Neuroscience ALL FLASHCARDS

Brain lesion

An abnormality seen on brain imaging (MRI/CT); appears as dark or light spots not resembling normal brain tissue.

Phrenology

Historical localist theory that skull shape/bumps reflect mental faculties (Franz Gall).

Localists

Belief that brain functions are localized to specific areas.

Holists

Belief that brain functions are distributed across the brain rather than localized.

Connectionism

Theory that language and other functions arise from networks between specialized brain areas.

Broca's area

Frontal lobe region important for speech production.

Wernicke's area

Temporal/parietal region important for language comprehension.

Prosopagnosia

Face blindness; difficulty recognizing familiar faces.

Decussation

Crossing over of nerve fibers from one side of the CNS to the other.

Contralateral brain organization

Each hemisphere predominantly controls the opposite side of the body.

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain, brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Nerves outside the CNS that connect it to the rest of the body.

Somatic nervous system

PNS division that controls voluntary muscles and transmits sensory information to the CNS.

Autonomic nervous system

PNS division that controls involuntary body functions; includes sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

Sympathetic nervous system

prepares body for energy expenditure (fight/flight); dilates pupils, speeds heart rate, etc.

Parasympathetic nervous system

Conserves energy; slows heart rate; stimulates digestion.

Afferent (sensory) nerves

Carry information from sensory receptors to the CNS.

Efferent (motor) nerves

Carry information from the CNS to muscles and glands.

Frontal lobe

Lobe associated with executive functions; contains areas for voluntary movement and speech production.

Parietal lobe

Lobe involved in sensation, kinesthesia, writing, reading; houses the primary somatosensory cortex.

Temporal lobe

Lobe involved in auditory processing, olfaction, semantics; contains Wernicke's area.

Occipital lobe

Lobe responsible for vision.

Gyri

Ridges on the brain surface.

Sulci

Grooves between gyri.

Central sulcus (Rolandic fissure)

Boundary between frontal and parietal lobes; separates motor and sensory cortices.

Lateral fissure (Sylvian fissure)

Boundary between frontal/parietal lobes and temporal lobe.

Longitudinal fissure

Deep groove that divides the left and right cerebral hemispheres.

Precentral gyrus

Primary motor cortex; controls voluntary movements.

Postcentral gyrus

Primary somatosensory cortex; processes touch and proprioception.

Corpus callosum

Large bundle of fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres.

Basal ganglia

Interconnected nuclei (including caudate and putamen) involved in movement regulation.

Caudate

Nucleus of the basal ganglia involved in movement and learning.

Putamen

Basal ganglia structure involved in motor control.

Hippocampus

Memory formation and spatial navigation; part of the limbic system.

what is the basal ganglia?

largest subcortical structure of gray matter in the brain; located near the thalamus

what is the corpus striatum?

basal ganglia and internal capsule

what are the functions of the basal ganglia?

controls stereotypic movement, automated movement, and tone

jerky movement

chorea

too much movement (a movement disorder)

hyperkinesia

a progressive degenerative condition of dominant inheritance characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive deficits, and dysarthria speech

Huntington's chorea

what is the average age of onset for Huntington's chorea?

40-50 years old

neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics

Tourette's syndrome

disease caused by degeneration of substantia nigra and a decrease in dopamine

Parkinson's disease

pill roll tremor is a sign of:

Parkinson's disease

cogwheel rigidity and clasped knife posture are caused by increased ___

tone

slowness of voluntary movement; mask face or poverty of movement

bradykinesia

hypomimia

mask face

when approximately _ of the dopamine-producing cells are damaged, and do not produce enough dopamine, the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease appears

60-80%

process of impairment of brain cells

neurodegeneration

what makes up the diencephalon?

thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, pituitary, and subthalamus

what are the two lobes of the thalamus connected by?

interthalamic adhesion

where is the thalamus located?

