Download Week 2 Definitions

Week 2 Definitions
white matter
communication of signals, structure of the brain and delivery of nutrients
gray matter
sometimes called cortical tissue, where all the computational power seems to happen
gyrus
folds or bumps on the surface of the brain
fissures
indentations in the brain
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord; the real decision making part of us
peripheral nervous
Links the brain to the rest of the body, especially to the muscles, and to our internal organs. So really it is the
system,
connection the brain has to control the rest of the body.
somatic system
allows us to take intentional or voluntary control over our muscles and organs (ex. the hot casserole)
autonomic system
reacts predominately to the stimuli in our environment and it kind of does one or two things; it puts our body
into one of two different modes and those modes are called the parasympathetic and the sympathetic
parasympathetic mode
has the goal of keeping your body healthy and alive for the long term, like maintenance; when it's relaxation
time, it's delivering nutrients to all of the muscles and getting rid of the waste
sympathetic mode
speeds up nervous system; pupils go larger allowing more light to get in; heart rate goes up; digestion slows
down; eg. fight or flight
medulla
takes care of things like our heart rate and our blood pressure and our respiration, kind of synchronizing all
those aspects to make sure, essentially, that enough oxygen and nutrients are flowing to our body.
pons
regulate our general sleep/wake cycles through the day and changes in our brain that happen during sleep
subcortical region
the region located within the brain, beneath the cortical surface; contains the brainstem, cerebellum and
limbic system; also referred to as the reptilian brain because these basic structures exist in just about every
species
brainstem
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; is
responsible for automatic survival functions; contains the mesencephalon, medulla oblongata and pons
mesencephalon
also called midbrain; control over things like sexual and aggressive motivations
cerebellum
the "little brain" attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and
coordinating movement output and balance
limbic system
neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral
hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.
corpus callosum
major connection between the two hemispheres of the brain; how most of the information goes back and
forth the two
amygdala
part of the limbic system; influences emotions such as aggression, fear, and self-protective behaviors
hippocampus
a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage
occipital lobe
portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head responsible for visual processing
visual agnosia
The inability to recognize a visual stimulus despite the ability to see and describe it
(ref. "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat")
temporal lobe
The portion of the cerebral cortex that is just above the ears and that is involved in hearing, language
processing, and memory.
laterality
localization of function on either the right or left sides of the brain
Broca's area
controls language expression (speech). Damage creates inability to speak
Wernicke's area
Controls language reception- a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the
left temporal lobe.
left side of the brain
analysis, logic, lists, number, words, lines,
right side of the brain
colors, daydreaming, 3D, rhythm, imagination, synthesis.
parietal lobe
The portion of the cerebral cortex behind to the frontal lobe, responsible for the integration of sensory
information from different areas of the body.
sensory homunculus
Demonstrates that the area of the cortex dedicated to the sensations of various body parts is proportional to
how sensitive that part of the body is.
contralateral wiring
refers to the notion that the right hemisphere processes information from the left side of the body while the
left hemisphere processes information from the right side of the body
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left hemisphere processes information from the right side of the body
proprioception
the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts
frontal lobe
The portion of the cerebral cortex located behind the forehead; associated with reasoning, planning, parts of
speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving
primary motor cortex
A strip of neural tissue at the rear of the frontal lobe that is specifically involved in controlling voluntary
bodily movements
frontal lobotomy
Prior to the use of pharmacological drugs to manage disorders, frontal lobotomies were commonly used to
control undesirable behaviors, such as aggression.
In a frontal lobotomy, connections between the very front of the lobe and the back of the lobe (i.e., where the
motor cortex is located) are severed. Although frontal lobotomy is effective at controlling undesirable
behaviors, it had the side-effect of disrupting desirable cognitive functions as well.
Petit mal seizure
are small seizures in which there is a sudden temporary loss of consciousness, lasting only a few seconds;
also known as absence seizure.
Grand mal seizure
A type of generalized epileptic seizure in which nerve cells fire in high-frequency bursts.
split brain
a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly
those of the corpus callosum) between them
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