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Ablation
removal of a structure
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Anterior commissure
set of axons connecting the two cerebral hemispheres; smaller than the corpus callosum
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Autonomic nervous system
set of neurons that regulates functioning of the internal organs
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Basal ganglia
set of subcortical forebrain structures lateral to the hypothalamus, including the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus
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Bell-Magendie law
observation that the dorsal roots of the spinal cord carry sensory information and that the ventral roots carry motor information toward the muscles and glands
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Binding problem
question of how the visual, auditory, and other areas of the brain influence one another to produce a combined perception of a single object
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Brainstem
hindbrain, midbrain, and posterior central structures of the forebrain
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Central canal
fluid-filled channel in the center of the spinal cord
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Central nervous system (CNS)
brain and spinal cord
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Central sulcus
large groove in the surface of the primate cerebral cortex, separating frontal from parietal cortex
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Cerebellum
highly convoluted structure in the hindbrain
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Cerebral cortex
outer covering of the cerebellum
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Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
liquid similar to blood serum, found in the ventricles of the brain and in the central canal of the spinal cord
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Computerized axial tomography (CT or CAT scan)
method of visualizing a living brain by injecting a dye into the blood and then passing x-rays through the head and recording them by detectors on the other side
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Corpus callosum
large set of axons that connects the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex
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Cranial nerves
part of a set of nerves controlling sensory and motor information of the head, connecting to nuclei in the medulla, pons, midbrain, or forebrain
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Delayed-response task
assignment in which an animal must respond on the basis of a signal that it remembers but that is no longer present
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Dorsal
located toward the back, away from the ventral (stomach) side
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Dorsal root ganglia
set of sensory neuron somata on the dorsal side of the spinal cord
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Electroencephalograph (EEG)
device that measures the brain's electrical activity through electrodes on the scalp
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Evoked potentials or evoked responses
electrical activity of the brain in response to a stimulus, as recorded from the scalp
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Forebrain
most anterior part of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and other structures
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Frontal lobe
section of cerebral cortex extending from the central sulcus to the anterior limit of the brain, containing the primary motor cortex and the prefrontal cortex
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Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
modified version of MRI that measures energies released by hemoglobin molecules in an MRI scan and then determines the brain areas receiving the greatest supply of blood and oxygen
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Gene-knockout approach
use of biochemical methods to direct a mutation to a particular gene that is important for certain types of cells, transmitters, or receptors
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Gray matter
areas of the nervous system with a high density of cell bodies and dendrites, with few myelinated axons
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Hindbrain
most posterior part of the brain, including the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
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Hippocampus
large forebrain structure between the thalamus and cortex
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Hypothalamus
forebrain structure near the base of the brain just ventral to the thalamus
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Inferior colliculus
swelling on each side of the tectum in the midbrain
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Klüver-Bucy syndrome
condition in which monkeys with damaged temporal lobes fail to display normal fears and anxieties
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Lamina (pl.: laminae)
layer of cell bodies parallel to the surface of the cortex and separated from other laminae by layers of fibers
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Lesion
damage to a structure
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Limbic system
set of forebrain areas traditionally regarded as critical for emotion, which form a border around the brainstem, including the olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate gyrus of the cerebral cortex, and several other smaller structures
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
method of imaging a living brain by using a magnetic field and a radio frequency field to make atoms with odd atomic weights all rotate in the same direction and then removing those fields and measuring the energy that the atoms release
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Magnetoencephalograph (MEG)
device that measures the faint magnetic fields generated by the brain's activity
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Medulla
hindbrain structure located just above the spinal cord; the medulla could be regarded as an enlarged, elaborated extension of the spinal cord
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Meninges
membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord
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Midbrain
middle part of the brain, including superior colliculus, inferior colliculus, tectum, and tegmentum
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Neuroanatomy
anatomy of the nervous system
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Nucleus basalis
area on the dorsal surface of the forebrain; a major source of axons that release acetylcholine to widespread areas in the cerebral cortex
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Occipital lobe
posterior (caudal) section of the cerebral cortex
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Parasympathetic nervous system
system of nerves that facilitate vegetative, nonemergency responses by the body's organs
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Parietal lobe
section of the cerebral cortex between the occipital lobe and the central sulcus
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Peripheral nervous system
nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
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Phrenology
pseudoscience that claimed a relationship between skull anatomy and behavioral capacities
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Pituitary gland
endocrine gland attached to the base of the hypothalamus
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Pons
hindbrain structure, anterior and ventral to the medulla
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Positron-emission tomography (PET)
method of mapping activity in a living brain by recording the emission of radioactivity from injected chemicals
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Postcentral gyrus
gyrus of the cerebral cortex just posterior to the central gyrus; a primary projection site for touch and other body sensations
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Prefrontal cortex
anterior portion of the frontal lobe of the cortex, which responds mostly to the sensory stimuli that signal the need for a movement
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Prefrontal lobotomy
surgical disconnection of the prefrontal cortex from the rest of the brain
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Primate
order of mammals that includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and others
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Raphe system
group of neurons in the pons and medulla whose axons extend throughout much of the forebrain
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Reticular formation
network of neurons in the medulla and other parts of the brainstem; the descending portion controls motor areas of the spinal cord; the ascending portion selectively increases arousal and attention in various forebrain areas
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Sham lesion
control procedure for an experiment, in which an investigator inserts an electrode into a brain but does not pass a current
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Somatic nervous system
nerves that convey messages from the sense organs to the CNS and from the CNS to muscles and glands
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Spinal cord
part of the CNS found within the spinal column; it communicates with the sense organs and muscles below the level of the head
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Stereotaxic instrument
device for the precise placement of electrodes in the head
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Substantia nigra
midbrain area that gives rise to a dopamine-containing pathway
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Superior colliculus
swelling on either side of the tectum, responsible for certain aspects of vision, including eye movements
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Sympathetic nervous system
network of nerves that prepare the body's organs for vigorous activity
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Tectum
roof of the midbrain
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Tegmentum
intermediate level of the midbrain
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Temporal lobe
lateral portion of each hemisphere, near the temples
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Thalamus
structure in the center of the forebrain
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Transcranial magnetic stimulation
application of an intense magnetic field to a portion of the scalp to influence the neurons below the magnet
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Ventral
located toward the stomach, away from the back (dorsal) side
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Ventricle
any of the four fluid-filled cavities in the brain
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White matter
area of the nervous system consisting mostly of myelinated axons
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