🧠 Brain Regions
Which part of your brain helps you see the world around you?
Occipital lobe
What are the special brain cells that send and receive messages called?
Neurons
Which candy represented the cell body in our neuron model?
Gumdrop
How many hours of sleep should middle schoolers aim to get each night?
8–10 hours
True or False: Your brain is still working while you're sleeping.
True!
Which part of your brain helps you maintain balance while riding a bike?
Cerebellum
What are the branch-like structures of a neuron that receive messages?
Dendrites
Which candy did we use to make the dendrites?
Gummy worms
What should you drink throughout the day to keep your brain and body hydrated?
Water
About how many neurons are in the human brain?
A. 1 million
B. 100 million
C. 86 billion
C. Approximately 86 billion!
Which lobe helps you make decisions, like choosing whether to study or play video games?
Frontal lobe
What is the long, cable-like part of a neuron that carries signals away from the cell body?
Axon
Which part of our neuron was represented by licorice?
Axon
Name TWO activities that can help keep your brain healthy besides sleeping and eating well.
Exercise, learning new things, staying hydrated, or relaxing (any two)
True or False: The brain itself can feel pain when its tissue is touched.
Answer: False! Brain tissue itself lacks pain receptors, although surrounding structures can feel pain.
You're listening to your favorite song and remembering the first time you heard it. Which lobe is involved in both activities?
Temporal lobe
What is the small gap between two communicating neurons called?
Synapse (more precisely, the synaptic cleft)
What did the small marshmallows along our candy axon represent?
Myelin sheath
You're frustrated with a difficult homework problem. According to our lesson, what's one healthy thing you could do before trying again?
Take a break and relax to manage stress
About what percentage of your body's energy does your brain use while you're resting?
A. 2%
B. 20%
C. 60%
B. About 20%!
Even when you're asleep, your body keeps breathing automatically. Which brain structure helps control this?
Brainstem
Put these three neuron structures in the order a message typically travels: axon, dendrites, cell body.
Dendrites → Cell body → Axon
Imagine the gummy worms fell off your candy neuron. Which important ability would your model be missing?
Receiving messages from other neurons
Your friend says, "Once you're older, your brain can't learn anything new." What healthy habit from our lesson helps show why this isn't true?
Continuing to learn by reading, playing games, and trying new things
True or False: Scientists used to think the adult brain couldn't make new connections, but we now know the brain can change and reorganize throughout life. What is this ability called?
Neuroplasticity!