Visual Auditory Study Guide - B&B

Flashcard Set: Auditory and Visual Systems

1. Outer Ear, Middle Ear, Inner Ear: The three main sections of the human ear responsible for collecting, transmitting, and processing sound.

2. Cochlea: A spiral-shaped structure in the inner ear that transduces sound waves into neural impulses using hair cells.

3. Inner and Outer Hair Cells: Inner hair cells detect sound, while outer hair cells amplify sound by adjusting the stiffness of the tectorial membrane.

4. Tonotopic Organization: The spatial arrangement of where different sound frequencies are processed in the cochlea and auditory cortex.

5. Cochlear Implants: Devices that convert sound into electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve, helping people with severe hearing loss.

6. Echolocation: The process used by bats to navigate by emitting sound waves and analyzing the returning echoes.

7. Primary Auditory Cortex (A1): The brain region that processes basic elements of sound such as pitch and volume.

8. Auditory Processing Streams: The ventral stream identifies sounds, while the dorsal stream locates sounds in space.

9. Lateralization of Auditory Functions: Language processing is primarily in the left hemisphere, while music processing is primarily in the right hemisphere.

10. Music Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease: Therapy that improves motor function by activating motor and premotor cortices through rhythmic music.

Flashcard Set: Visual Perception

11. Sensory Receptors in the Eyes: 70% of human sensory receptors are located in the eyes.

12. Fovea: The central region of the retina responsible for high-acuity vision.

13. Blind Spot: The region of the retina (optic disc) where there are no photoreceptors, leading to a lack of visual perception in that area.

14. Rods and Cones: Photoreceptors in the retina; rods detect low light levels, while cones detect color and fine detail.

15. Myopia: Nearsightedness; a condition where light focuses in front of the retina, making distant objects appear blurry.

16. Hyperopia: Farsightedness; a condition where light focuses behind the retina, making close objects appear blurry.

17. Geniculostriate Pathway: The visual pathway projecting from the retina to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and then to the primary visual cortex (V1).

18. Tectopulvinar System: A visual pathway that processes spatial information, involving projections to the superior colliculus and pulvinar nucleus.

19. Ventral Visual Stream: The "what" pathway that identifies objects and is associated with the temporal cortex.

20. Dorsal Visual Stream: The "how" pathway that guides actions based on visual input, associated with the parietal cortex.

21. Visual-Form Agnosia: A condition where a person cannot recognize objects despite having intact vision.

22. Prosopagnosia: Inability to recognize faces, often due to damage in the fusiform face area (FFA).

23. Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN): A relay center in the thalamus that processes visual information from the retina.

24. Magnocellular and Parvocellular Cells: Magnocellular cells process motion and light; parvocellular cells process color and fine detail.

25. Optic Ataxia: A condition where a person has difficulty using visual information to guide movements due to parietal cortex damage.

26. Hemispatial Neglect: A condition where a patient ignores one side of their visual field, typically after a stroke.

27. Fusiform Face Area (FFA): A specialized brain region responsible for face recognition.

28. Primary Visual Cortex (V1): The brain region that processes visual information received from the eyes.

29. Superior Colliculus: A midbrain structure involved in orienting visual attention and controlling eye movements.

30. Dorsal Stream Damage: Results in difficulties in using vision to guide physical actions, known as optic ataxia.

31. Parahippocampal Place Area (PPA): A brain region involved in recognizing scenes and places.

32. Retinohypothalamic Tract: Involved in regulating circadian rhythms and controlling the pupillary reflex.

33. Dark and Light Adaptation: The process by which rods and cones adjust to changes in light levels.

34. Color Blindness: Caused by mutations in cone photopigments, often affecting red or green cones.

35. Scotopic and Photopic Vision: Scotopic vision is rod-mediated (low light), while photopic vision is cone-mediated (bright light).

36. Dorsal Stream Processing: Involves using visual input to guide physical responses, such as reaching or grasping.

37. Anterior Intraparietal Area (AIP): A brain region controlling the visual guidance of grasping movements.

38. Depth Perception: The ability to judge the distance of objects, which is reduced with monocular blindness.

39. Blindsight: The ability to respond to visual stimuli without conscious awareness due to damage to the primary visual cortex.

40. Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN): A part of the hypothalamus involved in regulating the body's internal clock and sleep-wake cycles.