Unit 2 - Brain Parts and Brain Imaging Flashcards
Brain Stem
Responsible for automatic and necessary survival functions.
Spinal Cord
Transmits messages between the brain and body.
Reticular Formation
Nerve network that controls arousal.
Medulla
Handles life survival functions such as breathing
Pons
Handles functions such as respiration, movement, waking, sleeping, and dreaming.
Cerebellum
Handles coordination of fine muscular movements, balance, and some aspects of perception and cognition.
Thalamus
The sensory switchboard (relay station); directs messages to the sensory areas in the cortex and transmits replies.
Limbic System
Involved with emotions, drives, and memory. Made up of the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.
Reward Center
Electrical stimulation could serve as an operant reinforcer; part of the limbic system in the hypothalamus.
Amygdala
Linked to the emotions of fear and anger; is triggered by a stimulus.
Hippocampus
Contributes to the formation of memories.
Cerebral Cortex
Regulates the most complex behavior, including sensations, motor control, and higher mental processes.
Corpus Callosum
Band of nerve fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres to each other. Enables the left and right hemispheres to communicate and collaborate with each other.
Glial Cells
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.
Frontal Lobe
Involved in speaking, muscle movements, making plans for the future, and judgment.
Parietal Lobe
Includes the sensory cortex and processes somatic information.
Occipital Lobe
Include the visual areas which receive visual information form the opposite visual field.
Temporal Lobe
Includes the auditory areas and is where Wernicke’s Area is located.
Motor Cortex
Located at the rear of the frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements.
Association Areas
Not involved in primary motor or sensory functions. They are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.
Aphasia
Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage.
Broca’s Area (Paul Broca)
Area of brain controlling muscles related to speech; damage to this area results in impaired speaking.
Wernicke’s Area
Damage to this area causes impaired understanding of meanings of words.
Phrenology
Franz Gall is the founder of phrenology; he believed that bumps on the skull represented mental abilities.
Reward Deficiency Syndrome
A genetically disposed deficiency in the brain systems for pleasure; leads people to crave; some people are more vulnerable to addiction.
Pituitary Gland
The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.
Adrenal Gland
A pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress.
EEG (electroencephalogram)
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.
CT Scan (computed tomography)
A series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain’s structure.
PET Scan (positron emission tomography)
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose foes while the brain performs a given task.
MRI Scan (magnetic resonance imaging)
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.
fMRI Scan (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
A technique for revealing blood flow, and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function as well as its structure.
