brain basics
What organ controls your thoughts, movements, and feelings?
the brain
What is the main job of a neuron in the body?
to send messages or signals
What is the electrical signal that travels down a neuron’s axon called?
a nerve impulse
This wrinkled, outer layer of your brain helps you think, remember, and make decisions.
the cerebral cortex
This part of your brain sits at the top of your spinal cord and helps control basic life functions like breathing and heartbeat.
the brain stem
What hard, bony case protects your brain?
the skull
What branch-like parts of a neuron receive messages from other cells?
dendrites
What are the tiny chemical messengers that send signals across the synapse called?
neurotransmitters
These tiny gaps between neurons are where chemical messages cross from one cell to another.
the synapses
This largest part of your brain that helps you think, speak, solve problems, and remember things.
the cerebrum
What are the left and right halves of your brain called?
hemispheres
What is the long “tail” of a neuron that carries messages away from the cell body called?
the axon
What is the part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord called?
the central nervous system
This part of your brain sits at the back of your head and helps you with balance, posture, and smooth, coordinated movements.
the cerebellum
These chemical messengers are released from the end of a neuron to carry a signal across the synapse to the next cell.
the neurotransmitters
What part of the brain helps you keep your balance and coordinate movement?
The cerebellum
What is the fatty coating that covers some axons and helps messages travel faster called?
the myelin sheath
What is a quick, automatic action like pulling your hand away from something hot called?
a reflex
his fatty, insulating layer that covers some axons helps nerve signals travel quickly and not get lost.
the myelin sheath
This thick band of nerve fibers connects the left and right hemispheres of your brain so they can share information.
corpus collosum
What part of the brain connects to the spinal cord and controls breathing and heart rate?
the brain stem
What is the tiny gap between two neurons where chemicals cross to pass a message called?
a synapse
What is the long bundle of nerves that connects the brain to the rest of the body and runs inside your backbone called?
the spinal cord
This type of response happens without you thinking, as your spinal cord sends a fast message to your muscles to protect you from danger, like touching something hot.
This part deep inside your brain acts like a “switchboard,” sending incoming sensory information (like what you see and hear) to the right areas of the cortex.
the thalamus