
Q

what is PET (positron emission tomography)?

A

measures the volume and location of blood flow and glucose consumpton in the brain by tracking a radioactive substance that has been injected into the person’s bloodstream

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4
Q

advantages of PET

A

provides information about the function and corresponding location, provides comparisons of a progressing disease

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5
Q

disadvantages of PET

A

expensive, uses radioactive material

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6
Q

what is MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)?

A

uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a computer-enhanced image of brain structures

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7
Q

advantages of MRI

A

produces detailed images, harmless

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8
Q

disadvantages of MRI

A

expensive, cannot be used on people with metal implants (e.g. pacemakers), doesn’t provide information on function, people may find it claustrophobic

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9
Q

what is fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)?

A

same as MRI but also monitors oxygen and blood flow to show function as the researchers can see which areas of the brain are activated

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10
Q

advantages of fMRI

A

produces high-resolution images, enables researchers to view blood flow/oxygen consumption, provides detailed information about function

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11
Q

disadvantages of fMRI

A

very loud, can be claustrophobic, unable to detect which brain receptors are benign activated, precision of activation is questionable

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12
Q

what are the two branches of the nervous system?

A

central NS and peripheral NS

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13
Q

what is the central NS split into?

A

the brain (hind, mid, forebrain) and the spinal cord

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14
Q

what is the peripheral NS split into?

A

the somatic NS (sensory and motor nerves) and autonomic NS (sympathetic and parasympathetic)

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15
Q

function of the CNS

A

enables the brain to connect with the rest of the body

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16
Q

functions of the PNS

A
  1. to communicate information from the body’s organs, glands and muscles to the CNS from the outside and inside world
  2. to communicate information from the CNS to the organs, glands and muscles through motor neurons
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17
Q

function of the somatic NS

A

responsible for voluntary movement of skeletal muscles: communicates sensory information to the CNS and motor information from the CNS

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18
Q

function of autonomic NS

A

responsible for bodily functions not within our control, e.g. heart rate, sweat glands
- parasympathetic: rest state
- sympathetic: fight or flight reaction

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19
Q

structure and function of dendrites

A
  • small branch like structures that come from the cell body
  • recieves information from other neurons which they carry from the synapse to the soma
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20
Q

structure and function of cell body/soma

A
  • largest part of the cell
  • controls the metabolism and matienence of the neuron
21
Q

structure and function of axon

A
  • nerve fibre that extends from the soma and carries information towards the cells that communicate with that neuron
  • information is carried as an electrical impulse known as an action potential
  • ends of axons have terminal buttons which secrete neurotransmitters, which help the communication across synapses
22
Q

myelin sheath

A
  • a fatty waxy substance that covers the axon to insulate it from the surrounding fluid and other neurons
  • increases efficiency of transmission of nerve impulses
23
Q

what are the three types of neurons?

A

motor, sensory, inter

24
Q

function of motor neurons

A

communicates messages from the CNS to the particular muscles that an organism intends to move

25
Q

function of sensory neurons

A

carry sensory stimuli from the body and from the outside world into the CNS

26
Q

function of interneurons

A

carry informations between motor and sensory neurons in the CNS
- especially important in transmitting impulses between other neurons as part of a reflex arc

27
Q

function of medulla

A

a continuation of the spine which controls breathing, heartbeat and digestionfu

27
Q

function of the hindbrain

A

mainly supports bodily functions and is the link between the spinal cord and the brain, also important for movement and balance
- medulla
- pons
- cerebellum

28
Q

function of pons

A

sits above the medulla and recieves information sent from visual areas to control eye and body actions

29
Q

function of cerebellum

A

walnut-shaped area that receives information from the pons and coordinates the sequence of body movement

30
Q

function of the midbrain

A

regulates sleep, motor movement and arousal
- contains reticular formation: a network of neurons that sits across both the hind and midbrain and connects the hindbrain and the forebrain