center of the brain at the level of the temporal lobe

lateral geniculate nucleus receives ___ information

visual

the medial geniculate nucleus receives ___ information

auditory

the ventrolateral geniculate nucleus sends out ___ information

primary motor

ventral posterolateral nucleus receives ___ information

primary sensory

the thalamus receives information from the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, and form all sensory pathways with the exception of the ____ tract

olfactory

where does sensory information go first when it is first received?

thalamus

the thalamus mediates ___ information down (to the body)

motor

what can a thalamic stroke or tumor result in?

sensory breakdown, breakdown in motor movement, hearing and vision breakdown

the _ is a solid structure that is located immediately inferior to the thalamus, part is anterior to the thalamus

hypothalamus

functions of the hypothalamus:

regulate hunger, thirst, temperature, circadian rhythms, emotions, growth, reproduction, metabolic processes

what can irregular processing of metabolic processes in hypothalamus cause?

diabetes

the ____ includes the pineal gland and produces melatonin

epithalamus

the pineal gland is __ to the thalamus

posterior

what does melatonin regulate?

sleep/wake cycle

the ____ is located inferior to the thalamus and is important for motor movement; it has connections to the basal ganglia, thalamus, and brainstem

subthalamus

the _ works along with the hypothalamus and secretes hormones controlling growth, reproduction, and metabolic functions

pituitary gland

the pituitary gland is ___ to the thalamus

anterior

what does the limbic system consist of?

sensory cortex, cingulate cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala, mammillary body, olfactory bulb, prefrontal cortex

the limbic system is involved in:

recent memory, emotion, motivation, reinforcement

responses mediated by the limbic system include:

pleasure, satiety, guilt, punishment, inhibition, wakefulness, alertness, excitement, autonomic activity

the limbic system is tightly connected to the prefrontal cortex, which ___ the activity of the limbic system

inhibits

when the prefrontal cortex is compromised by alcohol or drugs, ____ occurs

limbic behavior

examples of limbic behaviors:

eating too much, drinking too much, aggression

amygdala comes from the word "___"

almond

the amygdala is involved in signaling the cortex of motivationally significant stimuli, such as those related to:

reward, fear, anxiety

the amygdala also has to do with social functions such as ___

mating

the amygdala plays a role in the interpretation of _

feelings

the hippocampus is required for the formation of memories

long-term

our long-term memories are usually connected to _ salient things (e.g., exciting or traumatic childhood memories)

emotionally

the cingulate gyrus produces neurotransmitters that induce the feelings of:

anxiety, panic, compulsion

the is important for the formation of memory

mammillary body

the _ relates to olfactory sensory input in forming memories

olfactory bulb

the ____ is required for decision making and being pragmatically appropriate

prefrontal cortex

behavioral changes caused by a lesion in the limbic system includes:

decreased motivation, unrealistic fear, aggression, excessive sexual behaviors

damage to the ____ can affect memory and emotional regulation

hippocampus

Alzheimer's is affected by the ____, causing a sensitivity to fear and anxiety

amygdala

traumatic experiences change the physiology of the limbic system, which can cause which disorder?

PTSD

the brain stem is made up of the:

midbrain, pons, medulla

the midbrain is the most ___ part of the brainstem

superior

the is a group of dark-colored, dopaminergic cells

substantia nigra

the _ is made up of nuclei in the brainstem where information is transmitted up to the CNS and back down

reticular formation

the _ reticular formation has to do with the activating system and alertness

ascending

the ascending reticular formation is responsible for the:

sleep-wake cycle

the _ reticular formation has to do with the inhibiting system

descending

the descending reticular formation is involved in:

posture, equilibrium, and states of unconsciousness

states of unconsciousness include:

sleep, stupor, coma

the descending reticular nuclei is also involved in reflexive behavior such as:

coughing, chewing, swallowing, vomiting

the projects to the thalamus, and from there, information is sent to the cortex

ascending reticular formation