Chapter 2 Cp

Front 1

Ablation

Back 1

Removal of cells or tissues, often through surgical means

Front 2

Amygdala

Back 2

An area of brain tissue with extensive connections to the olfactory system and hypothalamus, thought to be involved in mood, feeling, instinct, and short-term memory

Front 3

Cerebellum

Back 3

Part of the brain that controls balance and muscular coordination

Front 4

Cerebral cortex

Back 4

The surface of the cerebrum, the largest structure of the brain, which contains both sensory and motor nerve cell bodies

Front 5

Computerized axial tomograpy (CAT)

Back 5

An imaging technique in which a highly focused beam of X-rays is pass through the body from many different angles. Differing density of the organs of the body result in different deflections of the X-Rays, which allows visualization of the organ. Also called X-ray computed tomography scan

Front 6

Corpus Callosum

Back 6

The large neural structure containing fibers that connect the right and left cerebral hemispheres

Front 7

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Back 7

A technique to measure brain activity, specifically, to detect different states of consciousness. Metal electrodes are positioned all over the scalp. The waveforms that are recorded change in predictable ways when the person being recorded is awake and alert, drowsy, asleep, or in a coma

Front 8

Event-related potential (ERP)

Back 8

An electrical recording technique used to measure the response of the brain to various stimulus events

Front 9

Executive functioning

Back 9

Cognitive processes that include planning, making decisions, implementing strategies, inhibiting inappropriate behaviors, and using working memory to process information

Front 10

Faculty psychology

Back 10

The theory that different mental abilities, such as reading or computation are independent and autonomous functions, carried out in different parts of the brain

Front 11

Forebrain

Back 11

The part of the brain containing the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebral cortex

Front 12

Frontal Lobe

Back 12

A division of the cerebral cortex located just beneath the forehead that contains the motor cortex, premotor cortex, and the prefrontal cortex

Front 13

Functional MRI (FMRI)

Back 13

An imaging technique that uses MRI equipment to examine blood flow in a noninvasive, nonradioactive manner

Front 14

Hindbrain

Back 14

The part of the brain, containing some of the most evolutionary primitive structures that is responsible for transmitting information from the spinal cord to the brain, regulating life support functions, and helping to maintain balance

Front 15

Hippocampus

Back 15

A structure of the brain in the medial temporal lobe; damage or removal can result in amnesia

Front 16

Hypothalmus

Back 16

A structure in the forebrain that controls the pituitary gland and so called homeostatic behaviors, such as eating, drinking, temperature control, sleeping, sexual behaviors, and emotional reactions

Front 17

Lateralization

Back 17

Specialization of function of the two cerebral hemispheres

Front 18

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Back 18

A body-imaging technique in which a person is surrounded with a strong magnetic field. Radio waves are directed at a particular part of the body, causing the centers of hydrogen atoms in those structures to align themselves in predictable ways. Computers collate information about how the atoms are aligning and produce a composite three dimensional image.

Front 19

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Back 19

A technique for mapping brain activity that measures changes in magnetic fields generate by electrical activities of neurons

Front 20

Medulla

Back 20

A structure in the hindbrain that transmits information from the spinal cord to the brain and regulates life support functions such as respiration, blood pressure, coughing, sneezing, vomiting, and heart rate

Front 21

Midbrain

Back 21

The part of the brain containing structures that are involved in relaying information between other brain regions ad in regulating levels of alertness

Front 22

Motor Cortex

Back 22

A structure in the frontal lobe that controls fine motor movement in the body

Front 23

Occipital Lobe

Back 23

A division of the cerebral cortex located at the back of the head that is involved in the processing of visual information

Front 24

Parietal Lobe

Back 24

A division of the cerebral cortex located at the top rear part of the head that contains the primary somatosensory cortex

Front 25

Phrenology

Back 25

The idea ( now discredited) that psychological strengths and weaknesses could be precisely correlated to the relative sizes of different brain areas

Front 26

Plasticity

Back 26

The ability of some brain regions to perform the functions of other, damaged regions

Front 27

Pons

Back 27

A structure in the hindbrain that acts as a neural relay center, facilitating the crossover of information between the left side of the body and the right side of the brain, and vice versa. It is also involved in balance and in the processing of both visual and auditory information

Front 28

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Back 28

A brain-imaging technique that shows which areas of the brain are most active at a given point in time

Front 29

Prefrontal Cortex

Back 29

A region in the frontal lobe that is involved with executive functioning

Front 30

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Back 30

A region in the parietal lobe involved in the processing of sensory information from the body--for example, sensations of pain, pressure, touch, or temperature.

Front 31

Split-brained Patient

Back 31

An individual who has undergone surgery to sever the corpus callosum in the brain, usually to control the spread of seizures

Front 32

Temporal Lobe

Back 32

A division of the cerebral cortex located on the side of the head that is involved in the processing of auditory information and in some aspects of memory

Front 33

Thalamus

Back 33

A structure in the forebrain involved in relaying information, especially to the cerebral cortex

Front 34

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

Back 34

A newer noninvasive technique to study areas of activity in the brain. An investigator places a magnetic coil close to a patient's scalp over a target area, say, in the primary motor cortex. Depending upon the rate at which the TMS is pulses, that brain area will either be excited or inhibited. The investigator measures activity of specific brain circuits