BOOK--Chapter 3: Brain, Mind, and Behavior

A set of QA flashcards covering key concepts from Chapter 3: Brain, Mind, and Behavior, including brain structure, systems, imaging, neurons, neurotransmission, genetics, and neural plasticity.

What is neuroscience?

The study of how nerves and cells send and receive information from the brain, body, and spinal cord.

What are the three basic classes of neurons?

Motor neurons, sensory neurons, and interneurons.

What are the two major divisions of the nervous system?

The Central Nervous System (CNS: brain and spinal cord) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS: nerves throughout the body).

What are the two parts of the peripheral nervous system and their functions?

The Somatic nervous system (voluntary control of muscles) and the Autonomic nervous system (involuntary body functions).

What are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems responsible for?

Sympathetic: fight-or-flight responses; Parasympathetic: rest-and-digest, restoring the body to a resting state.

Which gland is the master endocrine gland and is regulated by the hypothalamus?

The pituitary gland.

What is the limbic system and what are its key structures?

A network including the hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus; involved in emotion, memory, smell, and motivation.

What is the hippocampus responsible for?

Memory for time and place and navigation; forming emotionally significant memories.

What is the amygdala's role in the brain?

Processing the emotional significance of events and influencing emotional memories.

What do Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area do?

Broca’s area: language production; Wernicke’s area: language comprehension.

Which hemisphere is usually dominant for language in most people?

The left hemisphere.

What is the corpus callosum?

A bundle of fibers that connects the two hemispheres and enables interhemispheric communication.

What is the thalamus' role in sensory processing?

Acts as a central hub relaying sensory signals to the cortex and coordinating information flow.

What is the hypothalamus responsible for?

Regulating eating, drinking, sex, hormones, and basic homeostatic processes; a key interface with the endocrine system.

What is the gut-brain axis?

A bi-directional signaling system between the gut microbiome and the brain that can influence mood and behavior.

Name the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex and their primary functions.

Occipital (vision); Temporal (hearing and language); Parietal (touch and spatial awareness); Frontal (complex thought, planning, movement). The insular lobe is often considered a fifth lobe (internal states and taste).

What is the insular cortex?

Often called the fifth lobe; processes internal bodily states and taste.

What is the neocortex?

The largest part of the cerebral cortex; supports language, thought, problem solving, and imagination; highly folded to fit in the skull.

What is a primary sensory area?

The first cortical region to receive input from a sensory nerve (e.g., primary visual cortex).

What is the primary motor cortex?

The cortical region that initiates voluntary movements and contains a map of the body's muscles.

What is the association cortex?

Regions that integrate information from senses with existing knowledge to produce meaningful experiences and guide behavior.

What is a homunculus?

A visual representation of the body on the motor and somatosensory cortex, showing which body parts occupy more cortical area.

What is the role of the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex?

Frontal lobe supports planning, decision making, self-control; the prefrontal cortex is key for executive functions and willpower.

What is the insular cortex’s function in relation to the body?

Perceives internal bodily states and internal sensations, such as heartbeat and internal pain.

What are the four major divisions of the cortex in order from the surface inward?

Cerebral cortex (including lobes) and beneath it the insular cortex; the cortex contains primary sensory and motor areas with extensive association areas.

What structures comprise the subcortical limbic system?

Hippocampus, amygdala, basal ganglia, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

What is the role of the hippocampus in memory?

Crucial for forming memories of time and place and for navigating environments.

What is the role of the amygdala in emotions?

Registers emotional significance of events and modulates emotional memories.

What are the basal ganglia and their function?

A group of subcortical nuclei important for planning and executing movement, and for aspects of learning and motivation.

What does the thalamus do in sleep and perception?

Relays sensory information to the cortex; during sleep it helps attenuate sensory input.

What is the hypothalamus’ role in survival and reproduction?

Regulates hunger, thirst, circadian rhythms, reward seeking, and reproductive behaviors.

What is the difference between the CNS and PNS in terms of function?

CNS processes information (brain and spinal cord); PNS carries signals to and from the CNS via nerves.

What is the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems?

Somatic: voluntary control of muscles; Autonomic: involuntary control of internal organs and glands.

What is the autonomic nervous system’s fight-or-flight response?

Sympathetic activation increases energy resources, dilates pupils, speeds heart rate, etc.

What is the parasympathetic nervous system’s rest-and-digest function?

Restores energy, slows heart rate, promotes digestion, and relaxation.

What is the role of the pituitary gland in the endocrine system?

Regulates other endocrine glands and hormones, influenced by the hypothalamus.

What is the Brain Connectome Project?

An effort to map the brain’s neural connections, identifying large-scale and small-scale networks.

What is MRI and how does it differ from CT scans?

MRI uses magnetic fields to image brain structure with high soft-tissue contrast; CT uses X-rays and is faster but involves radiation and lower soft-tissue contrast.

What does diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measure?

White matter tracts by tracking the diffusion of water along axons to map connectivity.

What is PET imaging used to measure?

Metabolic activity and brain chemistry by tracking radioactive glucose in the brain.

What is fMRI and what does it measure?

Functional MRI tracks blood flow and oxygenation to infer active brain regions with good spatial resolution but moderate temporal resolution.

What is EEG and ERP, and how do they differ from fMRI and PET?

EEG records electrical activity on the scalp with high temporal resolution; ERP is the averaged EEG signal time-locked to events; both have limited spatial precision compared to fMRI/PET.

What is a double dissociation and why is it important?

A pattern where two brain regions show opposite deficits for two functions, providing strong evidence for localized brain functions (e.g., Broca’s vs Wernicke’s areas in language).

What is neuropsychology’s historical contribution through lesion studies?

Studying brain-damaged individuals to infer function and identify dissociations; ethical and generalization limitations.

What are three major neurotransmitter classes and examples?

Amino acids (glutamate, GABA); Monoamines (norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin); Acetylcholine.

What is an agonist vs an antagonist in neurotransmission?

An agonist mimics a neurotransmitter at a receptor; an antagonist blocks receptor activation.

What is an SSRI and how does it work?

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; increases serotonin in the synapse by blocking reuptake.

What is epigenetics?

The study of how genes and environment interact to regulate gene expression through chromosomal modifications.

What is heritability?

Proportion of variation in a trait across a population attributable to genetic differences; values range 0 to 1 and are an upper bound, not a precise measure for individuals.

What is the Phineas Gage case and its significance?

Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex altered personality and self-regulation, highlighting the frontal lobe’s role in self and executive control.

What is neural plasticity and its three key concepts?

The brain’s ability to change with development, learning, and injury; critical periods, damage plasticity, and adult plasticity.

What is phantom limb and why does it occur?

Pain or sensations in a limb that is no longer there due to cortical remapping after loss of a limb.

What is neurogenesis and where does it occur prominently?

Birth of new neurons, prominently in the hippocampus; linked to learning and memory and affected by stress.