The Limbic System
Ear-shaped neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres, associated with emotions and drives
Limbic system
Tissue destruction in the brain, whether caused naturally or experimentally
Lesion
The thin layer of interconnected neural cells
Cerebral Cortex
Core of the brain that is responsible for automatic survival functions
Brainstem
Also known as a CAT scan, this type of scan uses X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain’s structure.
CT Scan
Responsible for processing conscious memories
Hippocampus
Condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain hemispheres (As seen in patient Joe)
Split Brain
Portion of the cerebral cortex that is involved with speaking, muscle movements, and decision making
Frontal lobe
Base of brainstem, controls breathing, heartbeat, reflexes and involuntary functions such as sneezing or vomiting
Medulla
An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Two lima bean-sized neural clusters linked to emotion, often fear
Amygdala
The large band of neural fibers connecting the 2 brain hemispheres
Corpus Callosum
Lies at the top of the head and receives sensory input (for touch, pressure, and temperature) and body position
Parietal lobe
Helps coordinate movements
Pons
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task
PET Scan
Linked to emotion and reward
Hypothalamus
“Little brain”; functions include coordinating output and balance, sensory information, and enables nonverbal learning and memory
Cerebellum
An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movement
Motor cortex
This part of the brainstem has important functions in motor movement (mainly with eye movement), and in auditory and visual processing
Midbrain
A scan technique which uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce a computer generated image of soft tissue and brain anatomy
MRI
What neurotransmitter does the hypothalamus release
Dopamine
The brain’s sensory control switchboard; all senses except smell pass through here
Thalamus
The brain’s ability to change (especially when young) by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience
Plasticity
Found deep in the brainstem; a nerve network that controls arousal
Reticular formation
a technique for revealing bloodfluw and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. Also shows brain function as well as its structure
fMRI