PSYCH 1000 - Chapter 3: Neuroscience (Cont.)

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards detailing the anatomical organization, functional divisions, cortical areas, and neuroplastic features of the nervous system from Chapter 3.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The major division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord that controls all mental and physical processes.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The division of the nervous system composed of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves that connects and carries information to and from the CNS. Has two subdivisions: somatic and automatic.

Somatic Nervous System (SNS)

The voluntary branch of the peripheral nervous system that controls skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information from receptors (such as touch, temperature, pain, hearing, and vision) to the CNS.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The involuntary branch of the peripheral nervous system that regulates internal organs, glands, and essential life functions such as heartbeat and responses to stress.

Sympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body to mobilize energy and respond to environmental threats (the fight-or-flight response).

Parasympathetic Nervous System

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body to conserve energy, restores the status quo, and enhances processes like digestion.

Spinal Cord Reflex

An automatic response to a stimulus executed entirely at the level of the spinal cord (such as a hand withdrawal from heat), occurring before pain signals reach the brain.

Reflex Arc

A neural circuit consisting of a sensory neuron, an interneuron, and a motor neuron leading to muscle fibers, in which sudden activation of the sensory neuron can remove inhibition on the motor neuron to fire.

Hindbrain

The region of the brain located closest to the spinal cord that regulates basic life functions; includes the medulla, pons, cerebellum, and reticular formation.

Midbrain

Reticular formation, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus, substantia nigra.

Forebrain

Thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, limbic system, basal ganglia, cerebral cortex.

Medulla

A hindbrain structure continuous with the spinal cord that governs vital vegetative functions including heart rate and breathing (via the vagus nerve), as well as coughing and sneezing.

Pons

An enlarged area above the medulla meaning "bridge" that relays signals between the forebrain and cerebellum, serves as the origin of nerves for swallowing, chewing, and facial expression, and contains the locus coeruleus.

Locus Coeruleus

A structure within the pons that produces norepinephrine to regulate arousal and attention.

Cerebellum

The "little brain" in the hindbrain essential for timing, coordination of movement, and motor learning; its activity is suppressed by alcohol via GABA receptors. Inhibition results in profound loss of coordination.

Reticular Formation

A network of neurons extending through the hindbrain into the midbrain that regulates the sleep/wake cycle and serves as a major source of serotonin, which is important for mood. General anesthetics suppress reticular formation.

Inferior Colliculus

A midbrain structure that functions as an important relay pathway for auditory information.

Superior Colliculus

A midbrain structure that coordinates eye movements and is critical for visual tracking.

Substantia Nigra

A midbrain nucleus that is the origin of the major dopamine pathway projecting to the forebrain.

Thalamus

A forebrain sensory relay station (meaning "chamber") that sits atop the midbrain and routes incoming sensory signals from all senses except smell to the cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

A forebrain structure located beneath the thalamus that regulates motivated behaviors (eating, drinking, sex), directs autonomic nervous system outputs, and controls the pituitary gland. Controls the endocrine system. Small but mighty.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system's "master gland" located beneath the hypothalamus that secretes hormones governing other glands and behaviors such as bonding, aggression, and eating. Regulates hormones. Organization and activation effects on nervous system (behavior).

Endocrine systems

Consists of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroids, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovary, and testis.

Limbic System

A ring of forebrain structures surrounding the thalamus involved in emotion (fear, aggression, sexual behavior) as well as spatial and emotional memory. Regulation of motivation, emotion, learning, and memory.

Amygdala

An almond-shaped limbic structure that mediates stress, aggression, and fear responses and projects to the hypothalamus. Stimulation produces fear and aggression.

Kluver-Bucy Syndrome

A condition resulting from bilateral amygdala/temporal lobe lesions characterized by profound docility, dramatically reduced fear, and eliminated aggression in monkeys.

Hippocampus

A seahorse-shaped forebrain structure critical for memory consolidation, spatial learning, and emotional regulation; it is the site where Negri bodies accumulate during rabies infection.

Basal Ganglia

A collection of subcortical forebrain nuclei (including caudate, putamen, globus pallidus) that coordinates smooth movement; depletion of its dopamine input from the substantia nigra causes Parkinson's disease.

Nucleus Accumbens

A forebrain structure closely associated with the basal ganglia that mediates motivation, reward signaling, and addiction.

Cerebral Cortex

The wrinkled outer layer of the brain (neocortex) unique to mammals, comprising six cellular layers with roughly $16\text{ billion}$ neurons that mediates higher mental processes. Highest mental functions (e.g., consciousness, language, thinking). Left and right cortex (bilateral). 4 anatomically distinct areas (lobes). Two functional categories, primary motor and sensory cortex, and association cortex (all other areas).

Gyri and Sulci

The ridges/bumps (gyri) and grooves/fissures (sulci) across the cortical surface that expand the brain's total functional surface area within the skull.

Frontal Lobe

The anterior cerebral lobe responsible for movement planning, personality, impulse control, working memory, attention, and motor speech (Broca's area).

Parietal Lobe

The cortical lobe housing the primary somatosensory cortex (skin and muscle senses) and higher-order spatial visual processing pathways (the "where path").

Occipital Lobe

The posterior cortical lobe that houses the primary visual cortex, responsible for processing attributes like color and shape.

Temporal Lobe

The cerebral lobe responsible for auditory processing, language comprehension (Wernicke's area), and complex visual recognition such as identifying faces.

Phineas Gage

An 1848 railroad worker who sustained extensive frontal lobe damage from a tamping iron, leading to dramatic impairments in impulse control, emotional regulation, and executive functioning.

Primary Motor Cortex

A topographically organized strip located in the posterior frontal lobe that directs voluntary muscle contractions on the contralateral side of the body.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

A topographically organized strip in the anterior parietal lobe that processes touch, temperature, and muscle sensations arriving from the opposite side of the body.

Homunculus

A visual mapping of the body on the cortex ("little man") demonstrating that dedicated cortical space is proportional to sensitivity and motor dexterity, not physical body part size.

Neural Prosthetics (Motor Cortex)

Development of prosthetics that respond to activation of cells in motor cortex. A computer monitors the motor cortex and directs the prosthetic (or limb) to make the intended movement. Neural prosthetics being developed to allow a person to “feel” as well.

Corpus Callosum

The large band of neural fibers connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres, which is severed in split-brain surgery to treat severe epilepsy.

Lateralization of Function

The principle that each cerebral hemisphere is specialized for distinct functions (e.g., the left hemisphere for sequential reasoning, speech, and right visual field; the right for holistic perception and spatial relations).

Broca’s Area

A specialized region situated in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere dedicated to speech production.

Wernicke’s Area

A specialized cortical area located in the temporal lobe responsible for language comprehension.

Neuroplasticity

The brain's ability to reorganize neural pathways and adapt structurally following damage or new sensory experiences. Severed neurons in the CNS do not regenerate, but neurons can re-organize.

Neurogenesis

The production of new neurons in the adult mammalian brain, documented in areas such as the hippocampus and promoted by physical exercise, sleep, and stress reduction.

Stem Cell Therapy

Undifferentiated cells (from one region) that could be used to make neurons e.g. umbilical cord stem.