Human Physiology Chapter 10.6

What are the three functional areas of the cerebral cortex?

1. Sensory areas: receive sensory input and translate it into perception

2. Motor areas: directs skeletal muscle movement

3. Association areas: integrate information from sensory and motor areas and directs voluntary behaviors

What is cerebral lateralization?

the asymmetrical distribution of function between the left and right sides of the brain

What skills are concentrated on each side of the brain?

Left brain: language and verbal skills

Right brain: spatial skills

What is the function of the corpus callosum?

to exchange information between the two sides of the cerebrum

What is the somatosensory cortex?

the termination point of pathways from the skin, musculoskeletal system, and viscera

What kind of information does the somatosensory pathways carry?

Information about touch, temperature, pain, itch, and body position

Where is the auditory cortex located and what does it do?

located in the temporal lobe

receives information from the ears

Where is the olfactory cortex located and what does it do?

located in a small region of the temporal lobe

receives input from chemoreceptors in the nose

Where is the gustatory cortex and where is it located?

located deeper within the brain near the edge of the frontal lobe

receives sensory information from the taste buds

What are the three types of motor output?

1. skeletal movement: controlled by somatic motor division

2. neuroendocrine signals: neurohormones secreted into the blood by neurons located in hypothalamus or adrenal medulla

3. visceral responses: actions of smooth and cardiac muscle or endocrine and exocrine glands governed by the autonomic division of the NS

What are the diffuse modulatory systems?

clusters of brain stem neurons that influence large areas of the brain

they regulate brain function by inflicting attention, motivation, wakefulness, memory, motor control, mood and metabolic homeostasis

What are the four modulatory systems?

1. noradrenergic (norepinephrine)

2. sertonergic (serotonin)

3. dopaminergic (dopamine)

4. cholinergic (acetylcholine)

What is the reticular activating system (RAS)?

network of neurons within the reticular formation of the brain stem that plays a key roe in arousal and consciousness

What is sleep?

an easily reversible state of inactivity characterized but lack of interaction with the external environment

What does the waking-alert state look like?

shows a rapid, irregular pattern with no dominant waves

What does awake-resting state (sleep) look like?

electrical activity of neurons begin to synchronize into waves with characteristic patterns

the more synchronous the waves, the larger the amplitude of the waves

What is stage W?

the awake-resting state

What is sleep apnea?

the sleeper awakes when the airway muscles relax to the point of obstructing breathing

what is plasticity?

the ability of neurons to change their responsiveness or alter their connections with experience

what is associative learning?

courts when two stimuli are associated with reach together or when an animal associates a stimulus to a given behavior

What is non associative learning?

a change in behavior that takes place after repeating exposure to a single stimulus

What is habituation?

a decreased response to an irrelevant stimulus that is repeated over and over

what is sensitization?

exposure to a noxious or intense stimulus creates an enhanced response upon subsequent exposure

How are memories stored?

they are storied throughout the cerebral cortex in pathways called MEMORY TRACES

What is anterograde amnesia?

the inability to remember newly acquired information

What is working memory?

special form of short-term memory process in the prefrontal lobes

What is short term memory?

a limited storage area that can hold only about 7-12 pieces of information at a time

What is long term memory?

a storage area capable of holding vast amounts of information

What is consolidation?

process that converts short term memory to long term memory

What is reflexive (implicit) memory?

automatic memory that is acquired slowly through repetition and does not require conscious processes for its creation or recall

involves the amygdala and the cerebellum

What is declarative (explicit) memory?

memory that depends on the use of higher level cognitive skills such as inference, comparison, and evaluation

What is receptive aphasia?

the inability to understand spoken or visual information due to damage to the Wernicke’s area

What is expressive aphasia?

the inability to speak coherently as a result of damage to the Brock’s area

What is motivation?

internal signals that shape voluntary behaviors

What part of the limbic system is the center of emotion in the brain?

the amygdala