APP Neuroscience Vocab 2

Modules 11-14

frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements, as well as personality

genes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; this is responsible for automatic survival functions; made up of the medulla and pons

corpus callosum

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

EEG

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface; used in sleep studies

limbic system

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions

MRI

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain

thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex (aka post office of the brain)

plasticity

the brain's capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development

sensory cortex

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

cerebral cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center; divided into 4 lobes

Wernicke's area

controls language reception-a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression;usually in the left temporal lobe

amygdala

two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion (especially aggression and fear)

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

forebrain

largest, most complicated, and most advanced of the three divisions of the brain; comprises the limbic system, basal ganglia, corpus callosum, and cerebral cortex

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke's area (impairing understanding)

Phineas Gage

railroad worker who survived a severe brain injury that dramatically changed his personality and behavior; case played a role in the development of the understanding of the localization of brain function

cerebellum

the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; it helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance; also processes implicit memory

PET

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

fMRI

a technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. MRI scans show brain anatomy; scans show brain function.

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling alertness

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

fissures

the visible folds of the cerebral cortex

Broca's area

controls language expression-an area of the frontal, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

parietal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

lesion

tissue destruction

hindbrain

a part of the brain located at the rear base of the skull that is involved in the basic processes of life (also known as the lower brain or reptilian brain)

temporal lobes

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

Michael Gazzaniga and Roger Sperry

psychologists; split brains in mice/rats/cats and showed that they weren't affected; later conducted split brain research on humans

MEG

a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain's natural electrical activity

CT scan

a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

nucleus accumbens

a neural structure in front of the hypothalamus that participates in the reward pathway

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and judgement; last part of brain to develop

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

behavior geneticists

study our differences and weigh the relative effects of heredity and environment

chromosome

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

DNA

A complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes.

genome

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes

genotype

An organism's genetic makeup, or allele combinations.

phenotype

An organism's physical appearance, or visible traits.

monozygotic twins

identical twins formed when one zygote splits into two separate masses of cells, each of which develops into a separate embryo

dizygotic twins

twins who are produced when two separate ova are fertilized by two separate sperm at roughly the same time; aka fraternal twins

heritability

The proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.

epigenetics

the study of influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change