exam 1 vocab

Cerebrum(forebrain)

Major structure of the forebrain that consists of two virtually identical hemispheres and is responsible for most conscious behavior

Hemisphere

Literally Half a sphere- referring to one side of the cerebrum

Brain stem

Central structure of the brain responsible for most unconscious behavior

Cerebellum

Major structure of the brain stem specialized for coordinating and learning skilled movements. In large brain animals, the cerebellum may also have a role in coordinating other mental processes

Neuron

Specialized nerve cell engaged in information processing

Spinal cord

Part of the central nervous system encased within the vertebrae (spinal column) that provides most of the connections between the brain and the rest of the body

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The brain and spinal cord that together mediate behavior

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

All the neurons in the body located outside the brain and spinal cord: provides sensory and motor connections to and from the central nervous system

Embodied language

Hypothesis that the movements we make and the movements we perceive in others are central to communication with others.

Psyche

Synonym for mind, an entity once proposed to be the source of human behavior

Mind

Proposed nonmaterial entity responsible for intelligence, attention, awareness, and consciousness

Mentalism

Explanation of behavior as a function of the nonmaterial mind

Dualism

Philosophical position that holds that both a nonmaterial mind and a material body contribute to behavior

mind-body problem

Quandary of explaining how a nonmaterial mind and a material body interact.

Materialism

philosophical position that holds that behavior can be explained as a function of the brain and the rest of the nervous system without explanatory recourse to the mind

Natural selection

Darwin's theory for explaining how new species evolve and how existing species change over time. Differential success in the reproduction of different characteristics(phenotypes) results from the interaction of organisms with their environment

Species

Group of organisms that can interbreed

Phenotype

Individual characteristics that can be seen or measured.

Genotype

the particular genetic makeup of an individual

Epigenetics

differences in gene expression related to environment and experience

Minimally conscious state (MCS)

Condition in which a person can display some rudimentary behaviors, such as smiling or uttering a few words, but is otherwise not conscious.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Wound to the brain that results from a blow to the head

persistent vegetative state (PVS)

condition in which a person is alive but unable to communicate or to function independently at even the most basic level

Clinical trial

consensual experiment directed toward developing a treatment

deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Neurosurgery in which electrodes implanted in the brain stimulate a targeted area with a low-voltage electrical current to facilitate behavior.

common ancestor

Forebearer from which two or more lineages or family groups arise and so is ancestral to both groups.

nerve net

Simple nervous system that has no brain or spinal cord but consists of neurons that receive sensory information and connect directly to other neurons that move muscles.

bilateral symmetry

Body plan in which organs or parts present on both sides of the body are mirror images in appearance. For example, the hands are bilaterally symmetrical whereas the human heart is not.

Segmentation

Division into a number of parts that are similar; refers to the idea that many animals, including vertebrates, are composed of similarly organized body segments

Ganglia

collection of nerve cells that function somewhat like a brain

Chrodate

Animal that has both a brain and a spinal cord

Cladogram

Phylogenetic tree that branches repeatedly, suggesting a taxonomy of organisms based on the time sequence in which evolutionary branches arise.

Hominid

General term referring to primates that walk upright, including all forms of humans, living and extinct

Encephalization quotient (EQ)

Jerison's quantitive measure of brain size obtained from the ration of actual brain size to expected brain size, according to the principle of proper mass, for an animal of a particular body size

Radiator hypothesis

Idea that selection for improved brain cooling through increased blood circulation in the brains of early hominids enabled the brain to grow larger.

Neoteny

Process in which maturation is delayed and so an adult retains infant characteristics; idea derived from the observation that newly evolved species resemble the young of their common ancestors.

Species- typical behavior

behavior that is characteristic of all members of a species

Culture

Learned behaviors that are passed on from one generation to the next through teaching and experience

Neuroplasticity

The nervous system's potential for physical or chemical change that enhances its adaptability to environmental change and its ability to compensate for injury.

phenotype plasticity

An individual's capacity to develop into more than one phenotype.

Somatic Nervous System (SNS)

Part of the PNS that includes the cranial and spinal nerves to and from the muscles, joints, and skin that produce movement, transmit incoming sensory input, and inform the CNS about the position and movement of body parts.

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Part of the PNS that regulates the functioning of internal organs and glands.

Afferent

Conducting TOWARD a central nervous system structure

Efferent

Conducting AWAY from a central nervous system structure

Meninges

Three layers of protective tissue (dura mater, a rancid, and pia matter) - encases the brain and spinal cord.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Clear solution of sodium chloride and other salts that fills the ventricles inside the brain and circulates around the brain and spinal cord beneath the arachnoid layer in the subarachnoid space.

Cerebral cortex (neocortex)

Thin, heavily folded film of nerve tissue composed of neurons that is the outer layer of the forebrain.

