Unit 2 - Brain Parts and Brain Imaging

Question 1

Brain Stem

Answer 1

Responsible for automatic and necessary survival functions.

Question 2

Spinal Cord

Answer 2

Transmits messages between the brain and body.

Question 3

Reticular Formation

Answer 3

Nerve network that controls arousal.

Question 4

Medulla

Answer 4

Handles life survival functions such as breathing

Question 5

Pons

Answer 5

Handles functions such as respiration, movement, waking, sleeping, and dreaming.

Question 6

Cerebellum

Answer 6

Handles coordination of fine muscular movements, balance, and some aspects of perception and cognition.

Question 7

Thalamus

Answer 7

The sensory switchboard (relay station); directs messages to the sensory areas in the cortex and transmits replies.

Question 8

Limbic System

Answer 8

Involved with emotions, drives, and memory. Made up of the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Question 9

Reward Center

Answer 9

Electrical stimulation could serve as an operant reinforcer; part of the limbic system in the hypothalamus.

Question 10

Amygdala

Answer 10

Linked to the emotions of fear and anger; is triggered by a stimulus.

Question 11

Hippocampus

Answer 11

Contributes to the formation of memories.

Question 12

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 12

Regulates the most complex behavior, including sensations, motor control, and higher mental processes.

Question 13

Corpus Callosum

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

Glial Cells

Answer 14

Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Question 15

Frontal Lobe

Answer 15

Involved in speaking, muscle movements, making plans for the future, and judgment.

Question 16

Parietal Lobe

Answer 16

Includes the sensory cortex and processes somatic information.

Question 17

Occipital Lobe

Answer 17

Include the visual areas which receive visual information form the opposite visual field.

Question 18

Temporal Lobe

Answer 18

Includes the auditory areas and is where Wernicke’s Area is located.

Question 19

Motor Cortex

Answer 19

Located at the rear of the frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements.

Question 20

Association Areas

Answer 20

Not involved in primary motor or sensory functions. They are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Question 21

Aphasia

Answer 21

Impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage.

Question 22

Broca’s Area (Paul Broca)

Answer 22

Area of brain controlling muscles related to speech; damage to this area results in impaired speaking.

Question 23

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 23

Damage to this area causes impaired understanding of meanings of words.

Question 24

Phrenology

Answer 24

Franz Gall is the founder of phrenology; he believed that bumps on the skull represented mental abilities.

Question 25

Reward Deficiency Syndrome

Answer 25

A genetically disposed deficiency in the brain systems for pleasure; leads people to crave; some people are more vulnerable to addiction.

Question 26

Pituitary Gland

Answer 26

The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Question 27

Adrenal Gland

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

CT Scan (computed tomography)

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

PET Scan (positron emission tomography)

Answer 30

A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose foes while the brain performs a given task.

Question 31

MRI Scan (magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 31

A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy.

Question 32

fMRI Scan (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 32

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.