1.3 Sensory Neuroscience

Law of Specific Nerve Energies

The sensation we experience depends on which sensory nerve pathway is activated and not how it is stimulated.

Polysensory

Information from more than one sense is involved.

Sensory Integration

The process of combining information from different senses.

Multisensory Integration

The process of combining information from two or more senses to create a unified perception.

Frontal Lobe

A large brain region involved in planning, decision-making, and movement.

Motor Cortex

A specific area of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement.

Parietal Lobe

A large brain region involved in processing body sensations and spatial information.

Somatosensory Cortex

A specific area of the parietal lobe that processes touch and sensations from the body.

Occipital Lobe

A large brain region mainly involved in vision.

Visual Cortex

A specific area of the occipital lobe that processes visual information.

Temporal Lobe

A large brain region involved in hearing, memory, and language.

Auditory Cortex

A specific area of the temporal lobe that processes sound and hearing.

Olfactory Cortex

A specific area involved in processing smell.

Neuron

A specialized cell that receives, processes, and sends information through the nervous system.

Synapse

The small gap between neurons where signals are passed from one neuron to another.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical messenger released by a neuron that carries signals across the synapse to another neuron or cell.

EEG (Electroencephalography)

Records the brain’s electrical activity using sensors placed on the scalp.

ERP (Event-Related Potential)

A change in the brain’s electrical activity in response to a specific event or stimulus, measured with EEG.

MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

Measures the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the brain.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Produces detailed images of the brain’s structure using magnetic fields and radio waves.

fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Measures changes in brain activity by tracking changes in blood flow/oxygenation.

BOLD Signal (Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent Signal)

Measures changes in blood oxygen levels that are used to indicate brain activity in fMRI.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography)

 Uses a radioactive tracer to measure brain activity, such as changes in metabolism and blood flow.