The Neuron
Nervous System
Brain Parts
Vocabulary
Misc. (A Little of Everything)
100
Fundamental building blocks of the nervous system
What is the neuron?
100
Comprised of the brain and the spinal cord. Deals with reflex or involuntary actions.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
100
Region of the brain that includes the medulla, the pons, and the cerebellum, It is the oldest part of the brain to develop in evolutionary terms.
What is the hindbrain?
100
These are two areas of the brain that are located only on the left hemisphere of MOST people
What are Wernicke's area and Broca's area
100
Structure of the brain linked to emotions such as aggression and fear
What is the amygdala?
200
The branch-like portions of the neuron that receive the neurotransmitters
What are the dendrites?
200
The nervous system that connects the CNS with the rest of the body.
What is the peripheral nervous system?
200
Controls vital life functions such as breathing, circulation, and swallowing
What is the medulla?
200
The word ____ means "bark". Like the bark of a tree, the _________ is the thin outer covering of the brain.
What is cortex (cerebral cortex)?
200
Plays a key role in forming new memories of events and information.
What is the hippocampus?
300
The conduit that communicates the signal down the neuron and away from the soma (cell body)
What is the axon?
300
A division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary activities (like your muscles and skeleton)
What is the somatic nervous system?
300
Latin for "bridge". Located above the medulla, the ___ contains axons that cross from one side of the brain to the other. Responsible for sleeping, walking, and dreaming.
What is the pons?
300
Bundle of nerve fibers that connect the brain's left and right hemispheres.
What is corpus callosum?
300
Uses magnets to produce detailed pictures of the brain. Shows both structures and brain activity.
What is function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?
400
The fat based insulation around the axon. It is formed by Glial cells.
What is the myelin sheath?
400
Division of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary functions such as heartbeat, breathing, etc.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
400
Located in the midbrain, the _____ helps regulate attention, arousal, and sleep. Without it you would not be alert or even conscious.
What is reticular formation (aka reticular activating system RAS)?
400
Lobe of the brain responsible for executive decision-making, abstract thought, and emotional control.
What is the frontal lobe?
400
In the brain of a schizophrenic patient, an MRI shows oversupply of this neurotransmitter; for Parkinson's patients, there is an undersupply of this particular neurotransmitter.
What is dopamine?
500
Name for the brief electrical impulse by which information is transmitted along the axon
What is the action potential?
500
Part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for arousing the body. Its activation results in an increase in heart rate, breathing, and dilation of the pupils. Responsible for the "fight or flight" response.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
500
Located in the forebrain; it receives input from all of the senses, except smell, and directs this information to parts of the brain. The brain's "switchboard"
What is the thalamus?
500
Processes incoming sensory information from the ears.
What is the temporal lobes?
500
The explanation of the flow of visual information
What is "both eyes receive information from both visual fields, but all information from the left visual field ends up in the right hemisphere. The right visual field is processed in the left hemisphere. When the corpus callosum is cut, the two hemispheres cannot share information
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