● Brainstem : A collection of brain structures at the bottom of the brain; includes the medulla, pons, and midbrain. ● Broca’s area : A region in the left posterior frontal lobe that is involved in the production of speech. ● Central sulcus : Divides the frontal and parietal lobes of the cerebral cortex. ● Cerebellum : Part of the lower brain that is important in movement, attention, and planning. ● Cerebral cortex : Outermost layer of cells in the brain; divided into four lobes – frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. ● Cingulate cortex/gyrus : Brain region specialized for attention, memory, and processing of pain information. ● Cognitive psychology : A branch of psychology devoted to the study of internal mental processes. ● Computed transaxial tomography (CT): A brain imaging technique. ● Contrecoup injury : Occurs when the brain rebounds off the opposite side of the skull after impact. ● Corpus callosum : A structure that connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain. ● Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) : The diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association for psychiatric disorders. ● Diffuse axonal damage : Lesions or injury to white matter tracts/fibers in the brain. ● Edema : Swelling of brain tissue. ● Endocrine gland : A gland that secrets hormones into the bloodstream. ● Epilepsy : Neurologic disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. ● Equipotentiality : The theory of brain organization that posits that different parts of the brain cannot be differentiated based on function. ● Executive functions : Neuropsychological domain that includes volition, planning, purposive action, and self- regulation. ● Fixed battery : A defined battery of neuropsychological tests. ● Flexible battery: A core battery of neuropsychological tests that is slightly modified based on each patient’s individual case presentation and referral question. ● Fornix : Fibers that connect the hippocampus to the hypothalamus and thalamus. ● Frontal lobes : The most anterior region of the cerebral cortex; involved in emotion and executive functions. ● Glial cells : Brain cells that support and protect neurons. ● Hemorrhagic stroke : Stroke due to a bleed and subsequent disruption of the blood supply to the brain. ● Hippocampus : A brain region critical for new learning. ● Houston Conference : A conference held in 1997 at which training guidelines for neuropsychology were formalized. ● Hypoactive : Underactive. ● Hyperactive : Overactive. ● Hypothalamus : The region of the brain that controls hormone secretion. ● Inferior colliculus : A midbrain structure involved in auditory reflexes. ● Ischemia : Disruption of blood flow to brain tissue. ● Ischemic stroke : Stroke due to a blockage of the blood supply to a region of the brain. ● Left hemisphere : Area of the brain specialized to control right-sided sensory and motor processes, process verbal information, and process information in a sequential, analytical manner. ● Limbic system : A set of structures including the hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate gyrus; specialized for processing information pertaining to emotion, learning, memory, and attention. ● Localization : The theory of brain organization that posits that different parts of the brain are involved in different psychological and behavioral processes.
● Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) : A brain imaging technique. ● Major neurocognitive disorder : When there is significant cognitive decline in one or more cognitive domains and the cognitive deficits interfere with independent performance of everyday activities, major neurocognitive disorder is diagnosed. ● Mammillary bodies : Brain structures attached to the thalamus that are involved in learning and memory. ● Medulla : The part of the brainstem that sits immediately above the spine and below the pons; involved in controlling vital life functions. ● Midbrain : A part of the brainstem that sits above the pons; involved in visual and auditory reflexes; and also an area that is affected by Parkinson’s disease. ● Mild neurocognitive disorder : When there is evidence of cognitive decline but the cognitive impairments do not interfere with performance of everyday activities or there is only minimal change, such as lack of efficiency in performing daily activities, mild neurocognitive disorder is diagnosed. ● Multiple sclerosis (MS) : A demyelinating disorder that affects physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning. ● Myelin : A protective coating around the axons of neurons to increase the speed of neural communication. ● Neurocognitive disorder due to Alzheimer’s disease : A common neurodegenerative disorder in later life; proteins aggregate in and around cells to disrupt neural communication. ● Neuron : A brain cell that is specialized to transmit information. ● Neuropsychology : The study and application of brain- behavior relationships. ● Neurotransmitter : A chemical that is used for communication between two neurons. ● Normative group : A comparison group used to calculate standard scores for a particular patient’s raw test data. ● Occipital lobes : Posterior-most region of the cerebral cortex; process visual information. ● Olfactory bulbs : The brain region below the frontal lobes that processes sensations of smell. ● Optic chiasm: The brain region where some optic fibers cross to the other half of the brain. ● Paresthesia : Sensation of tingling or numbness on the skin. ● Parietal lobes : Region of the cerebral cortex involved in somatosensation, attention, and processing of spatial information. ● Pineal gland : An endocrine gland that secretes melatonin, which plays a role in sleep-wake cycles. ● Pituitary gland : An endocrine gland attached to the hypothalamus that regulates many hormones in the body. ● Pons : A brain structure that is part of the brainstem and sits above the medulla and below the midbrain; involved in motor and sensory processes. ● Postcentral gyrus : In the parietal lobes; houses the primary somatosensory cortex, which processes sensations related to touch. ● Posttraumatic amnesia : Memory loss for a period of time following a head injury. ● Precentral gyrus : In the frontal lobes; houses the primary motor cortex, which executes voluntary motor movements. ● Prosopagnosia : Inability to recognize familiar faces; usually associated with damage to the region of the brain where the occipital and temporal lobes meet. ● Psychoanalysis : A branch of psychology founded by Freud and devoted to understanding human psychological functioning. ● Respecialization program : A program in which persons who have their PhD in a nonclinical area of psychology can obtain intensive training in clinical psychology. ● Right hemisphere : Area of the brain specialized to control left-sided sensory and motor processes, process nonverbal
EliteLearning.com/Social-Work
Book Code: SWUS1524
Page 58
Powered by FlippingBook