Psych 381 TYPE 2

Neural plate

primitive neural tissue that gives rise to the neural tube

neural tube

structure in the early stage of brain development from which the brain and spinal cord develop

Neural stem cell

Self-renewing, multipotential cell that gives rise to any of the different types of neurons and glia in the nervous system.

subventricular zone

lining of neural stem cells surrounding the ventricles in adults

progenitor cell (precursor cell)

cell derived from a stem cell that migrates and produces a neuron or a glial cell

Neuroblast

product of a progenitor cell that gives rise to any of the different types of neurons

Glioblast

product of a progenitor cell that gives rise to different types of glial cells

Neurotrophic factor

A chemical compound that supports growth and differentiation in developing neurons and may act to keep certain neurons alive in adulthood.

Radial glial cell

path-making cell that a migrating neuron follows to its appropriate destination

Growth cone

growing tip of an axon

Filopod

process at the end of a developing axon that reaches out to search for a potential target or to sample the intercellular environment

cell adhesion molecules (CAMs)

A chemical molecule to which specific cells can adhere, thus aiding in migration.

Tropic molecule

signaling molecule that attracts or repels growth cones

Netrin

Chemoattractive tropic molecule that guides axon growth

Semaphorins

class of chemorepulsive molecules that deflect axons from inappropriate regions

Neural Darwinism

hypothesis that the processes of cell death and synaptic pruning are, like natural selection in species, the outcome of competition among neurons for connections and metabolic resources in a neural environment

Apoptosis

genetically programmed cell death

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)

Brodmann areas 9 and 46; makes reciprocal connections with posterior parietal cortex and the superior temporal sulcus; responsible for selecting behavior and movement with respect to temporal memory.

Default network

brain network of interacting regions of the frontal and parietal lobes that have highly correlated activity

chemoaffinity hypothesis

Proposal that neurons or their axons and dendrites are drawn toward a signaling chemical that indicates the correct pathway.

Amblyopia

Condition in which vision in one eye is reduced as a result of disuse; usually caused by a failure of the two eyes to point in the same direction.

Imprinting

Formation of an attachment by an animal to one or more objects or animals at a critical period in development

Testosterone

Sex hormone secreted by the tested and responsible for the emergence of typically masculine characteristics

Androgen

class of hormones that stimulates or controls masculine characteristics

Masculinization

Process by which exposure to androgens (male sex hormones) alters the brain and stimulates an individual to develop male reproductive organs and secondary sexual characteristics

Estrogen

Variety of sex hormones responsible for the distinguishing female characteristics

Psychobiotics

treatment that uses live bacteria (probiotics) or compounds to enhance the growth of gut bacteria (prebiotics)

Anencephaly

failure of the forebrain to develop

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than 1 year old

In an adult human, neural stem cells line the ventricles, forming the ... zone

Subventricular

brain growth spurts correlate with ...

Motor skills

What 3 factors influence brain function

Time, body weight, visual experience

The central nervous system begins as a sheet of cells, which folds inward to form the ...

Neural tube

A ... is a signaling molecule that attracts or repels growth cones

Tropic molecule

... glial cells form during embryonic development, and most of them differentiate into astrocytes once neural migration along them is complete

Radial

Riesen's studies on animals raised in the dark show that an absence of _____ stimulation can affect brain development

Visual

Behavioral development predicts the maturation of ____________________.

neural maturation

T or F: adverse prenatal and early childhood have little effect on brain development and behavior

False

The idea that specific molecules in different cells in various midbrain regions give each cell a distinctive chemical identity is known as the ...

Chemoaffinity hypothesis

Receptive field

Region of sensory space (e.g. skin surface) in which a stimulus modifies a receptor's activity

topographic map

spatially organized neural representation of the external world

Sensation

Registration by the sensory organs of physical stimuli from the environment

Perception

subjective interpretation of sensations by the brain

Retina

Light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye consisting of neurons and photoreceptor cells

Photoreceptor

specialized retinal neuron that transduces light into neural activity

Fovea

Central region of the retina specialized for high visual acuity; it's receptive fields are at the center of the eyes visual field

Blind spot

Retinal region where axons forming the optic nerve leave the eye and where blood vessels enter and leave; has no photoreceptors and is thus said to be blind

