Neuroscience & Behavior

Front 1

hypothalamus

Back 1

a neural structure, right below the thalamus. directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temp).

Front 2

Sympathetic nervous system

Back 2

Part of the autonomic that arouses the body. Speeds up heart rate, dilates pupils.

Front 3

sensory cortex

Back 3

The area at the parietal lobes that registers and processes body senses.

Front 4

Acetylcholine(ACh)

Back 4

Neurotransmitter, triggers muscle contraction. Used whenever the body moves.

Front 5

reticular formation

Back 5

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays am important role in controlling arousal.

Front 6

Parasympathetic nervous system

Back 6

PArt of the autonomic that calms the body, conserving energy.

Front 7

Broca's area

Back 7

An area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Front 8

Central nervous system

Back 8

The Brain and the spinal cord.

Front 9

Frontal lobes

Back 9

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking, and muscle movements and making plans, and judgements. Sets us apart from animals.

Front 10

Interneurons

Back 10

Cental nervous system neurons that internally communitcate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

Front 11

Temporal lobes

Back 11

The protion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears. REcieves auditory information.

Front 12

Dopamine

Back 12

Neuro-chemical influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion. excess activity at dopamine receptors had been linked with Schizophrenia.

Front 13

Limbic system

Back 13

associated with emotions such as fear aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

Front 14

Neurostransmitters

Back 14

Chemical messangers that cross the synaptic Gap. Released by the axon, and bind to receptor sites on the recieving neuron.

Front 15

Cerebellum

Back 15

attached to the rear of the brainstem. "the little Brain" Coordinates voluntary movement and balance.

Front 16

Synapse or Synaprtic gap or Cleft

Back 16

The seperation between the axon terminal of one neuron, and the dendrite or cell body of the recieveing neuron.

Front 17

Right Hemisphere (brain)

Back 17

Visual area. uses left eye. controls movements on the left side of the body.

Front 18

Threshold

Back 18

The minimum level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse.

Front 19

Lesion

Back 19

Tissue destruction. A Brain lesion is naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

Front 20

Norepinephrine

Back 20

helps control alertness and arousal.

Front 21

Occipital lobes

Back 21

the protion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head. Includes visual information.

Front 22

Serotonin

Back 22

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. Prozac and similar antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels.

Front 23

Glial cells

Back 23

cells in the nervous system that are not neurons but that support, nourish, and protect neurons.

Front 24

Peripheral nervous system

Back 24

The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Front 25

Corpus callosum

Back 25

The large band of neural fibers connecting the 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them.

Front 26

Endorphins

Back 26

Natural opiate neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasire.

Front 27

Cerebral cortex

Back 27

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres.

Front 28

Action Potential

Back 28

A neural impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down the axon. Generated by the positive charge of atoms.

Front 29

Motor cortex

Back 29

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Front 30

Myelin Sheath

Back 30

A layer of fatty tissue, insulating the axons of some neurons and helps speed their impulses.

Front 31

Amygdala

Back 31

2 almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion.

Front 32

Sensory neurons

Back 32

Neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system.

Front 33

Medulla

Back 33

The base of the brainstem. Controls heartbeat amd breathing.

Front 34

Axon

Back 34

The Extension of a neuron ending in branching terminal fibers through which messages are sent to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

Front 35

Parietal lobes

Back 35

The part of the cerebral cortex lying attop of the head and to the rear, includes the sensory cortex.

Front 36

Autonomic nervous system

Back 36

Part of the peripheral that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart)

Front 37

aphasia

Back 37

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere gamage either to Broca's areal or to Wernicke's area.

Front 38

Motor neurons

Back 38

Neurons that carry outgoing info. from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands.

Front 39

Thalamus

Back 39

Above the brainstem. The brains sensory switch board. directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Front 40

Neurons

Back 40

A nerve cell; The basic building block of the nervous system.

Front 41

Left Hemisphere (brain)

Back 41

Usually most dominant. Controls speech, and the right side movements with the body. Uses right eye visual field.

Front 42

Somatic nervous system

Back 42

Division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the bodys skeletal muscles.

Front 43

WErnicke's area

Back 43

A brain area involved in language comprehension and expression, usually in the left temporal lobe.

Front 44

Dendrites

Back 44

Bushy, Branchy extension of a neuron that receives messages and conducts impulses toward the cell body.

Front 45

Brainstem

Back 45

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.

Front 46

Split brain

Back 46

a condition in which the 2 hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them.

Front 47

Association areas

Back 47

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.