Exam 1

Occipital lobe

Running along the back of the head, contains the primary visual cortex, which enables sight

Temporal lobe

Running alongside the ears, contains the primary auditory cortex, which enables hearing. Is also responsible for understanding language and recognizing objects and people

Parietal lobe

Running alongside the head above and behind the ears, contains the primary somatosensory cortex, which supports the sense of touch and a map of your body's skin surface. It also helps you pay attention to and locate objects.

Frontal lobe

Located in the front of the head, contains the primary motor cortex, which supports a map of your body's muscles and works with the spinal cord to control movement. The rest is the prefrontal cortex, which controls thought, planning, decision-making, and self-control

Insular lobe

Sometimes considered the fifth lobe of the brain, is hidden under the temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes. It allows us to perceive the inside of our bodies, permitting us to feel internal pain.

Corpus callosum

A bridge of fibers that connects the two hemispheres, allowing for the rapid exchange of information between the two halves of the brain. Severing the corpus callosum, as in a split-brain procedure, prevents practically all communication between the brain's hemispheres.

Hippocampus

Located just below the amygdala in the temporal lobe, and part of the limbic system, creates memories of events and is important for navigating the environment. It also allows you to remember emotionally important moments and envision your hopes (or fears) for the future.

Amygdala

Part of the limbic system in the temporal lobe, processes the emotional significance of events. Is one of the most interconnected brain structures, adding emotional significance to our senses, thoughts, and memories.

Basal ganglia

A group of interconnected structures underneath the cortex that are necessary for planning, executing, and stopping movement. Transmit information from motor regions in the cerebral cortex to nuclei that communicate with the spinal cord to control muscles.

Thalamus

An egg-shaped structure located between the basal ganglia that acts as a hub for information to and from all the sensory systems, except for smell. Regulates sensory inputs, such as relaying less information about the outside world during sleep.

Hypothalamus

Is a collection of many different nuclei below the thalamus that integrates internal states of the body and their corresponding feelings and behaviors. Connects the central nervous system and the endocrine system, regulating functions including hunger, reward seeking, and aggression.

Brain stem

The evolutionarily oldest and most primitive brain region, contiguous with the spinal cord. It receives sensory signals from the body and sends motor signals from the brain. The midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, and reticular formation comprise it.

tegmentum

eye and head orienting

ventral tegmental area

reward pathway for subcortical motor system

substantial nigra

regulates basal ganglia subcortical motor system

Pons

A structure in the hindbrain that controls breathing. It also relays sensations such as hearing, taste, and balance to the cortex and subcortex. This structure connects the medulla oblongata and cerebellum to the rest of the brain.

Medulla oblongata

A structure in the hindbrain that controls autonomic functions such as heart rate and blood pressure, in addition to vital reflexes such as swallowing and coughing.

Reticular formation

Running through the brainstem, is essential to the regulation of arousal and attention. It also regulates sleep and wakefulness. Stimulation from caffeine is largely due to the effect it has on it.

Cerebellum

This structure allows for coordination, balance, precise movements, and accurate timing. It is estimated that it has three to four times as many neurons as the cerebral cortex.

Midbrain

A structure in the brainstem that includes areas that reflexively move the head and eyes toward sudden sights and sounds, motivate movement, and regulate movement.

Amino acids

The brain’s most abundant class of neurotransmitters, including glutamate (important for neuronal excitation) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA, important for neuronal inhibition and the regulation of muscle tone)

Monoamines

A neurochemical class that includes norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin; important for fight-or-flight and reward responses

acetylcholine

A major neurotransmitter class that can behave as both an inhibitors and an excitatory signal, supporting heart and skeletal muscle, and cognitive function

Single-cell recording

A measurement of the electrical activity of a single neuron

Electroencephalography (EEG)

The recording of electrical waves from the many thousands of neurons in the brain, gathered using electrodes placed on the scalp

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

The recording of the magnetic fields produced by the brain’s electrical currents

Positron emission tomography (PET)

The injections of radioactive glucose into a bloodstream to measure blood flow associated with higher brain activity or the brain’s use of specific neurochemicals

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

A variation of an MRI that measures brain function by tracking oxygen in the blood flow through the brain

Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

The insertion of an electrode deep in a patient’s brain to alter the activity of brain regions that have been abnormally active

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)

A temporary and reversible disruption pr enhancement of cortical brain function that allows scientists to study brain regions and their functions

Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS)

A gentler form of neurostimulation that uses low levels of direct current delivered via electrodes on the head to stimulate brain functions such as enhancing hand-eye coordination

Psychoactive drugs

Chemicals that influence consciousness or behavior by altering the brain’s chemical message system

Depressants

Drugs that decrease activity in the nervous system (EX: Ambien, Xanax, Valium, Alcohol)

Stimulants

Drugs that increase activity levels in the nervous system (EX: Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, Methamphetamine, Cocaine)

Psychedelics

Drugs that distort perception and can trigger hallucinations (sensations without any sensory input), changes in mood, sense of self, thoughts, and even feeling of insight (EX: LSD, Mescaline, Psilocybin, PCP, MDMA, THC)

Insomnia

A sleep disorder involving chronic difficulties with falling or staying asleep

Sleep apnea

A sleep disorder in which a person’s breathing is interrupted because of obstructions in the airway or problems with the brain’s control of breathing

REM behavior disorder (RBD)

a sleep disorder that involved acting out one’s dreams because the paralysis that normally occurs during REM sleep is absent or incomplete

sleep walking

A sleep disorder that involves walking or performing other behaviors while in deep sleep

Night terrors

A sleep disorder occurring during deep sleep that involves dramatic expressions of fear, with accelerated heart rate and respiration

narcolepsy

A deep sleep disorder in which a person falls asleep suddenly and uncontrollably

Conscious

Focus of current awareness

Preconscious

Consciously accessible thoughts, feelings, and memories

Dynamic unconscious

Inaccessible memories, instincts, and desires

Wernicke’s area

Region of the brain that contains motor neurons involved in the comprehension of speech

Broca area

Region of the brain that contains neurons involved in speech function

interneuron

a neuron that connects neurons and interprets, stores, and retrieves information about the world, allowing you to make informed decisions before you act

absolute threshold

the minimum amount of stimulation necessary for someone to detect a stimulus half of the time

Beta waves

high-frequency, low-amplitude electrical waves in the brain that occur in a rhythmic pattern and are associated with being awake and actively thinking

Alpha waves

low-frequency, high-amplitude electrical waves in the brain that occur in a rhythmic pattern and are associated with being awake yet relaxed with the eyes closed

delta wave

very-low frequency, high-amplitude electrical waves in the brain that occur in a rhythmic pattern and are associated with deep, stage 3 sleep

Ventral stream

object recognition (what)

Dorsal stream

motion processing (where)