Temporal lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex that functions in connection with hearing, language, and musical abilities; lies below the lateral fissure beneath the temporal bone at the side of the skull

Frontal lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex often general characterized as performing the brain's "executive" functions, such as decision making; lies anterior to the central sulcus and beneath the frontal bone of the skull

parietal lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex that functions to direct movements toward a goal or to perform a task, such as grasping an object; lies posterior to the central sulcus and beneath the parietal bone at the top of the skull

Occipital lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex where visual processing begins; lies at the back of the brain and beneath the occipital bone

Gyrus

a small protrusion or bump formed by the folding of the cerebral cortex

Sulcus

A groove in brain matter, usually a groove found in the neocortex or cerebellum

Stroke

sudden appearance of neurological symptoms as a result of severely interrupted blood flow

Gray matter

Areas of the nervous system composed predominantly of cell bodies and capillary blood vessels that function either to collect and modify information or to support this activity.

White matter

Areas of the nervous system rich in fat-sheathed neural axons that form the connections between brain cells.

Ventricle

One of four cavities in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the brain and may play a role in maintaining brain metabolism

corpus callosum

Band of white matter containing about 200 million nerve fibers that connects the two cerebral hemispheres to provide a route for redirection communication between them

Nucleus

A group of cells forming a cluster that can be identified with special stains to form a functional grouping

Nerve

Large collection of axons coursing together outside the central nervous system

Tract

Large collection of axons coursing together within the central nervous system

Brain stem

Central structures of the brain, including the hindbrain, midbrain, thalamus, and hypothalamus, that are responsible for most unconscious behavior

Hindbrain

evolutionarily the oldest part of the brain; contains the pons, medulla, reticular formation, and cerebellum, structures that coordinate and control most voluntary and involuntary movements

rectiular formation

Midbrain area in which nuclei and fiber pathways are mixed, producing a netlike appearance; association with sleep- wake behavior and behavioral arousal

Midbrain

central part of the brain that contains neural circuits for hearing and seeing as well as orienting movements

Tectum

Roof (area above the ventricle) of the midbrain; its functions are sensory processing

Tegmentum

Floor (area below the ventricle) of the midbrain; a collection of nuclei with movement-related, species-specific, and pain-perception functions.

Orienting movements

Movement related to sensory inputs, such as turning the head to see the source of a sound.

Diencephalon

The "between brain" that integrates sensory and motor information on its way to the cerebral cortex

Hypothalamus

Diencephalon structure that contains many nuclei associated with temperature regulation, eating, drinking, and sexual behavior

Thalamus

Diencephalon structure through which information from all sensory systems is integrated and projected into the appropriate region of the neocortex

Forebrain

Evolutionarily the newest part of the brain; coordinates advanced cognitive functions such as thinking, planning, and language; contains the limbic system, basal ganglia, and the neocortex.

Neocortex (cerebral cortex)

Newest, outer layer of the forebrain, composed of about six layers of gray matter: creates our reality

cytoarchitectonic map

Map of the neocortex based on the organization, structure, and distribution of the cells

Basal ganglia

Subcortical forebrain nuclei that coordinate voluntary movements of the limbs and body; connected to the thalamus and to the midbrain

Parkinson's disease

Disorder of the motor system correlated with a loss of dopamine in the brain and characterized by tremors muscular rigidity and a reduction in voluntary movement

Tourette's syndrome

Disorder of the basal ganglia characterized by tics, involuntary vocalizations (including curse words and animal sounds), and odd, involuntary movements of the body, especially of the face and head.

limbic system

disparate forebrain structures lying between the neocortex and the brainstem that form a functional system controlling affective and motivated behaviors and certain forms of memory; includes cingulate cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, among other structures

One of a set of 12 nerve pairs that control sensory and motor functions of the head, neck and internal organs

Vertebrae

The bones that form the spinal cord

Dermatome

body segment corresponding to a segment of the spinal cord

Law of Bell and Magendie

The general principle that sensory fibers are located dorsal and motor fibers are located centrally

Cell body (soma)

core region of the cell containing the nucleus and other organelles for making proteins

Dendrite

Branching extension of a neuron's cell membrane that greatly increases the surface area of the cell and collects information from other cells

Axon

"Root" or single fiber, of a neuron that carries messages to other neurons

dendritic spine

Protrusion from a dendrite that greatly increases the dendrite's surface area and is the usual point of dendritic contact with the axons of other cells.

Axon hillock

juncture of soma and axon where the action potential begins

Axon collateral

Branch of an axon

Terminal button (end foot)

Knob at the tip of an axon that conveys information to other neurons

Synapse

Junction between one neuron and another that forms the information-transfer site between neurons

Sensory neuron

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

Interneuron

Association neuron interposed between a sensory neuron and a motor neuron; thus, in mammals, interneurons constitute most of the neurons of the brain.

Motor neuron

A neuron that carries information from the central nervous system to muscle.

Bipolar neuron

Sensory neuron with one axon and one dendrite

Somatosensory neuron

Brain cell that brings sensory information form the body into the spinal cord

Pyramidal cell

Distinctive interneuron found in the cerebral cortex

Purkinje cell

Distinctive interneuron found in the cerebellum

Glial cell

nervous-system cell that provides insulation, nutrients, and support and that aids in repairing neurons and eliminating waste products.

Ependymal cell

Glial cell that makes and secretes cerebrospinal fluid; found on the walls of the ventricles in the brain.

Tumor

mass of new tissue that grows uncontrolled and independent of surrounding structures.