The Brain

Front 1

Neurons

Back 1

Nerve cells specialized for communication.

Front 2

Central Nervous System

Back 2

Part of nervous system containing brain and spinal cord that enables mind and behavior.

Front 3

Peripheral Nervous System

Back 3

Nerves in the body away from the CNS

Front 4

Forebrain

Back 4

Forward part of the brain that allows advanced intellectual abilities, aka the cerebrum.

Front 5

Cerebral Cortex

Back 5

Outermost part of forebrain, responsible for analyzing sensory processing and higher brain functions.

Front 6

Corpus Callosum

Back 6

Bundle of nerve fibers connecting the cerebrum's two hemispheres

Front 7

Hypothalamus

Back 7

Controls the body's endocrine, or hormone-producing, system.

Front 8

Thalamus

Back 8

Area that relays nerve signals to the cerebral cortex.

Front 9

Cerebellum

Back 9

Regulates balance and body control.

Front 10

Brain Stem

Back 10

Regulates control of involuntary functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Front 11

Autonomic

Back 11

Involuntary

Front 12

Somatic

Back 12

Sensory and motor neurons, voluntary.

Front 13

Parasympathetic

Back 13

Maintains body functions

Front 14

Sympathetic

Back 14

Activates under pressure.

Front 15

Cerebral Hemispheres

Back 15

Two halves of the cerebral cortex, which serve different yet highly integrated cognition functions.

Front 16

Frontal Lobe

Back 16

Forward part of cerebral cortex containing the motor cortex and the prefrontal cortex; responsible for motor function, language, and memory.

Front 17

Motor Cortex

Back 17

Part of frontal lobe responsible for body movement.

Front 18

Prefrontal Cortex

Back 18

Part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning and language.

Front 19

Broca's Area

Back 19

Language area in the prefrontal cortex that helps to control speech production.

Front 20

Asphasia

Back 20

Serious speech deficit that renders a person unable to communicate effectively.

Front 21

Parietal Lobe

Back 21

Upper middle part of the cerebral cortex lying behind the frontal lobe specialized for touch and perception.

Front 22

Temporal Lobe

Back 22

Lower part of cerebral cortex below the temples, which plays roles in hearing, understanding language, and memory.

Front 23

Wernicke's Area

Back 23

Part of the temporal lobe involved in understanding speech.

Front 24

Occipital Lobe

Back 24

Back part of cerebral cortex specialized for vision.

Front 25

Sensory Cortex

Back 25

Regions of the cerebral cortex devoted to vision, touch, hearing, balance, taste and smell.

Front 26

Association Cortex

Back 26

Regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate simpler functions to perform more complex functions.

Front 27

Basal Ganglia

Back 27

Structures in the forebrain that help to control movement.

Front 28

Dopamine

Back 28

Neurotransmitter that plays a key role in movement and reward.

Front 29

Basal Forebrain

Back 29

Region in forebrain containing acetylcholine neurons that affect activity of the cortex

Front 30

Acetylcholine

Back 30

Neurotransmitter used to control activity, including movement, memory, attention, and dreaming.

Front 31

Thalamus

Back 31

Part of the brain that processes sensory information and serves as a gateway to the cerebral cortex.

Front 32

Brain Stem

Back 32

Part of the brain between the spinal cord and cerebral cortex that contains the medulla, midbrain and pons.

Front 33

Midbrain

Back 33

Part of the brain that lies between the forebrain and hindbrain. It helps to control head and neck reflexes and modulate motor activity.

Front 34

Reticular Activating System

Back 34

Group of neurons in the brain stem that plays a key role in arousal.

Front 35

Hindbrain

Back 35

Part of the brain between the spinal cord and midbrain, consisting of the pons, cerebellum, and medulla.

Front 36

Cerebellum

Back 36

Small cerebrum in hindbrain, responsible for our sense of balance.

Front 37

Pons

Back 37

Part of hindbrain that connects the cerebral cortex with cerebellum.

Front 38

Medulla

Back 38

Part of brain stem involved in vital functions, such as heartbeat and breathing.

Front 39

Cerebral Ventricles

Back 39

Internal waterways of the CNS that carry cerebrospinal fluid which provides the brain with nutrients and cushioning against injury.

Front 40

Interneurons

Back 40

Neurons that send messages to other neurons nearby and stimulate neurons.

Front 41

Reflex

Back 41

An automatic motor response to a sensory stimulus like muscle stretch.

Front 42

Synapse

Back 42

Space between two connecting neurons through which messages are transmitted.

Front 43

Somatic Nervous System

Back 43

Part of the peripheral nervous system carrying messages from the CNS through the body to control movement.

Front 44

Limbic System

Back 44

Emotional center of brain that also plays roles in smell, motivation, and memory.

Front 45

Hypothalamus

Back 45

Part of the brain responsible for maintaining a constant internal state.

Front 46

Amygdala

Back 46

Part of limbic system that plays key roles in fear, excitement, and arousal.

Front 47

Hippocampus

Back 47

Part of the brain that plays a role in spatial memory.

