Brain Basics
This part of the brain is the highest in the hierarchy for processing complex information.
What is the cerebral cortex?
The two main divisions of the nervous system.
What are the central and peripheral nervous systems?
This type of cut divides the brain into left and right halves.
What is a sagittal cut?
The resting membrane potential of a neuron.
What is -70 mV?
The hemisphere that typically controls language in right-handed individuals.
What is the left hemisphere?
This central structure connects the two cerebral hemispheres.
What is the corpus callosum?
These neurons carry information to the CNS.
What are afferent (sensory) neurons?
This gyrus in the frontal lobe is the site of Broca’s area.
What is the inferior frontal gyrus?
The space between two communicating neurons.
What is the synaptic cleft (or synapse)?
The area in the frontal lobe responsible for speech production.
What is Broca's area?
This 6-layered structure is responsible for most higher-order brain functions.
What is the neocortex?
These carry signals from the CNS to muscles.
What are efferent (motor) neurons?
This groove divides the frontal and parietal lobes.
What is the central sulcus?
The primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS.
What is glutamate?
The area in the temporal lobe associated with speech comprehension.
What is Wernicke’s area?
The brain's ability to reorganize itself after injury or learning.
What is neuroplasticity?
This division of the nervous system controls voluntary muscle movement.
What is the somatic nervous system?
These are the two types of tracts that connect different areas of the brain.
What are association and commissural fibers?
This neurotransmitter is deficient in Parkinson’s disease.
What is dopamine?
This must be well-developed and interconnected for language acquisition to occur.
What is neuronal organization (or a well-developed, connected neuronal organization)?
This structure regulates coordination, skilled movement, and balance.
What is the cerebellum?
The nervous system responsible for "fight or flight."
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
This subcortical structure consists of the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus.
What is the basal ganglia (or corpus striatum)?
This structure decides whether an action potential will be triggered.
What is the axon hillock?
This is the aim of neuroscience in relation to mental functions.
What is, to understand the mechanisms by which the brain acquires and regulates higher mental functions?