Brain Structures, Functions, and Brain Imaging Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining brain areas, neural structures, cognitive functions, imaging techniques, and historical case studies from the lecture transcript.

Brain stem

The oldest part and center core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord enters the skull; responsible for automatic survival functions like heart rate and breathing.

Medulla

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Pons

Coordinates movements.

Cerebellum

The "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; processes sensory input and coordinates movement output and balance.

Cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Reticular Activating System (RAS)

Regulates behavioral arousal, consciousness, and motivation; "activates" the cerebral cortex.

Limbic System

A neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres, associated with emotions and drives; made up of the hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and thalamus.

Hippocampus

Linked to learning and memory; transfers short-term memories into long-term memories.

Amygdala

Linked to emotion; composed of two lima bean-sized neural clusters; influences aggression and fear.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure below the thalamus that directs maintenance activities such as eating, drinking, and body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland and is linked to emotion and reward.

Thalamus

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

Pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland; influenced by the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Corpus callosum

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

Frontal lobes

The part of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking, muscle movements, and making plans and judgments (includes the prefrontal cortex, linked to impulsivity).

Parietal lobes

The portions of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towards the rear; receive sensory input for touch and body position.

Temporal lobes

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

Occipital lobes

Found in the portion of the cerebral cortex at the back of the head; include areas that receive information from the visual fields.

Motor cortex

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Sensory cortex

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

Association areas

Areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory function; involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Lateralization

Refers to some brain functions being in one side of the brain specifically.

Plasticity

The brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Split brain

A condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them (corpus callosum); helps with seizures/epilepsy. Split-brain patients function normally day to day.

Broca's area

Controls language expression; an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech. Damage disrupts speaking (Broca's aphasia).

Wernicke's area

Controls language reception; a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe. Damage causes meaningless speech (Wernicke's aphasia).

Higher-Order thinking

Skills that go into depth beyond learning and memorization, such as application, analysis, and comprehension.

Executive functioning

Mental processes involved in the coordination of other cognitive skills, such as planning, attentional control, working memory, self-regulation, organizational skills, emotional regulation, and prioritization.

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface, measured by electrodes placed on the scalp; useful for identifying electrical waves evoked by a stimulus.

MRI / fMRI

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce images showing brain STRUCTURE; fMRI (functional MRI) reveals blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive scans, showing brain FUNCTION.

PET scan

Positron Emission Tomography; a tracer is injected into a vein and moves to areas of higher metabolic activity, used to measure brain FUNCTION.

CT scan

Computed Tomography; kind of like an X-ray; shows brain STRUCTURE.

Phineas Gage

A 19th-century case study: an iron rod went through his frontal lobe during a railroad accident, causing a complete personality change — from hardworking and pleasant to lazy, inappropriate, and unable to hold a job ("no longer Gage").