PSYCH207: The Brain - glossary and short answers

ablation

ablation

Removal of cells or tissues, often through surgical means.

amygdala

an area of brain tissue with extensive connections to the olfactory systems, and hypothalamus, thought to be involved in mood, feeling, instinct and short term memory

aphasia

a disorder of language, thought to have neurological causes, in which either language production, language reception, or both are disrupted

Brain Imaging Techniques

the const ruction of pictures of the anatomy and functioning of intact brains through such techniques as computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

CAT/ CT (Computerized Axial Tomography) Scan

An imaging technique in which a highly focused beam of X-rays is passed through the body from many different angles. Differing density of the organs of the body result in different deflections of the X-rays, which allows visualization of the organ.

Cerebellum

part of the brain that controls balance and muscular coordination

cerebral cortex

the surface of the cerebrum, the largest structure of the brain, containing both sensory and motor nerve cell bodies

corpus callosum

the large neural structure containing fibres that connect the right and left central hemispheres

EEG (electroencephalography)

a technique to measure brain activity, specifically to detect different states of consciousness. Metal electrodes are positioned all over the scalp. The waveforms that are recorded change in predictable ways when the person being recorded is awake and alert, drowsy, asleep or in a coma.

ERP (event-related potential)

an electrical recoding technique to measure the response of the brain to various stimulus events.

executive functioning

cognitive processes including planning, making decisions, implementing strategies, inhibiting inappropriate behaviors and using working memory to process information.

Faculty Psychology

the theory that different mental abilities, such as reading or computation, are independent and autonomous functions, carried out in different parts of the brain

fMRI (functional MRI)

an imaging technique that uses MRI equipment to examine blood flow in a noninvasive, nonradioactive manner

Forebrain

The part of the brain containing the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and the cerebral cortex.

frontal lobe

division of the cerebral cortex just beneath the forehead containing the motor cortex, premotor cortex, and the prefrontal cortex

Hindbrain

the part of the brain, containing some of the most evolutionarily primitive structures, that is responsible for transmitting information from the spinal cord to the brain, regulating life support functions, and helping maintain balance

Hippocampus

a structure of the brain in the medial temporal love; damage or removal can result in amnesia

Hypothalamus

A structure in the forebrain that controls the pituitary glands, and so-called homeostatic behaviours, such as eating, drinking, temperature control, sleeping, sexual behavior's', and emotional reactions.

Lateralization

Specialization of function of the two cerebral hemispheres

localization of function

the "mapping" of brains areas to different cognitive or motor functions; identifying which neural regions control or are active when different activities take place.

medulla oblongata

a structure in the hindbrain that transmits information from the spinal cord to the brain and regulates life support functions such as respiration, blood pressure, coughing, sneezing, vomiting and hear rate.

Midbrain

the part of the brain containing structures that are involved in relaying information between other brain regions, or in regulating levels of alertness

motor cortex

A structure in the frontal lobe that controls fine motor movement in the body

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

a body imaging technique in which a person is surrounded with a strong magnetic field. Radio waves are directed at a particular part of the body, causing the centers of hydrogen atoms in those structures to align themselves in predictable ways. Computers collate information about how the atoms are aligning and produce a composite three-dimensional image.

occipital lobe

a division of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the head that is involved in the processing of visual information

parietal lobe

a division of the cerebral cortex located at the top rear part of the head; contains the primary somatosensory cortex

PET(positron emission tomography) scan

a brain imaging technique that shows which areas of the brain are most active at a given point in time

Phrenology

the idea (now discredited) that psychological strengths and weaknesses could be precisely correlation to the relative sizes of different brain areas.

Plasticity

the ability of some brain regions to "take over" functions of damaged regions.

Pons

a structures in the hindbrain that acts as a neural relay center facilitating the "cross-over" of information between the left and right side of the brain and vice versa. It is also involved in balance and in the processing of both visual and auditory information.

prefrontal cortex

a region in the frontal lobe that is involved with executive functioning

primary somatosensory cortex

a region in the parietal love involved in the processing of sensory information from the body - for example, sensations of pain, pressure, touch, or temperature

subtraction technique

the idea that the relative amount of activation in a particular brain region needed for a give cognitive task can be measured by subtracting a control state (responding to a light) from a task state (discriminating color).

temporal lobe

a division of the cerebral cortex located on the side of the head, involved in the processing of auditory information and in some aspects of memory

Thalamus

a structure in the forebrain involving in relaying information, especially to the cerebral cortex

Broca's aphasia

also called expressive or motor aphasia; symptoms of this organic disorder include difficulty in speaking, using grammar and finding appropriate words

Wenricke's aphasia

also called receptive or sensory aphasia; symptoms of this organic disorder include difficulty in understanding speech and producing intelligible speech, although speech remain fluent and articulate.

Broca's area

Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Wenricke's area

Controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Predict which brain areas are likely to be most involved with the cognitive processes or perception, attention, memory, language and problem solving.

The forebrain, which includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and the cerebral cortex, structures that are most directly implicated with cognitive processes such as memory, language, planning and reasoning.

Describe the functions of the four lobes of the cerebral cortex

Frontal Lobe - associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli

Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing

Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

Explain how modern-day localization of brain function differs from phrenology

Psychologists no longer need to use scalp massages as diagnostic tools. They can now look at what's happening inside the skull using one of several types of brain scans. The most successful of these methods is the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan, particularly the functional MRI (or fMRI).

What does it mean to say that the cerebral hemispheres show lateralization? What is the typical pattern of lateralization

The lateralization of brain function refers to how some functions, or cognitive processes tend be more dominant in one hemisphere than the other. The medial longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The hemispheres exhibit strong, but not complete, bilateral symmetry in both structure and function. For example, structurally, the lateral sulcus generally is longer in the left hemisphere than in the right hemisphere, and functionally, Broca's area and Wernicke's area are located in the left cerebral hemisphere for about 95% of right-handers, but about 70% of left-handers. The extent of any modularity, or specialization of brain function by area, remains under investigation. If a specific region of the brain, or even an entire hemisphere, is injured or destroyed, its functions can sometimes be assumed by a neighboring region in the same hemisphere or the corresponding region in the other hemisphere, depending upon the area damaged and the patient's age. When injury interferes with pathways from one area to another, alternative (indirect) connections may develop to communicate information with detached areas, despite the inefficiencies.

Compare and contrast the various brain imagining and brain recording techniques

Electrical activity: Event-related potentials (ERP), derivative from EEG

Metabolism: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Blood Oxygenated Level Dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI)

EEG - poor spatial resolution (where something is happening), good temporal resolution (when something happens), due to electrical activity marker of brain

MRI/fMRI - good spatial resolution, not as good temporal resolution

PET - shows parts of the brain working hardest