lecture 1 cog neuroscience notes

flashcards

Cognitive Neuroscience

The study of the brain's role in mental processes such as perception, memory, and decision-making.

Phrenology

A pseudoscience that involved the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.

Aggregate Field Theory

The theory proposed by Pierre Flourens that brain functions are not localized but are distributed across various regions.

Broca's Area

A brain region crucial for speech production; damage leads to difficulty in meaningful speech.

Wernicke's Area

A brain region responsible for language comprehension; damage leads to nonsensical speech despite normal syntax.

Action Potential

A rapid change in membrane potential that propagates electrical signals along a neuron.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals released from the presynaptic terminal that transmit signals across the synaptic cleft.

CNS (Central Nervous System)

Composed of the brain and spinal cord; responsible for processing and integrating information.

PNS (Peripheral Nervous System)

Consists of all nerves outside the CNS; connects the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.

Dendrites

Extensions of a neuron that receive signals from other neurons.

Glial Cells

Supportive cells in the nervous system that assist neurons and maintain homeostasis.

Hemodynamic Response

An increase in blood flow to specific brain areas during tasks, often measured in neuroimaging studies.

John Jackson

An influential British neurologist known for observing the relationship between seizures and topographic organization in the brain, highlighting how specific brain lesions correlate with specific types of seizures.