Module 9
Structure of a neuron
Each consists of a cell body and its branching fibers. The often bushy dendrite fibers receive and integrate information, conducting it toward the cell body. From there, the cell’s single lengthy axon fiber passes the message through its terminal branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
What is the nervous system?
The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripherqal and central nervous system.
Difference between left and right hemispheres
Riht: associated with creativity and imagination
Left: Associated with logic and systematic thinking
What is plasticity?
the brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.
What is cognitive neuroscience?
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language).
How do Neurons Communicate?
The cell's single lengthy axon fiber passes the message throught its Terminal branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands. Dendrites listen. Axons speak.
Two components of the periphral nervous system
Somatic and autonomic
The reticular formation
What is neurogenesis?
the formation of new neurons
What did Sperry say about people who had split brain surgery?
Sperry said split-brain surgery leaves people "with two separate minds."
What are neurotransmitters?
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
What are hormones?
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
What does the medulla control?
Heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing
How does the brain responsed to damage?
Severed brain and spinal cord neuron, unlike cur skin, usually do not regenerate. Some brain functions seem preassigned to specific areas.
What is epigenetics?
“above” or “in addition to” (epi) genetics; the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change.