Anatomy, Neural Coding, Methodology, Ethics, and Hemispheric Specialization Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms from topics in Anatomy, Neural Coding, Methodology (Neuroscience Techniques), Ethics, and Hemispheric Specialization, derived from lecture notes for exam review.

Frontal Lobe

One of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex, located at the front of the brain.

Temporal Lobe

One of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex, located at the side of the brain below the parietal lobe.

Parietal Lobe

One of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex, located behind the frontal lobe and above the temporal lobe.

Occipital Lobe

One of the four major lobes of the cerebral cortex, located at the back of the brain.

Cerebellum

A major part of the brain, located at the back of the skull, coordinating and regulating muscular activity.

Medulla

A conical mass of nervous tissue connecting the brain and spinal cord, controlling autonomic functions.

PONS

A part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus, connecting upper and lower parts of the brain.

Sagittal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body or an organ into right and left parts.

Coronal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body or an organ into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts; also known as the frontal plane.

Horizontal/Transverse Plane

A plane that divides the body or an organ into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) parts; also known as the axial plane.

Natural Lesions

Damaged parts of the brain caused by unplanned events, allowing examination of damaged human brains but often messy and affecting large portions.

Induced Lesions

Research-induced injury on animals to examine how that type of injury affects the brain, offering reproducibility and correlation of structure to cognitive process loss.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Uses the rotation of hydrogen protons in the brain to detect its structure, providing high spatial resolution and good detection of soft tissues without radiation.

fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Measures changes in the BOLD signal, detecting active brain regions saturated by oxygenated blood, correlating brain structure with specific cognitive processes with high spatial but low temporal resolution.

BOLD signal (Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent)

The ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated hemoglobin, which fMRI measures to detect brain activity because protons in oxygenated blood spin slower.

CT (Computed Tomography)

Constructs 3D brain structures from 2D images using X-rays, known for being cheap and fast but uses radiation and has low spatial and temporal resolution.

DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging)

Used to view white matter tracts by measuring the diffusion of water molecules, allowing visualization of axons, pathways, and circuits with high spatial but low temporal resolution.

Calcium Imaging

Detects neuronal activity using genetically encoded calcium indicators (e.g., GFP) that emit fluorescence in the presence of calcium, indicating high activity in a region.

Optogenetics

A technique that uses molecules converting light into electricity to activate neurons using viral transduction, allowing manipulation of specific regions or neuron types with very high temporal and spatial resolution.

EEG (Electroencephalography)

Records passive electrical signals from the brain via surface electrodes to obtain event-related potentials, offering high temporal resolution and non-invasiveness but low spatial resolution.

Event-Related Potential (ERP)

The averaged findings of several trials in EEG or MEG recordings, representing the brain's electrical or magnetic response to specific events.

MEG (Magnetoencephalography)

Measures magnetic fields produced by the brain’s electrical activity to obtain event-related potentials, offering high temporal and better spatial resolution than EEG, primarily for cortical activity.

Transcranial Stimulation

A general term for techniques like TMS, tDCS, and tACS that alter electrical activity in neurons by sending electrical currents or magnetic fields to the brain via the scalp.

Deep Brain Stimulation

An invasive technique where electrolytes penetrate deep into the brain to manipulate neuronal activity beyond the cortex, used to treat conditions like Parkinson's with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Hyperpolarization (Neuronal)

Bringing the resting membrane potential further from the threshold for an action potential, making neurons less sensitive and producing a sedative effect.

Barbiturates

Drugs that enhance the effect of GABA by binding to GABA receptors, facilitating the influx of negatively charged Cl- ions into the cell, leading to neuronal hyperpolarization and a sedative state.

Respect of Persons

An ethical principle from the Belmont Report emphasizing individual autonomy and protection for vulnerable populations, requiring informed consent, especially when self-determination is impaired.

Homotopic Projection

In hemispheric specialization, neuronal projections going to the same area on the opposite side of the brain.

Heterotopic Projection

In hemispheric specialization, neuronal projections going to a different area on the opposite side of the brain.

Ipsilateral Projection

In hemispheric specialization, neuronal projections going to the same side of the brain.

Planum Temporale

An area of the cerebral cortex involved in language, which is typically larger in the left hemisphere.

Cross-Cueing

A limitation of cortical disconnection experiments where both hemispheres can trigger and detect a stimulus at a specific muscle as a hint for the other hemisphere to pick up on.