Front 48

Autonomic Nervous System

Back 48

Part of the peripheral nervous system controling the involuntary actions of our internal organs and glands, which (along with the limbic system) participates in emotion.

Front 49

Sympathetic Division

Back 49

Part of the autonomic nervous system engaged during a crisis, or after actions requiring fight or flight.

Front 50

Parasympathetic Division

Back 50

Part of autonomic nervous system that controls rest and digestion.

Front 51

Endocrine System

Back 51

System of glands and hormones that controls secretion of blood-borne chemical messengers.

Front 52

Hormones

Back 52

Blood-borne chemical that influences target tissues and glands.

Front 53

Pituitary Gland

Back 53

Master gland, which, under the control of the hypothalamus, directs the other glands of the body.

Front 54

Adrenal Gland

Back 54

Tissue located on top of the kidneys that releases adrenaline and cortisol during states of emotional arousal.

Front 55

Dendrites

Back 55

Portions of neurons that receive signals.

Front 56

Synaptic Cleft

Back 56

Space between two connecting neurons where neurotransmitters are released.

Front 57

Axons

Back 57

Portions of neurons that send signals.

Front 58

Synaptic Vesicles

Back 58

Spherical sacs containing neurotransmitters.

Front 59

Neurotransmitters

Back 59

Chemical messengers specialized for communication and released at the synapse.

Front 60

Glia (glial) Cells

Back 60

Support cells in nervous system that play roles in the formation of myelin and blood-barrier, respond to injury, and remove debris.

Front 61

Blood-Brain Barrier

Back 61

Glial cells forming a fatty coating that prevents certain substances from entering the brain.

Front 62

Myelin Sheath

Back 62

Glial cell-wrappers around axons that act as insulators of the neuron's signal.

Front 63

Resting Potential

Back 63

Electrical charge difference (-70 millivolts) across the neuronal membrane, when the neuron is not being stimulated or inhibited.

Front 64

Threshold

Back 64

Membrane potential necessary to trigger an action potential.

Front 65

Action Potential

Back 65

Regenerative electrical impulse that travels down the axon and allows neurons to communicate.

Front 66

Absolute Refractory Period

Back 66

Time during which another action potential is impossible; limits maximal firing rate.

Front 67

Receptor Sites

Back 67

Locations that uniquely recognize a neurotransmitter.

Front 68

Reuptake

Back 68

Means of recycling neurotransmitters.

Front 69

Endorphins

Back 69

Chemicals in the brain that play a specialized role in pain reduction.

Front 70

Lesion

Back 70

Area of damage due to surgery, injury, or disease.

Front 71

Electroencephalography(EEG)

Back 71

Recording of brain's electrical activity at the surface of the skull.

Front 72

Computed Tomography (CT)

Back 72

A scanning technique using multiple x-rays to construct three-dimensional images.

Front 73

Magnetic Resonances Imaging (MRI)

Back 73

Technique that uses magnetic fields to indirectly visualize brain structure.

Front 74

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

Back 74

Imaging technique that measures uptake of glucoselike molecules, yielding a picture of regional metabolic activity in brain in different regions.

Front 75

Functional MRI (fMRI)

Back 75

Technique that uses magnetic fields to visualize brain activity.

Front 76

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation(TMS)

Back 76

Technique that applies strong and quickly changing magnetic fields to the surface of the skull and that can either enhance or interrupt brain function.

Front 77

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Back 77

Measure of brain activity using magnotometers that sense tiny magnetic fields generated by the brain.

Front 78

Split-Brain Surgery

Back 78

Procedure that involves severing the corpus collosum to reduce the spread of epileptic seizures.

Front 79

Lateralization

Back 79

Cognitive function that relies more on one side of the brain than the other.

Front 80

Chromosomes

Back 80

Slender threads inside a cell's nucleus that carry genes.

Front 81

Genes

Back 81

Genetic material, composed of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

Front 82

Genotype

Back 82

Our genetic make-up.

Front 83

Phenotype

Back 83

Our observable traits.

Front 84

Dominant Genes

Back 84

Genes that mask other genes' effects.

Front 85

Recessive Genes

Back 85

Genes that are expressed only in the absence of a dominant gene.

Front 86

Natural Selection

Back 86

Principle that organisms that possess adaptations survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other organisms.

Front 87

Fitness

Back 87

Organisms' capacity to pass on their genes.

Front 88

Heritability

Back 88

Percentage of the variability in a trait across individuals that is due to genes.

Front 89

Family Studies

Back 89

Analyses of how traits run in families.

Front 90

Twin Studies

Back 90

Analyses of how traits differ in identical versus fraternal twins.

Front 91

Adoption Studies

Back 91

Analasys of how traits vary in individuals raised apart from their bio relatives.

Front 92

Plasticity

Back 92

Ability of the nervous system to change.

Front 93

Stem Cells

Back 93

Unspecialized cells that retain the ability to become a wide variety of specialized cells.

Front 94

Neurogenesis

Back 94

Creation of new neurons in adult brain.