brain and neuropsychology (paper 2)

• cognitive neuroscience 


  the study of how structure + function of the brain relates to behaviour + cognition
• auditory area 


  An area of the temporal lobe that receives and processes sounds
• autonomic functions 


  Bodily processes that happen without our conscious control – such as breathing, digestion and heart rate
• autonomic nervous system 


  The part of the peripheral nervous system that is responsible for autonomic functions, it helps to maintain homeostasis.
• central nervous system (CNS)


  Consists of the brain and spinal cord and acts as the body's processing centre - main functions are coordinating incoming sensory messages and sending outgoing motor messages.
• cerebellum 


  At the base of the brain above the spinal cord, important for motor skills such as movement, coordination and balance
• cognition 


  Involved in the gaining + developing of knowledge and understanding through the senses, thought and experience. Includes thinking, planning and problem solving.
• cognitive development 


  Changes that take place in an individual's mental processes as they experience more of the world around them
• CT scan 


  computerised tomography - a brain scan using a series of X-rays to create a detailed 3D image
• excitation 


  A neurotransmitter binding with a receptor on the next neuron and increasing the likelihood that the next neuron will fire an electrical impulse
• fMRI scan 


  functional magnetic resonance imaging - a brain scan using radio waves, it measures blood oxygen levels and magnetic activity in order to show which parts of the brain are most active
• broca's area 


  (frontal lobe) controls speech production
• wernicke's area 


  (left temporal lobe) controls understanding of language
• motor area 


  one hemisphere controls movement on the opposite side of body
• somatosensory area 


  where sensations are processed
• parietal lobe 


  contains somatosensory area, separated from frontal lobe by central sulcus
• occipital lobe 


  (back of brain) contains visual area - eye sends info to each side of brain
• neuronal growth 


  When a neuron frequently excites another neuron, it results in development of one or both of the neurons
• neuron 


  A particular type of nerve cell that is involved in generating and transmitting electrical impulses from the body to the brain and back to the body (they are the basic building blocks of the nervous system)
• neurontransmitters 


  A brain chemical that transmits messages between neurons when it is released across the synaptic cleft by one neuron, and picked up by the next neuron (can cause excitation or inhibition)
• parietal lobe 


  (at the top of the brain) responsible for processing sensations + joins info from other areas to form complex behaviours
• peripheral nervous system (PNS)


  A system of nerve fibres that connects and relays info between the CNS and the rest of the body (it is made up of the SNS and the ANS)
• PET scan 


  positron emission tomography - a brain scan that measures the activity of cells in different parts of the body by detecting a radioactive dye which is absorbed by tissue/organs after being injected or swallowed
• relay neuron 


  nerve cell in the CNS that passes messages between sensory and motor neurons - has short dendrites and short axons
• sensory neuron 


  a nerve cell that picks up info from the environment via sense receptors and carries it to the CNS - has long dendrites and short axons
• sensory processing 


  the brain and nervous system receives and interprets sensory info from the world around us
• somatic nervous system (SNS)


  a system of sensory + motor neurons that run to and from the spinal cord + pass sensory info to and from the CNS (also controls voluntary movements)
• synapse 


  the small gap between two neurons that allows signals to pass between them
• synaptic transmission 


  messages are passed from one neuron to another by sending neurotransmitters across the synaptic cleft so that they can be picked up by the receptors on the next neuron
• temporal lobe 


  responsible for things such as comprehension and creation of spoken language
• thalamus 


  the part of the brain that relays sensory info to the cerebral cortex and regulates consciousness and alertness
• fight or flight response 


  an automatic physiological reaction to actual/perceived threats, triggers the ANS to release adrenalin and the body to take a number of steps so that an individual is ready for action.
• frontal lobe 


  (at the front of the brain) viewed as the brain’s behaviour + emotional control centre; controls cognitive processes (like thought/memory) and manages emotions + personality
• dendrites 


  one of the short parts at the edge of a nerve cell that carry messages to the cell
• axon 


  a long, thread-like structure attached to a nerve cell that sends out signals away from the nerve cel
• motor neuron 


  they carry messages from the CNS to the effectors in our body (such as our glands and muscles) - has short dendrites and long axons