Rod

photoreceptor specialized for functioning at low light levels

Cone

photoreceptor specialized for color and high visual acuity

retinal ganglion cells (RGCs)

one of a group of retinal neurons with axons that give rise to the optic nerve

magnocellular cells

large visual system neuron sensitive to moving stimuli

parvocellular cells

small visual system neuron sensitive to differences in form and color

optic chiasm

junction of the optic nerves, one from each eye, at which the axons from the nasal halves of the retinas cross to the brain's opposite side

geniculostriate system

projections from the retina to the lateral geniculate nucleus to the visual cortex

striate (striped) cortex

primary visual cortex (V1) in the occipital lobe; shows stripes (striations) on staining

tectopulvinar system

projections from the retina to the superior colliculus to the pulvinar (thalamus) to the parietal and temporal visual areas

retinohypothalamic tract

Neural route formed by axons of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus; allows light to entrain the rhythmic activity of the SCN.

ventral stream

visual processing pathway from V1 to the temporal lobe for object identification and perceiving related movements

dorsal stream

visual processing pathway from V1 to the parietal lobe; guides movements relative to objects

cortical column

Anatomic organization that represents a functional unit six cortical layers deep and approximately 0.5 mm square, perpendicular to the cortical surface.

primary visual cortex (v1)

striate cortex in the occipital lobe that receives input from the lateral geniculate nucleus

extrastriate cortex (v2-v5)

visual cortical areas in the occipital lobe outside the striate cortex

Blob

Region in the visual cortex that contains color-sensitive neurons, as revealed by staining for cytochrome oxidase.

facial agnosia

Face blindness-the inability to recognize faces; also called prosopagnosia

luminance contrast

the amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings

ocular dominance columns

functional column in the visual cortex that is maximally responsive to information coming from one eye

trichromatic theory

Explanation of color vision based on the coding of three primary colors: red, green, and blue.

opponent-process theory

Explanation of color vision that emphasizes the importance of the apparently opposing color pairs: red vs green, blue vs yellow

color constancy

phenomenon whereby an object's perceived color tends to remain constant relative to other colors, regardless of changes in illumination

homonymous hemianopia

blindness of an entire left or right visual field

Quadrantanopia

blindness of one quadrant of the visual field

scotoma

small blind spot in the visual field caused by migraine or by a small lesion of the visual cortex

visual form agnosia

inability to recognize objects or drawings of objects

optic ataxia

deficit in the visual control of reaching and other movements

The explanation of color vision based on the coding of 3 primary colors is called ...

Trichromatic theory

... allow sensory systems to interact

Receptive fields

... is the experience of sensation

Perception

The ventral visual stream is considered the "what" stream and the dorsal visual stream is considered the "..." pathway

How

Just before entering the brain, the optic nerves in each eye partly cross creating the

Optic chiasm

... are the energy filters that transduce incoming physical energy into neural activity

Receptor neurons

Neural coding of location begins in the _____ and is maintained throughout all visual pathways.

Retina

The ... sends information to a disproportionately large part of the occipital cortex

Fovea

Each retinal ganglion cell responds only to the presence or absence of _____.

Light

the amount of light an object reflects relative to its surroundings is called ...

Luminance contrast

Damage to the fusiform face area can result in ...

Facial agnosia

Blindness of the entire left or right visual field is called _____.

homonymous hemianopia

... is a deficit in the visual control of reaching and other movements

Optic ataxia

Sound wave

Mechanical displacement of molecules caused by changing pressure that possesses the physical properties of frequency and amplitude, and their complex interaction; also referred to as a compression wave.

frequency

Number of cycles a wave completes in a given time.

hertz (Hz)

Measure of sound wave frequency (repetition rate); 1 hertz equals 1 cycle per second.

amplitude

Stimulus intensity; in audition, roughly equivalent to loudness, graphed by the increasing height of a sound wave.

decibel (dB)

Measure of the relative physical intensity of sounds.

prosody

Melodic tone of the speaking voice.

ossicles

Bones of the middle ear: the hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

cochlea

Inner ear structure containing the auditory receptor cells.

basilar membrane

Receptor surface in the cochlea that transduces sound waves into neural activity.

hair cell

Specialized neurons in the cochlea tipped by cilia; when stimulated by waves in the cochlear fluid, the cilia bend and generate graded potentials in inner hair cells, the auditory receptor cells.

otoacoustic emissions

Spontaneous or evoked sound waves produced within the ear by the cochlea that escape from the ear.

medial geniculate nucleus

Major thalamic region concerned with audition.

primary auditory cortex

(area A1)

Asymmetrical structures within Heschl's gyrus in the temporal lobes; receives input from the ventral region of the medial geniculate nucleus.