An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface (measured by electrodes placed on the scalp).
EEG
100
A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons. Increases impulse speed.
Myelin sheath
100
Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another.
Hormones
100
A branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior.
biological psychologist
100
Lies just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.
Frontal Lobes
200
A series of xray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body.
CT scan
200
The bushy, branching extension of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.
Dendrite
200
Secretes hormones into the bloodstream
Endocrine system
200
CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Interneurons
200
This lobe includes your sensory cortex.
Parietal lobes.
300
A visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task.
PET scan
300
The extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other neurons or to muscles or glands.
Axon
300
Just above the kidneys; secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine which arouse the body in times of stress.
Adrenal glands
300
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs.
Autonomic nervous system
300
Lies at the back of the head; includes the visual areas which receive visual information from the opposite field.
Occipital lobes
400
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain.
MRI
400
Brain and spinal cord.
CNS
400
The endocrine systems most influential gland. Influenced by the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls the other endocrine glands.
Pituitary gland
400
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.
parasympathetic nervous system
400
The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas each of which receive auditory info from the opposite ear.
Temporal lobes
500
Areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.
Association ares
500
The sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.
PNS
500
A neurotransmitter that, among its functions, triggers muscle contraction.
Acetylcholine
500
Division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
sympathetic nervous system
500
A condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (corpus callosum) between them.