week 6 - neurobiology Flashcards
brain stem
The brain stem is often called the ‘trunk’ of the brain’
It’s responsible for: regulating respiration, heart rate, and digestion.
Because of this, when the brain stem is damaged, a patient may need to be on life support.
This is also what people call braindead - when someone’s brain stem is not working anymore
The brain system is made up of the medulla, pons, midbrain, and diencephalon (thalamus and hypothalamus)
cerebellum
The cerebellum is at the back of the brain - critical for coordinated movement and posture
Cerebellum - A nervous system structure behind and below the cerebrum. Controls motor movement coordination, balance, equilibrium, and muscle tone.
Has the greatest amount of neurons in the brain
Cerebral hemispheres a responsible for cognitive abilities and conscious experience
Largest and most visible part of the brain
Is made up of two hemispheres that give the brain its characteristic gray and convoluted appearance
What makes up the cerebellum:
grey and white matter
Gray matter - composed of neuronal cell bodies - workhorse of the cell
Contain the genes of the cell and are responsible for metabolism
White matter - composed of axons and neurons and axons are covered with a sheath of myelin
Axons conduct electrical signals from the cell are critical to communication
ablation
Ablation - Surgical removal of brain tissue.
callostomy
Callosotomy - Surgical procedure in which the corpus callosum is severed (used to control severe epilepsy).
coronal plane
Coronal plane - A slice that runs from head to foot; brain slices in this plane are similar to slices of a loaf of bread, with the eyes being the front of the loaf.
gyrus
Gyri - (plural) Folds between sulci in the cortex.
Gyrus - A fold between sulci in the cortex
brain planes
Horizontal plane - A slice that runs horizontally through a standing person (i.e., parallel to the floor); slices of the brain in this plane divide the top and bottom parts of the brain; this plane is similar to slicing a hamburger bun.
Sagittal plane - A slice that runs vertically from front to back; slices of the brain in this plane divide the left and right side of the brain; this plane is similar to slicing a baked potato lengthwise.
temporal resolution
Temporal resolution - 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.
blood oxygen level dependent
Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) - The signal typically measured in fMRI that results from changes in the ratio of oxygenated hemoglobin to deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood.
central nervous system
Central nervous system - The part of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord.
depolarization
Depolarization - A change in a cell’s membrane potential, making the inside of the cell more positive and increasing the chance of an action potential.
hyperpolarization
Hyperpolarization - A change in a cell’s membrane potential, making the inside of the cell more negative and decreasing the chance of an action potential.
invasive procedure
Invasive Procedure - A procedure that involves the skin being broken or an instrument or chemical being introduced into a body cavity.
neural plasticity
Neural plasticity - The ability of synapses and neural pathways to change over time and adapt to changes in neural process, behavior, or environment.
neuroscience methods
Neuroscience methods - A research method that deals with the structure or function of the nervous system and brain.
parasympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) - One of the two major divisions of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for stimulation of “rest and digest” activities.
peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system - The part of the nervous system that is outside the brain and spinal cord.
positron
Positron - A particle having the same mass and numerically equal but positive charge as an electron.
psychophysiological methods
Psychophysiological methods - Any research method in which the dependent variable is a physiological measure and the independent variable is behavioral or mental (such as memory).
spatial resolution
Spatial resolution - The degree to which one can separate a single object in space from another.
sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) - One of the two major divisions of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for stimulation of “fight or flight” activities.
temporal resolution
Temporal resolution - The degree to which one can separate a single point in time from another.
voltage
Voltage - The difference in electric charge between two points
afferent nerves
Afferent nerves - Nerves that carry messages to the brain or spinal cord.
agnosias
Agnosias - Due to damage to Wernicke’s area. An inability to recognize objects, words, or faces.
aphasia
Aphasia - Due to damage to the Broca’s area. An inability to produce or understand words.
arcuate fasciculus
Arcuate fasciculus - A fiber tract that connects Wernicke’s and Broca’s speech areas.
autonomic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system - A part of the peripheral nervous system that connects to glands and smooth muscles. Consists of sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
broca’s area
Broca’s area - An area in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere. Implicated in language production.
central suculus
Central sulcus - The major fissure that divides the frontal and the parietal lobes.
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cerebrum
Cerebrum - Consists of left and right hemispheres that sit at the top of the nervous system and engages in a variety of higher-order functions.
cingulate gyrus
Cingulate gyrus - A medial cortical portion of the nervous tissue that is a part of the limbic system.
computerized axial tomography
Computerized axial tomography - A noninvasive brain-scanning procedure that uses X-ray absorption around the head.
ectoderm
Ectoderm - The outermost layer of a developing fetus.
efferent nerves
Efferent nerves - Nerves that carry messages from the brain to glands and organs in the periphery.
