Chapter 3: Brain Structures & Functions

what is phrenology

feeling someones skull to determine their personality

what is Broca’s area

a small region of the left frontal area crucial for language production

what are brain lesions

area of the brain that is damage

what is EEG

tracking brain activity by measuring electrical activity

what is pseduoscience

a type of science that seems scientific but isn’t backed by any real science

EEG is for studying (when/where)

when activations occur

what is PET

injecting a radioactive substance, and tracking it

what is MRI

method of brain imaging

what does fMRI do

tracks changes in brain activity by looking at changes in blood flow

what is TMS

disrupts neural activity momentarily

limitations of TMS

can only be used for short durations and near the scalp

PET v fMRI v EEG

PET and fMRI are for where brain activity occurs

EEG is for when brain activity occurs

the largest part of the human brain

forebrain

forebrain is made up of

cerebral cortex and underlying subcortical areas

what is the cerebral cortex

outer layer of brain tissue

what are the two main folds of the cortex

central and lateral fissure

brain has (#) lobes, which are:

1. frontal

2. temporal

3. occipital

4. parietal

the outer layer of the cerebral cortex consists of ______ which is

gray matter, consists of neurons that do actual thinking

where is white matter, what does it do. they have

surrounds gray matter and consists of axons that transport signals

what is the corpus collosum

consists of tons of white matter and myelinated axons that allow information flow between the hemispheres

what does the frontal lobe do

• thought

• memory

• movement

what does the frontal lobe have

• primary motor complex

• prefrontal cortex

where is the prefrontal cortex? what does it do?

in the frontal lobe, specializes in decision making, higher-level thinking, and social awareness

what does the temporal lobe do

• memory

• hearing

what does the temporal lobe have

• primary auditory complex

• fusiform face area

what does the occipital lobe do? what does it consist of

• vision

• consists of:

  • primary visual cortex

  • secondary visual areas

primary visual cortex vs secondary visual areas

receives raw data vs colors stuff in, focus on shapes

what does the parietal lobe do

• touch

• spatial awareness

what does the parietal lobe consist of, what does that thing do

• consists of primary somatosensory cortex

• is a strip that groups nearby body parts

• responsible for touch

where is the primary somatosensory cortex

• parietal lobe along central fissure

what is the somatosensory homunculus

map of primary somatosensory area

what is hemineglect

damage to right parietal lobe, makes you fail to see anything on the left side

what

what is split brain

where corpus callosum is cut and hemispheres are disconnected

what do the right and left brain specialize in

left: written/spoken language

right: spatial reasoning

what is the intepreter

left hemisphere trying to construct a world that makes sense

where is the insular cortex

along the latteral fissure

what does the midbrain control

pupillary light reflix

what do the pons control

blinking when eyes are touched

what does the medulla do

gag reflex

what is plasticity

the ability for the brain fix itself/rewrite itself when it is damaged

what is neurogenesis

production of new neurons

explain phantom hand

when you lose a hand, neurons from areas of touch that are close in the somatosensory cortex take over the hand’s location, so sometimes a touch from another area activates it

what is behavioral genetics

the study of how genes and the environment interact to affect psychological activity

identical twins are called _______ twins

monozygotic

what are fraternal twins?

non-identical twins

dizygotic twins

what is heredity

transmission of characteristics from parents to offspring via genes

what is heritability

a statistic that tells you to what extent is the variability in a trait in a population is due to genetic differences environmental

what are optogenetics? it combines ___ and ____

• combine light and gene alteration

• used to control the firing of a neuron

what is the hindbrain

made of brain stem, spinal cord, and cerebelum