Unit 4 Vocab Flashcards
A bundle of nerve fibers connecting the brain’s two hemispheres and facilitating interhemispheric communication.
Corpus Callosum
The process of intentionally damaging brain tissue to study its effects on behavior.
Lesioning
The brain’s relay station, transmitting sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex.
Thalamus
A work schedule that involves hours outside the traditional 9AM to 5PM, often disrupting normal sleep patterns.
Shift Work
A small brain region controlling autonomic functions like hunger and hormones.
Hypothalamus
A temporary sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s internal clock is out of sync with the time zone they are in.
Jet Lag
A region of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movements.
Motor Cortex
A strip of the parietal lobe that processes sensory input from the body.
Somatosensory Cortex
Studies on patients with severed corpus callosum to understand hemispheric specialization.
Split Brain Research
A set of brain structures involved in emotion, motivation, memory, and behavior regulation.
The Limbic System
The deepest stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep.
NREM Stage 3
A stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep characterized by sleep spindles.
NREM Stage 2
Parts of the cerebral cortex involved in higher mental functions usually involve more than 1 lobe.
Association Areas
A sleep disorder characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep.
Insomnia
A disorder where individuals act out their dreams during REM sleep.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Big brain regions at the back of the head responsible for visual processing.
Occipital Lobes
Loss of ability to understand or express speech, caused by brain damage.
Aphasia
A region in the temporal lobe involved in language comprehension.
Wernicke’s Area
The front part of the frontal lobes involved in complex behaviors like impulse control and personality.
Prefrontal Cortex
The part of the brain connecting the cerebrum with the spinal cord, responsible for automatic survival functions.
Brainstem
Neural circuits in the brain that regulate motivation, reinforcement, and pleasure responses.
Reward Center
A network of neurons in the brainstem regulating wakefulness and sleep-wake cycles.
Reticular Activating System
Big brain regions involved in processing auditory information and memory.
Temporal Lobes
Mental skills involving managing oneself and one’s resources to achieve a goal.
Executive Functioning
The lightest stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep, where one drifts in and out of sleep.
NREM Stage 1
The brain’s ability to understand and produce language.
Linguistic Processing
A sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep.
Sleep Apnea
The process by which short-term memories are transformed into long-term memories.
Memory Consolidation
Also known as sleepwalking, a disorder where individuals walk or perform other activities while asleep.
Sobnambulism
The state of being aware of and able to think about one’s own existence, thoughts, and surroundings.
Consciousness
A pea-sized gland at the brain’s base, often called the “master gland” because it controls other glands.
Pituitary Gland
Complex cognitive processes such as reasoning, problem-solving, and planning.
Higher-Order Thinking
A limbic system structure involved in forming and storing long-term memories.
Hippocampus
A theory that sleep helps to consolidate and strengthen memories.
Consolidation Theory
Big brain regions involved in movement, planning, and judgment.
Frontal Lobes
A limbic system structure linked to emotion, particularly fear and aggression.
Amygdala
A theory suggesting that dreams are the brain’s attempt to make sense of random neural activity during sleep.
Activation-Synthesis
The idea that each hemisphere of the brain is specialized for certain functions.
Hemispheric Specialization
The base of the brainstem controlling heartbeat and breathing.
Medulla
Vivid sensory phenomena that occur during the transition from wakefulness to sleep.
Hypnagogic Sensations
Each hemisphere of the brain controls the opposite side of the body.
Contralateral Hemispheric Organization
The body’s internal clock regulating the hour cycle of biological processes.
Circadian Rhythm
A region in the frontal lobe involved in the mechanical production of speech.
Broca’s Area
The theory that sleep helps to restore and rejuvenate the body’s resources.
Restoration of Resources
The outer layer of the brain involved in complex cognitive processes like thought, perception, and language.
Cerebral Cortex
A hindbrain structure controlling balance, coordination, and motor skills.
Cerebellum
A sleep stage characterized by rapid eye movements and vivid dreams.
REM Sleep
The increase in REM sleep following periods of sleep deprivation.
REM Rebound
A sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks.
Narcolepsy
The brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experiences.
Plasticity
Big brain regions involved in processing sensory information and spatial orientation.
Parietal Lobes
A brain imaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
Functional MRI (FMRI)
A test that measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp.
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
