chapter 2 6 medium questions

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Questions and Answers

What are the three main parts of a neuron?

Axon, nucleus, and synapse

Terminal buttons, dendrites, and nucleus

Dendrites, nucleus, and axon

Cell body, dendrites, and axon (correct)

What is the function of the dendrites in a neuron?

To send information to other neurons

To provide structural support to the neuron

To produce neurotransmitters

To receive information from other neurons (correct)

What is the term for the small gap between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of another?

Dendritic spine

Synapse (correct)

Neurotransmitter

Action potential

What is the function of the white matter in the brain?

It is composed of axons and glia and is involved in transmitting information Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the raised surfaces of the cerebral cortex?

Gyri Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the basal ganglia?

To control motor movements and learn new skills Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the direction referring to the central regions of the brain?

Medial Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the collection of gray matter that lies under the white matter in the brain?

Subcortex Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of rod cells in the eye?

To respond to low intensity light and detect movement Signup and view all the answers

What is hemianopia associated with?

Damage to the primary visual cortex in one hemisphere Signup and view all the answers

What is the location of the primary visual cortex (V1) in the brain?

Occipital lobe Signup and view all the answers

What is quadrantanopia?

Cortical blindness restricted to a quarter of the visual field Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of simple cells in the primary visual cortex (V1)?

Respond to particular orientation and single points of light Signup and view all the answers

What is achromatopsia?

A failure to perceive color due to damage to V4 Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the geniculostriate pathway in the visual system?

To transmit visual information from the eye to the brain Signup and view all the answers

What is akinetopsia?

A failure to perceive visual motion due to damage to V5 Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the layout of the receptive fields of neurons in V1 that reflects the spatial organization of the retina?

Retinotopic organization Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of blindsight?

Inability to report perceiving visual stimulus but able to respond appropriately Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of complex cells in the primary visual cortex (V1)?

Respond to movement and orientation Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the extrastriate area V4?

Associated with color perception and color constancy Signup and view all the answers

What is the pathway that provides information about time of day?

Pathway to suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of hypercomplex cells in the visual system?

Respond to complex visual information and length Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary deficit in a person with apperceptive agnosia?

Object perception Signup and view all the answers

Which area of the brain is responsible for responding to scenes more than objects?

Parahippocampal place area (PPA) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the inability to recognize previously familiar faces?

Prosopagnosia Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process of matching a viewer-centered description to a stored 3D representation of an object?

Structural description Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a stage of object recognition?

Semantic processing of language Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the failure to recognize objects due to a deficit in semantic memory?

Associative agnosia Signup and view all the answers

Which area of the brain is responsible for responding to the human body more than to faces, scenes, or objects?

Extrastriate body area (EBA) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the notion that the brain represents different categories in different ways?

Category specificity Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Introducing the Brain

Neurons are cells that make up the nervous system, consisting of a cell body (soma), dendrites, and axon.
The cell body contains the nucleus and organelles.
Neurons receive information through dendrites and send information through the axon.

Neural Communication

Terminal buttons of a neuron and dendrites of another neuron communicate through a small gap called a synapse.
The presynaptic neuron is the information giver, and the postsynaptic neuron is the information receiver.
The presynaptic neuron is electrically charged by an action potential, which reaches the terminal buttons and induces the release of informative chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Directions and Sections of the Brain

Lateral refers to the outer regions of the brain.
Medial refers to the central regions of the brain.

Gross Organization of the Brain

Gray matter consists of cell bodies.
White matter consists of axons and glia (support cells involved in tissue repair and myelin formation).
White matter tracts are bundles of axons.

Ventricles

No specific information provided.

Cerebral Cortex

The cerebral cortex is composed of folded sheets of gray matter.
Raised surfaces are called gyri (gyrus), and folds are called sulci (sulcus).
The 4 main parts of the cerebral cortex are not specified.

Gyri and Sulci

The folded structure of the cerebral cortex helps increase the area/volume ratio, making it more efficient in packaging.

Subcortex

The subcortex is a gray matter collection located under the white matter.
It consists of the basal ganglia, limbic system, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

Basal Ganglia

The basal ganglia are involved in motor control and skill learning.
Disorders associated with the basal ganglia include poverty or excess of movement, such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

Limbic System

No specific information provided.

Diencephalon (Thalamus & Hypothalamus)

No specific information provided.

Midbrain & Hindbrain

No specific information provided.

Sensation and Perception

Sensation: the effect of a stimulus on sensory organs
Perception: the interpretation of a stimulus based on prior experience, with the brain actively constructing a visual representation of the world

From Eye to Brain

Rod cells: specialized for low light intensity and movement detection
Cone cells: specialized for high light intensity and color information
Fovea: entirely made of cones, responsible for visual acuity
Blind spot: where the optic nerve leaves the eye
Geniculostriate pathway: the most understood pathway, making the largest contribution to human visual perception

Primary Visual Cortex (V1)

Located in the occipital lobe, responsible for visual processing
Hubel and Wiesel's experiment: single cell recordings in cats, discovering simple, complex, and hypercomplex cells
Simple cells: respond to particular orientations and single points of light
Complex cells: respond to movement of orientation, larger receptive fields
Hypercomplex cells: respond to orientation and length, enabling construction of complex visual information

Cortical and Non-Cortical Routes

~10 pathways discovered, with the geniculostriate pathway being the most understood
Other routes are evolutionarily older and provide information about time of day, orienting stimuli, etc.

Problems with Primary Visual Cortex

Retinotopic organization: layout of receptive fields in V1 reflects spatial organization of the retina
Hemianopia: cortical blindness restricted to one half of the visual field
Quadrantanopia: cortical blindness restricted to a quarter of the visual field
Scotoma: a small region of cortical blindness

Blindsight

Inability to report perceiving visual stimuli, but performance suggests otherwise
Case of DB: reported not seeing stimuli but oriented his eyes correctly towards stimuli

Extrastriate Areas in Vision

V4: associated with color perception and color constancy
Achromatopsia: failure to perceive color due to damage to V4
V5 (or MT): associated with motion perception
Akinetopsia: failure to perceive visual motion due to damage to V5

Object Recognition

1. perception of basic elements (edges, contrasts, orientations)
1. grouping physical elements (depth cues, divide surfaces)
1. viewer-centered description matched onto stored 3D descriptions of objects
1. meaning attributed to the stimulus

Agnosia

Apperceptive agnosia: failure to recognize objects due to deficit at the level of object perception
Associative agnosia: failure to recognize objects due to deficit at the level of semantic memory
Case of HJA: impaired at deciding if objects are real or made up, and naming objects

Categorical Perception

Category specificity: different categories represented differently in the brain
Parahippocampal place area (PPA): responds to scenes more than objects
Extrastriate body area (EBA): responds to the human body more than faces, scenes, or objects

Face Recognition

Fusiform face area (FFA): responds more to faces than other visual objects
Prosopagnosia: inability to recognize previously familiar faces

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Description

Learn about the basics of cognitive neuroscience, including the structure and function of neurons and how they communicate with each other.