31
Q

structures within the forebrain

A

cerebrum, amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus

32
Q

function of cerebrum

A
  • biggest and most recognisable part of the forebrain
  • covered by a thin layer known as the cerebral cortex and divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres
  • these are separated by the longitudinal fissure, a deep groove that runs from the front to the rear of the cortex
  • hemispheres are almost symmetrical in appearance and are joined by the corpus callosum, a set of neural fibres that connect the two brain hemispheres
  • each hemisphere has a central fissure that runs from the top of each hemisphere and down the sides, separating the front (anterior) of the cerebral cortex from the rear (posterior)
33
Q

location and function of amygdala

A

located in the medial temporal lobe and is central to emotions, aggression and implicit learning

34
Q

location and function of hippocampus

A

located in the medial temporal lobe and involved in the transfer of information from short- to long-term memory

35
Q

function of hypothalamus

A

a small structure that controls basic survival actions: sleep, regulation of body temperature, expression of emotions, and the four F’s (feeding, fighting, fleeing and fornication)

36
Q

location and function of the thalamus

A
  • located beneath the cerebral cortex, deep within the cerebral hemispheres
  • divided into two egg-shaped parts that sit side-by-side with one part located in each hemisphere
  • the ‘communications centre’ of the brain and it receives information from the ears, eyes, skin and other sensory organs
  • enables an organism to take the incoming stimulus and turn it into meaningful information
  • determines which of the incoming sensory information is the most important to pay attention to
37
Q

role of the cerebral cortex

A
  • outer layer of the forebrain
  • responsible for receiving information from the environment, controlling responses and higher order thinking processes including problem solving and planning
  • also involved in language, memory and regulation of emotions
  • the cerebral cortex of humans is very much larger in proportion to body mass than in any other animals: this is the difference between humans in terms of intellectual functioning
38
Q

structure of cerebral cortex

A
  • very thin (~ 3mm) and contains billions of neurons
  • it has many folds, grooves and bulges which makes up the surface area for the cortex to be large enough to contain an enormous number of neurons and blood vessels
39
Q

lobes of the cerebral cortex

A
  • contains four distinct regions known as lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal
  • visually, the lobes appear symmetrical for each hemisphere
  • the left and right hemispheres both have one of each of the four lobes, making 8 lobes in total
40
Q

explain the frontal lobe

A
  • the largest of the lobes
  • has several functions: initiating movement of the body, language, planning, judgement, problem-solving, aspects of personality, regulation of emotions and speech
  • comprises the primary motor cortex for each hemisphere
  • extremely well developed in higher mammals
  • people with damage to the frontal lobe may be unable to learn from experiences, e.g. if they attempt a problem solving task they will be unable to determine which of their previous strategies were most effective
  • those with damage are also likely to make mistakes in planning because they lack foresight
41
Q

explain the parietal lobe

A
  • enables a person to receive sensations such as touch, pressure, temperature and pain
  • much of the parietal lobe is taken up by the primary somatosensory cortex
    – situated at the front of each parietal lobe, just behind the central fissure
  • those with damage to the parietal lobe will be unable to recognise these sensations
42
Q

explain the temporal lobe

A
  • processes auditory information
  • performs the complex auditory analysis necessary for listen to music or interpreting human speech
  • located beneath the temporal plate of the skull - at the side of the head above the ears
  • contains wernicke’s area and the primary auditory cortex
  • damage to this area likely leads to forms of deafness
43
Q

explain the occipital lobe

A
  • processes visual information
  • located at the rear of the brain
  • contains the primary visual cortex and association areas involved with processing visual stimuli
44
Q

function and location of broca’s area

A
  • responsible for the coordination of speech
  • located in the left frontal lobe near the motor cortex
45
Q

what is broca’s aphasia

A

damage to broca’s area is known as broca’s aphasia: people with this condition will have difficulty producing speech but can comprehend everything normally

46
Q

function and location of wernicke’s area

A
  • responsible for language and reception and interpretation
  • located in the left temporal lobe
47
Q

what is wernicke’s aphasia?

A

damage to wernicke’s area is known as wernicke’s aphasia: people with this condition will speak normally but it will not make sense (word salad), and they will not comprehend speech

48
Q

what is geschwind’s territory?

A
  • the inferior parietal lobule provides a connection between broca and wernicke’s area via a bundle of fibre nerves
  • the connection explains how we take input from words we think or hear and link them to those areas of the brain responsible for speech production

psychology unit one (3 decks)

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