Term
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Definition
| Controls Right side of body, involved in speech, language, writing, logic, sequential thinking and Maths and Science. |
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Term
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Definition
| Controls Left side of body, involved in spatial constructions, Creative thinking, Fantasy, Art Appreciation and Music Appriciation. |
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Term
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Definition
Primary Motor Cortex - recieves and processes information to control voluntary bodily movements.
Assosiation Areas -
*Personality
*Emotions
*Higher Order Thinking (eg. Planning and Initiative)
Language Areas -
*Brocas Area - allows speech production and movement of muscles such as the tongue and jaw. |
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Term
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Definition
Primary Somatosensory Cortex - recieves and processes sensory information from the skin ie. touch, pressure, heat etc.
Association Areas:
*Visual atention
*Recognising the body's position of limbs in space
*Spacial resoning |
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Term
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Definition
Primary Visual Cortex - recieves and processes visual information from the two eyes.
Association Areas -
*Integrates visual information with other lobes
*Facial Recognition
*Emotions |
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Term
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Definition
Primary Auditory Cortex - recieves and processes auditory information from the two ears.
Association Areas -
*Memory of Objects
*Facial Recgonition
*Episodic Memories
Language Areas -
*Wernickes Area - Comprehension of speech and the written word |
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Term
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Definition
Indepth study of a particular behaviour of interest in an individual or group.
Advantage:
Provides a comprehensive overview of a patients life, a full description of their problem, behaviour and mental capabilities.
Limitations:
The data collected is time consuming to analyse, summarise and report. |
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Term
| Electronic Stimulation of the Brain (ESB) |
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Definition
Electrodes are used to administer a precisely regulated electrical current to a specific area of the brain and is assumed it will inhibit or initiate a response.
Advantage:
Enables identification of the specific brain area functions.
Limitation:
Extremely invasive and involves surgical risks. |
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Term
| Electroencephalograph (EEG) |
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Definition
Detects, amplifies and records the electrical brain activity using small electrodes attatched to the surface of the scalp.
Advantage:
Non-invasive so can be used on a variety of participants including infants and the elderly.
Limitation:
Does not provide detailed information about the particular brain structures that are activiated and what their functions are. |
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Term
| Computerised Axial Tomography (CAT or CT) |
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Definition
Computer enhanced slice of the brain from X-ray cross-sections taken from slightly different angles.
Advantage:
Reveals the effects of strokes, tumours and brain injuries.
Limitation:
Only shows brain structure not function. |
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Term
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) |
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Definition
Uses harmless magnetic fields and radiowaves to vibrate atoms in the brains neurons. The vibration is detected by the MRI chamber and produces a colour-coded image of the activity of the brain.
Advantage:
Extremely clear and detailed images of the brain.
Limitation:
Cannot be used with people who ahve internal metallic devices such as pacemakers or metal pins in their bones. |
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Term
| Positron Emission Tomography (PET) |
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Definition
Involves the injection of radioactive glucose into the bloodstream which travels to the brain and emits radiation when brain sturctures are active during a task.
Advantage:
Can be used with people whoses brains are intact (not damaged).
Limitation:
Is mildly invasive due to the injection of a radioactive substance. |
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Term
| funtional Magnetic Resononce Imaging (fMRI) |
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Definition
Detects changes in oxygen levels in the blood flowing through the brain during a task.
Advantage:
Provides images in rapid succession of the brain so can detect changes to brain structures when they occur.
Limitation:
Cannot be used with people who ahve internal metallic devices such as pacemakers and metal rods in their bones. |
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Term
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Definition
| Brain and the Spinal Cord |
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Term
| Peripheral Nervous System |
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Definition
all parts of the nervous system other than the brain and spinal cord.
Functions:
*Carry sensory (afferent nerves) information from receptor organs and internal organs to the CNS.
*Carry motor (efferent nerves) information from the CNS to the muscles, organs and glands. |
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Term
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Definition
| Network of sensory (afferent) nerves that carry information recieved by sensory receptors to the CNS and motor (efferent)nerves that carry information from the CNS to the skeletal muscles involved in voluntary movement. |
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Term
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Definition
| Network of neurons connecting the CNS to out internal (visceral) muscles and organs and controlling all involuntary actions without our consicous thought. |
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Term
| Sympathetic Nervous System |
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Definition
| Prepares the body for action in times of threat. (fight or flight) |
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Term
| Parasympathetic Nervous System |
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Definition
| Calms the body after the action is over or the threat has passed. |
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Term
| General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) |
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Definition
| Pattern of physiological resopnses an organism experiences when placed under intense or prolonged arousal. |
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Term
| GAS - Alarm Reaction (Stage 1) |
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Definition
| Stressor or threat is first percieved. Resistance to stressor falls below normal level during a temporary state of shock and then the sympathetic nervous system is activated and resistance rises above normal level in countershock. Fight or flight response occurs and many physiological changes occur. |
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Term
| GAS - Resistance (Stage 2) |
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Definition
| Body's resistance to stressor rises above normal level and level of arousal drops slightly, but remains above normal. Adrenal glands release Cortisol to repair inflammed tissue but its presence in the blood weakens our immune system, so we are susceptible to illness or disease. If another stressor appears we may not be able to resist them and our ability to cope with the original stressor begins to fall. |
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Term
| GAS - Exhaustion (Stage 3) |
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Definition
| Heralded by extreme fatigue, anxiety, depression, insomnia etc. Resistance to stressor falls below normal level and keeps falling due to our depleted resources because we've been fighting the stressor for some time. If stressor is not dealt with now, severe illnesses may or death may occur. |
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