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography - A technique that is used to measure gross electrical activity of the brain by placing electrodes on the scalp.
event related potentials
Event-related potentials - A physiological measure of large electrical change in the brain produced by sensory stimulation or motor responses.
forebrain
Forebrain - A part of the nervous system that contains the cerebral hemispheres, thalamus, and hypothalamus.
fornix
Fornix - (plural form, fornices) A nerve fiber tract that connects the hippocampus to mammillary bodies.
frontal lobe
Frontal lobe - The most forward region (close to forehead) of the cerebral hemispheres.
functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging - (or fMRI) A noninvasive brain-imaging technique that registers changes in blood flow in the brain during a given task (also see magnetic resonance imaging).
globus pallidus
Globus pallidus - A nucleus of the basal ganglia.
hippocampus
Hippocampus - (plural form, hippocampi) A nucleus inside (medial) the temporal lobe implicated in learning and memory.
homos
Homo habilis - A human ancestor, handyman, that lived two million years ago.
Homo sapiens - Modern man, the only surviving form of the genus Homo.
hypothalamus
Hypothalamus - Part of the diencephalon. Regulates biological drives with pituitary gland.
immunocytochemistry
Immunocytochemistry - A method of staining tissue including the brain, using antibodies.
lateral geniculate nucleus
Lateral geniculate nucleus - (or LGN) A nucleus in the thalamus that is innervated by the optic nerves and sends signals to the visual cortex in the occipital lobe.
lateral sulcus
Lateral sulcus - The major fissure that delineates the temporal lobe below the frontal and the parietal lobes.
lesion studies
Lesion studies - A surgical method in which a part of the animal brain is removed to study its effects on behavior or function.
limbic system
Limbic system - A loosely defined network of nuclei in the brain involved with learning and emotion.
magnetic resonance imagine
Magnetic resonance imaging - Or MRI is a brain imaging noninvasive technique that uses magnetic energy to generate brain images (also see fMRI).
magnification factor
Magnification factor - Cortical space projected by an area of sensory input (e.g., mm of cortex per degree of visual field).
medulla oblongata
Medulla oblongata - An area just above the spinal cord that processes breathing, digestion, heart and blood vessel function, swallowing, and sneezing.
neural crest
Neural crest - A set of primordial neurons that migrate outside the neural tube and give rise to sensory and autonomic neurons in the peripheral nervous system.
neural induction
Neural induction - A process that causes the formation of the neural tube.
neuroblasts
Neuroblasts - Brain progenitor cells that asymmetrically divide into other neuroblasts or nerve cells.
neuroepithelium
Neuroepithelium - The lining of the neural tube.
occipital lobe
Occipital lobe - The back part of the cerebrum, which houses the visual areas.
parasympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system - A division of the autonomic nervous system that is slower than its counterpart—that is, the sympathetic nervous system—and works in opposition to it. Generally engaged in “rest and digest” functions.
parietal lobe
Parietal lobe - An area of the cerebrum just behind the central sulcus that is engaged with somatosensory and gustatory sensation.
pons
Pons - A bridge that connects the cerebral cortex with the medulla, and reciprocally transfers information back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord.
positron emission tomography
Positron Emission Tomography - (or PET) An invasive procedure that captures brain images with positron emissions from the brain after the individual has been injected with radio-labeled isotopes.
primary motor cortex
Primary Motor Cortex - A strip of cortex just in front of the central sulcus that is involved with motor control.
primary somatosensory cortex
Primary Somatosensory Cortex - A strip of cerebral tissue just behind the central sulcus engaged in sensory reception of bodily sensations.
rostrocaudal
Rostrocaudal - A front-back plane used to identify anatomical structures in the body and the brain.
somatic nervous system
Somatic nervous system - A part of the peripheral nervous system that uses cranial and spinal nerves in volitional actions.
spina bifida
Spina bifida - A developmental disease of the spinal cord, where the neural tube does not close caudally.
sulcus
Sulcus - (plural form, sulci) The crevices or fissures formed by convolutions in the brain.
sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system - A division of the autonomic nervous system that is faster than its counterpart that is the parasympathetic nervous system and works in opposition to it. Generally engaged in “fight or flight” functions.
temporal lobe
Temporal lobe - An area of the cerebrum that lies below the lateral sulcus; it contains auditory and olfactory (smell) projection regions.
thalamus
Thalamus - A part of the diencephalon that works as a gateway for incoming and outgoing information.
transduction
Transduction - A process in which physical energy converts into neural energy.
Wernicke’s area
Wernicke’s area - A language area in the temporal lobe where linguistic information is comprehended (Also see Broca’s area).
working memory
Working memory - Short transitory memory processed in the hippocampus.
cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex - and accompanying white matter
Subcortical structures - of the basal ganglia, amygdala, and hippocampal formation
Grooves in the cortex are called gyri and sulci
2 hemispheres are divided into 4 lobes
Two hemispheres can be subdivided into 4 lobes:
Occipital - vision
Temporal - vision, auditory processing, memory, multisensory integration
Parietal - somatosensory cortex, visual attention, multisensory convergence zones
Frontal - motor cortex, motor planning, language, judgement, decision making (this one is larger than other portions in humans than any other animal)
subcortical structures
Subcortical structures reside beneath the cortex
Basal ganglia - voluntary movement & make contact with the cortex, thalamus, and brain stem
limbic system
Limbic system - amygdala and hippocampal formation
Emotion, aversion, gratification
corpus callosum and brain hemispheres
Two cerebral hemispheres are connected by a dense bundle of white matter tracts called the corpus callosum
Both hemispheres are responsible for sensory and motor function and have a contralateral representation while other functions are lateralized
Ex. left hemisphere is responsible for language
