VOCABULARY 1

Question 1

Ablation

Answer 1

Surgical removal of brain tissue.

Question 2

Basal ganglia

Answer 2

Subcortical structures of the cerebral hemispheres are involved in voluntary movement.

Question 3

Brain stem

Answer 3

The “trunk” of the brain is comprised of the medulla, pons, midbrain, and diencephalon.

Question 4

Callosotomy

Answer 4

Surgical procedure in which the corpus callosum is severed (used to control severe epilepsy).

Question 5

Case study

Answer 5

A thorough study of a patient (or a few patients) with naturally occurring lesions.

Question 6

Cerebellum

Answer 6

The distinctive structure at the back of the brain is Latin for “small brain.”

Question 7

Cerebral cortex

Answer 7

The outermost gray matter of the cerebrum is the distinctive convoluti characteristic of the mammalian brain.

Question 8

Cerebral hemispheres

Answer 8

The cerebral cortex, underlying white matter, and subcortical structures.

Question 9

Cerebrum

Answer 9

Usually refers to the cerebral cortex and associated white matter, but in some texts, it includes the subcortical structures.

Question 10

Converging evidence

Answer 10

Similar findings were reported from multiple studies using different methods.

Question 11

Diffuse optical imaging (DOI)

Answer 11

A neuroimaging technique that infers brain activity by measuring changes in light as it is passed through the skull and surface of the brain.

Question 12

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Answer 12

A neuroimaging technique that measures electrical brain activity via multiple electrodes on the scalp.

Question 13

Frontal lobe

Answer 13

The front most (anterior) part of the cerebrum; anterior to the central sulcus and responsible for motor output and planning, language, judgment, and decision-making.

Question 14

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Answer 14

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): A neuroimaging technique that infers brain activity by measuring changes in oxygen levels in the blood.

Question 15

Gray matter

Answer 15

The outer grayish regions of the brain are comprised of the neurons’ cell bodies.

Question 16

Gyrus/Gyri (Plural)

Answer 16

A fold between sulci in the cortex.

Question 17

Lesion

Answer 17

A region in the brain that suffered damage through injury, disease, or medical intervention.

Question 18

Limbic system

Answer 18

Includes the subcortical structures of the amygdala and hippocampal formation as well as some cortical structures; responsible for aversion and gratification.

Question 19

Metabolite

Answer 19

A substance necessary for a living organism to maintain life.

Question 20

Motor Cortex

Answer 20

Region of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement; the motor cortex has a contralateral representation of the human body.

Question 21

Myelin

Answer 21

Fatty tissue, produced by glial cells (see module, “Neurons”) that insulates the axons of the neurons; myelin is necessary for normal conduction of electrical impulses among neurons.

Question 22

Occipital lobe

Answer 22

The back most (posterior) part of the cerebrum; involved in vision.

Question 23

Parietal lobe

Answer 23

The part of the cerebrum between the frontal and occipital lobes; involved in bodily sensations, visual attention, and integrating the senses.

Question 24

Phrenology

Answer 24

A now-discredited field of brain study, popular in the first half of the 19th century that correlated bumps and indentations of the skull with specific functions of the brain.

Question 25

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Answer 25

A neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting the presence of a radioactive substance in the brain that is initially injected into the bloodstream and then pulled in by active brain tissue

Question 26

Somatosensory (body sensations) cortex

Answer 26

The region of the parietal lobe responsible for bodily sensations; the somatosensory cortex has a contralateral representation of the human body.

Question 27

Spatial resolution

Answer 27

A term that refers to how small the elements of an image are; high spatial resolution means the device or technique can resolve very small elements; in neuroscience it describes how small of a structure in the brain can be imaged.

Question 28

Sulcus/ Sulci (Plural)

Answer 28

A groove separating folds of the cortex.

Question 29

Temporal lobe

Answer 29

The part of the cerebrum in front of (anterior to) the occipital lobe and below the lateral fissure; involved in vision, auditory processing, memory, and integrating vision and audition.

Question 30

Temporal resolution

Answer 30

A term that refers to how small a unit of time can be measured; high temporal resolution means capable of resolving very small units of time; in neuroscience it describes how precisely in time a process can be measured in the brain.

Question 31

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Answer 31

A neuroscience technique that passes mild electrical current directly through a brain area by placing small electrodes on the skull.

Question 32

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

Answer 32

A neuroscience technique whereby a brief magnetic pulse is applied to the head that temporarily induces a weak electrical current that interferes with ongoing activity.

Question 33

White matter

Answer 33

The inner whitish regions of the cerebrum comprised of the myelinated axons of neurons in the cerebral cortex.