chapter 4

• Association area


  • Surround sensory and motor areas in the brain's cerebral cortex
  • Deal with more complex functions that require integration of inputs of information from different areas
• Blood–brain barrier


  A layer of cells which limits the entry to the brain of potentially harmful substances that may be present in the blood
• Brain

  An intricate network of cells that plays a vital role in processing information received through nerve pathways from the body and in directing actions within the body
• Brain ablation


  The destruction or removal of part of the brain
• Brain lesioning


  Disrupting or damaging the normal structure or function of part of the brain
• Brain versus heart debate


  The issue of whether the brain or the heart was the source of human thoughts, feelings and behaviour
• Broca's area

  Area in the brain's left frontal lobe with a crucial role in clear and fluent speech production
• Cerebellum

  • The cauliflower-shaped structure located at the base of the brain that coordinates fine muscle movements and regulates posture and balance
  • Also involved in learning and memory
• Cerebral cortex


  • Outer layer of the brain involved in complex mental abilities, sensory processing and voluntary movements
  • Roles in a diverse range of activities
• Cerebral hemisphere


  One of two almost symmetrical brain areas (comprising cerebral cortex) running from the front to the back of the brain and referred to as the right and left hemispheres
• Cerebrospinal fluid


  A protective, watery-like liquid that circulates between the membranes of the brain
• Cerebrum


  Largest part of the brain with the cerebral cortex as its outer layer
• Computerised tomography (CT)


  A neuroimaging technique that uses x-ray equipment to scan the brain at different angles and build up a picture of the brain
• Corpus callosum


  The main band of nerve tissue connecting the two hemispheres of the brain
• Cortical lobe


  One of four areas of the cerebral cortex associated with different functions
• Dyadic functional MRI (dFMRI)

  An MRI scanner that is fitted out for dual scanning of two participants while they lie side by side
• Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB)


  Using an electrode to stimulate a specific area of the brain to assess what function that area controls or is involved in
• Forebrain


  • A collection of upper level brain structures that include the hypothalamus, thalamus and cerebrum
  • Involved in complex cognitive processes, emotion and personality
• Frontal lobe


  One of four critical lobes located in the upper forward half of a cerebral hemisphere
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)


  A neuroimaging technique that detects and produces images of brain activity by measuring oxygen consumption across the brain
• Functional neuroimaging


  A brain scanning technique, such as PET and fMRI, that produces an image showing some aspect of brain structure, activity and function
• Grey matter


  Neural tissue largely composed of nerve cell bodies and their local connections to each other
• Hemispheric specialisation


  The concept that one hemisphere has specialised functions or exerts greater control over a particular function; also called hemispheric dominance or hemispheric lateralisation
• Hindbrain


  • A collection of structures at the base of the brain that include the cerebellum, medulla and pons
• Hypothalamus


  • Vital role in maintaining the body's internal environment by regulating release of hormones and influences various other behaviours
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)


  A neuroimaging technique that uses harmless magnetic fields to vibrate atoms in the brain's neurons and generate a computer image of the brain
• Medulla


  A hindbrain structure that is a continuation of the spinal cord, connecting it to the brain; controls vital bodily functions required for survival
• Meninges


  One of three membranes covering the brain
• Midbrain


  Connects upper and lower brain areas and houses structure involved with movement, processing of visual, auditory and tactile sensory information, sleep and arousal
• Mind–body problem


  The question of whether our mind and body are distinct, separate entities or whether they are one and the same thing
• Mind–brain problem


  Questions about the relationship between brain activity and conscious experience
• Motor area


  Area of the brain's cerebral cortex that initiates voluntary movements
• Neocortex


  The largest and most recently evolved part of the cerebral cortex
• Neuroimaging


  A technique that captures a picture of the brain
• Occipital lobe


  One of the four critical lobes located in the rearmost area of each cerebral hemisphere
• Parietal lobe


  One of four critical lobes located in the upper back area of the brain between the frontal and occipital lobes
• Phrenology


  A theory linking specific abilities or personality traits to specific areas of the brain, especially bumps and hollows in the skull surface
• Pons


  Hindbrain structure involved in sleep, dreaming, arousal from sleep and control of breathing and coordination of some muscle movements
• Positron emission tomography (PET)


  A neuroimaging technique that produces 2D or 3D colour images showing brain structure, activity and function
• Primary auditory cortex


  Receives and processes sounds from both ears