front 1 Plasticity | back 1 The brain's ability to modify itself |
front 2 Lesion | back 2 tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue |
front 3 Electroencephalogram (EEG) | back 3 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 |
front 4 Magnetoencephalography (MEG) | back 4 a brain-imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brain's natural electrical activity |
front 5 PET (positron emission tomography) scan | back 5 a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task |
front 6 MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) | back 6 a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy |
front 7 CAT Scan (computerized tomography) | back 7 X-Ray rotates around head and body |
front 8 fMRI (functional MRI) | back 8 a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function as well as structure |
front 9 Left Hemisphere | back 9
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front 10 Right Hemisphere | back 10
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front 11 brainstem | back 11 the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions |
front 12 medulla | back 12 the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
front 13 thalamus | back 13 the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
front 14 reticular formation | back 14 a nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal |
front 15 cerebellum | back 15 the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory |
front 16 limbic system | back 16 neural system (including the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives |
front 17 amygdala | back 17 two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion |
front 18 hypothalamus | back 18 a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward |
front 19 hippocampus | back 19 a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories- of facts and events- for storage |
front 20 cerebral cortex | back 20 the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
front 21 frontal lobes | back 21 the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements |
front 22 parietal lobes | back 22 the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position |
front 23 occipital lobes | back 23 the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields |
front 24 temporal lobes | back 24 the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear |
front 25 motor cortex | back 25 an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
front 26 somatosensory cortex | back 26 an area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations |
front 27 association areas | back 27 areas of the cerebral that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking |
front 28 neurogenesis | back 28 the formation of new neurons |
front 29 corpus callosum | back 29 the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
front 30 split brain | back 30 a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them |