Term
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Definition
| tissue destruction. A brain lesion is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue. (p. 67) |
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Term
| electroencephalogram (EEG) |
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Definition
| an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp. (p. 67) |
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Term
| CT (computed tomography) scan |
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Definition
| a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body. Also called CAT scan. (p. 68) |
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Term
| PET (positron emission tomography) scan |
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Definition
| a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task. (p. 68) |
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Term
| MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) |
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Definition
| a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show brain anatomy. (p. 68) |
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Term
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Definition
| a technique for revealing bloodflow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function. (p. 68) |
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Term
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Definition
| 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. (p. 69) |
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Term
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Definition
| the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing. (p. 69) |
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Term
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Definition
| a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal. (p. 70) |
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Term
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Definition
| the brain’s sensory switchboard, 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. (p. 70) |
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Term
| cerebellum [sehr-uh-BELL-um] |
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Definition
| the “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance. (p. 70) |
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Term
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Definition
| doughnut-shaped neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives. (p. 71) |
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Term
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Definition
| two lima bean–sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion. (p. 71) |
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Term
| hypothalamus [hi-po-THAL-uh-muss] |
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Definition
| 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. (p. 72) |
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Term
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Definition
| cortex the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center. (p. 74) |
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Term
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Definition
| cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons. (p. 74) |
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Term
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Definition
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments. (p. 74) |
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Term
| parietal [puh-RYE-uh-tuhl] lobes |
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Definition
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position. (p. 74) |
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Term
| occipital [ahk-SIP-uh-tuhl] lobes |
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Definition
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields. (p. 74) |
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Term
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Definition
| portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear. (p. 74) |
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Term
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Definition
| an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements. (p. 75) |
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Term
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Definition
| area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations. (p. 77) |
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Term
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Definition
| areas of the cerebral cortex 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. (p. 78) |
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Term
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Definition
| impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding). (p. 80) |
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Term
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Definition
| the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience. (p. 82) |
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Term
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Definition
| the formation of new neurons. (p. 83) |
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Term
| corpus callosum[KOR-pus kah-LOW-sum] |
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Definition
| the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them. (p. 84) |
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Term
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Definition
| a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them. (p. 84) |
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Term
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Definition
| the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language). (pp. 7, 89) |
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Term
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Definition
| the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks. (p. 90) |
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Term
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Definition
| A region of the brain concerned with the production of speech, located in the cortex of the dominant frontal lobe. |
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Term
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Definition
| A region of the brain concerned with the comprehension of language, located in the cortex of the dominant temporal lobe. Damage in this area causes Wernicke's aphasia, characterized by superficially fluent, grammatical speech but an inability to use or understand more than the most basic nouns and verbs |
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