Neurodegenerative Diseases
This disease is the most common cause of dementia and often starts with trouble forming new memories.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
This lobe at the back of your head processes what you see.
What is the occipital lobe?
The name for these parts comes from the Greek word for “tree,” because they look like branches.
What are dendrites?
This chemical is linked to motivation and reward, and it spikes when you anticipate something good.
What is dopamine?
The capital of Idaho
What is Boise?
In this disease, neurons that make dopamine die off, which can cause tremors and stiff movement.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Located on the sides of the brain near your ears, this lobe helps with hearing and understanding language.
What is the temporal lobe?
This long, cable-like part of a neuron carries signals away from the cell body.
What is the axon?
Hugs and close friendships boost this “bonding” hormone.
What is oxytocin?
The #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Who is Fernando Mendoza?
This umbrella term means memory and thinking decline enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is one type.
What is dementia?
This lobe at the top of the brain processes touch and helps you sense where things are in space.
What is the parietal lobe?
This brief electrical spike travels down the axon when a neuron “fires.”
What is an action potential?
About 90% of this mood-related chemical is made in the gut, not the brain.
What is serotonin?
24th President of the United States.
Who is Grover Cleveland?
Named after a famous baseball player, this disease damages the motor neurons that tell your muscles to move.
What is ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)?
This strip at the back of the frontal lobe sends out the commands for voluntary movement.
What is the motor cortex?
This part of the neuron contains the nucleus and acts as its control center.
What is the cell body (soma)?
These natural painkillers are released during exercise and laughter, and they’re behind the “runner’s high.”
What are endorphins?
Current world record holder in the 200 free LCM.
Who is Paul Bierdermann?
This inherited disease, caused by a mutation in a single gene, gradually affects movement, thinking, and mood.
What is Huntington’s disease?
Found in the left frontal lobe in most people, this area is tied to producing speech.
What is Broca’s area?
These small gaps in the myelin coating let the signal jump down the axon instead of crawling along it.
What are the nodes of Ranvier?
Known by a four-letter abbreviation, this is the brain’s main “brake pedal” chemical, calming down neuron activity.
What is GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)?
5th most spoken language in the world.
What is Arabic?