Week 1 Flashcards by tilly sorensen

What is ablation in the context of brain research?

Removal of a brain area, typically with a surgical knife.

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What is a stereotaxic instrument used for?

For precise placement of electrodes (lesions) in the brain.

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Define lesion in neuroscience.

Damage to the brain.

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What is a stereotaxic atlas?

A map of the brain.

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What is a sham lesion?

Using a stereotaxic device in the normal procedure but without administering the shock.

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What is the purpose of chemical injection in brain research?

To disable a particular type of synapse.

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What does the gene-knockout approach involve?

Directs a mutation to a gene that regulates one type of cell, transmitter, or receptor.

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What is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)?

Magnetic stimulation to a portion of the scalp, allowing researchers to turn neurons ‘on and off’.

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How do electrodes function in brain stimulation?

Inserted into an animal’s brain to apply small electrical currents, stimulating more than one neuron and axons.

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What is optogenics?

Using light to control a limited number of neurons.

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What are the three steps involved in optogenics?

Discover or invent a protein that responds to light by producing an electrical current.
Develop viruses that insert one of these proteins into a certain type of neuron.
Develop very thin optical fibres that can shine just the right amount of light onto neurons.

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What are zebrafish used for in brain research?

To study brain activity, as they are small and transparent and can be modified to fluoresce.

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What does EEG stand for and what does it record?

Electroencephalograph; it records electrical activity of the brain through electrodes attached to the scalp.

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What is the primary use of EEG?

Useful for sleep studies, epilepsy, and stimulus response.

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What does MEG measure?

Faint magnetic responses from brain activity.

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What is the advantage of MEG over EEG?

Has great temporal resolution.

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What is positron-emission tomography (PET)?

A high-resolution image of activity in a living brain.

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What are the steps involved in a PET scan?

Injection of glucose labeled with radioactive atoms.
Atoms decay, emitting gamma rays in opposite directions.
Computer identifies the spot halfway between the two gamma ray detectors.

What is a disadvantage of PET scans?

High risk due to radioactivity and expensive.

What does MRI stand for and what does it measure?

Magnetic Resonance Imaging; it records the energy released by water molecules after removal of a magnetic field.

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) based on?

Hemoglobin instead of water.

What does fMRI detect?

Change in hemoglobin levels in the brain due to oxygen usage.

What is phrenology?

Relating skull anatomy to behavior, based on the work of Franz Gall.

What is a limitation of phrenology?

Bumps on the skull didn’t reliably correlate with brain size/shape.

What is a CT/CAT scan?

Scanning a person's head using x-rays after dye is injected into the blood to increase contrast.

What does a CT scan help detect?

Tumors and other abnormalities.

What is required of a person undergoing an MRI?

The person must lie completely still.

What sample size is typically needed for MRI studies?

Large samples (1000+).

What is the estimated number of neurons in the human brain?

About 86 billion neurons ## Footnote This includes approximately 16 billion in the cerebrum and 69 billion in the cerebellum.

What did Aristotle believe to be the seat of reason and sensation?

The heart ## Footnote He thought the brain was a cooling mechanism rather than the center of thought.

According to Galen, what were the three minds?

* Rational soul (brain) * Passionate soul (heart) * Appetitive soul (liver) ## Footnote He attributed thinking to the ventricles and not to neurons.

What did Andreas Vesalius contribute to the understanding of the brain?

He placed the brain as the seat of all thought, feeling, and action ## Footnote He described the brain's function as akin to a hydraulic system.

Who conducted the first neurostimulation studies?

Luigi Galvani ## Footnote He proposed that the brain uses electricity to function and that neurons communicate with each other.

What is phrenology?

A theory that different brain areas have different functions and that using a function causes it to 'grow' ## Footnote Franz Gall promoted this idea, which was later deemed incorrect in its specifics.

What was significant about Phineas Gage's case?

He survived a brain injury that changed his personality ## Footnote This case highlighted the importance of the frontal lobes in higher-order thinking.

What is Broca's area responsible for?

The production of language ## Footnote Pierre Paul Broca discovered this area after observing patients who could not speak but were otherwise intelligent.

What philosophical concept suggests that the brain and mind are separate entities?

Dualism ## Footnote René Descartes was a prominent advocate of this view in the 1600s.

What does materialism/monism propose about the brain and mind?

They are two manifestations of the same thing ## Footnote This perspective emphasizes that the mind is what the brain does.

Who is associated with the concept of functionalism in psychology?

William James ## Footnote He argued that the mind carries out functions implemented by the brain.

When was the first psychology lab established?

1879 by Wilhelm Wundt ## Footnote This marked the beginning of psychology as an experimental and scientific discipline.

What was Hermann Ebbinghaus known for?

First studies of memory in 1885 ## Footnote He conducted pioneering experiments on memory retention and forgetting.

What did William James publish in 1890?

The first psychology textbook ## Footnote It laid foundational concepts for modern psychology.

What metaphor is often used to describe mind/brain function?

'The mind is a computer' ## Footnote This metaphor reflects the idea of processing inputs and outputs.

What technologies are used to update our understanding of brain function?

* Structural and functional fMRI * EEG ## Footnote These technologies help in breaking down brain processes into measurable activities.