Unit 1.2.1 The Role of the Brain

Question 1

Brain-heart debate

Answer 1

Question of whether our thoughts, feelings + behaviours originate from our brain or heart.

Question 2

Mind-body problem

Answer 2

The extent to which the mind and the body are the same or separate things.

Question 3

Phrenology

Answer 3

• Study of the shape of the skull
• As an indicator of the extent of one’s mental faculties and personality traits.

Question 4

Brain ablation

Answer 4

• Disabling, destroying, or removing selected brain tissue then assessing changes in behaviour
• Involves cutting out and removing parts of the brain

Question 5

Brain lesioning

Answer 5

• Studying the effects of damage to an area of the brain
• Helpful for making initial discoveries of the brain

Question 6

Split brain surgery

Answer 6

• Cutting the band (corpus callosum) of nerve tissue connecting the two hemispheres
• Treatment for epilepsy

Question 7

Findings of Roger Sperry’s research

Answer 7

• Image on right visual field is processed in left hemisphere (can be verbalised)
• Image on left visual field is processed in right hemisphere (can’t be verbalised, can be picked up w/out looking)

Question 8

Structural neuroimaging

Answer 8

• Techniques that produce images showing brain structure + anatomy
• CT and MRI

Question 9

CT (computerised tomography)

Answer 9

• Series of X-ray images taken from different angles
• Creates cross-sectional images of the body
• Used to show brain abnormalities

Question 10

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 10

• Uses magnetic fields to activate atoms in the brain to generate a computer image
• Detects extremely small changes in the brain
• More detailed

Question 11

Functional neuroimaging

Answer 11

• Gives views of a particular aspect of brain function by showing images of the brain ‘at work’
• Gives info on brain structure
• PET and fMRI

Question 12

PET (positron emission tomography)

Answer 12

• Gives info on not only brain structure but also activity and function
• Records the use of glucose by cells in the brain
• Less detailed than MRI

Question 13

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 13

• Type of MRI
• Shows brain activity
• Measures the brain’s oxygen consumption during different tasks
• Assuming active areas consume more oxygen