Unit 3B: The Brain

Question 1

lesion

Answer 1

tissue destruction; a brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

Question 2

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 2

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp

Question 3

CT (computed tomography) scan

Answer 3

a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body. Also called a CAT scan

Question 4

PET (positron emission tomography) scan

Answer 4

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

Question 5

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

fMRI (functional MRI)

Answer 6

a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function

Question 7

brainstem

Answer 7

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 8

medulla

Answer 8

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Question 9

reticular formation

Answer 9

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Question 10

thalamus

Answer 10

the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Question 11

cerebellum

Answer 11

the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Question 12

our brain processes most information…

Answer 12

… outside of our awareness

Question 13

limbic system

Answer 13

doughnut-shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Question 14

amygdala

Answer 14

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion

Question 15

hypothalamus

Answer 15

a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

Question 16

anther function of the hypothalamus

Answer 16

it monitors blood chemistry

Question 17

reward deficiency syndrome

Answer 17

genetically disposed deficiency in the natural brain systems for pleasure and well-being that leads people to crave whatever provides that missing pleasure and relieves negative feelings

Question 18

cerebral cortex

Answer 18

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information processing center

Question 19

glial cells (glia)

Answer 19

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Question 20

frontal lobes

Answer 20

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just beneath the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements

Question 21

parietal lobes

Answer 21

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

Question 22

occipital lobes

Answer 22

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields

Question 23

temporal lobes

Answer 23

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

Question 24

motor cortex

Answer 24

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Question 25

Jose Delgado

Answer 25

experimented with people causing fists with electric shocks

Question 26

what occupies the most cortical space?

Answer 26

parts that require the most precise control, eg. fingers

Question 27

sensory cortex

Answer 27

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Question 28

association areas

Answer 28

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Question 29

aphasia

Answer 29

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding)

Question 30

what happens when you read out loud

Answer 30

1. visual cortex (receives written words as visual stimulation
2. angular gyrus (transforms visual representations into an auditory code)
3. Wernicke’s area (interprets auditory code)
4. Broca’s area (controls speech muscles via the motor cortex)
5. motor cortex (word is pronounced)

Question 31

plasticity

Answer 31

the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, be reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Question 32

neurogenesis

Answer 32

the formation of new neurons

Question 33

corpus callosum

Answer 33

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Question 34

split brain

Answer 34

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them

Question 35

Gazzaniga’s 1967

Answer 35

experiment on separate hemispheres - conclusion is that the left hemisphere is the interpreter

Question 36

right functions

Answer 36

rational, deliberation over decisions

Question 37

left functions

Answer 37

simple requests, object perception, quick responses, copying drawings, recognizing faces, perceiving and displaying emotion

Question 38

left functions (continued)

Answer 38

speaking/calculation, language (including sign language), quick, literal interpretation

Question 39

right functions (continued)

Answer 39

perceptual tasks, inferences, subtleties, modulation of speech to make meaning clear, sense of self, relations with other people

Question 40

consciousness

Answer 40

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Question 41

cognitive neuroscience

Answer 41

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

Question 42

dual processing

Answer 42

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Question 43

two types of seeing

Answer 43

perception (recognize things, plan future actions) vs. action (moment-to-moment actions)

Question 44

big idea of unit 3B

Answer 44

much of our everyday thinking, feeling, and acting operates outside our conscious awareness