Waking Up
The first light of dawn enters Alex's eyes. This process, where the lens changes shape to focus, is called visual this.
What is Accommodation?
A friend sneaks up and says "BOO!" This branch of the nervous system kicks in for the "fight-or-flight" response.
What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
Alex arrives home around 6 P.M. As the sun sets, this hormone from the pineal gland begins to make Alex feel drowsy.
What is Melatonin?
Alex's alarm clock rings. These specific cells in the inner ear vibrate, allowing the sound to be transduced.
What are Hair Cells?
That sudden scare was processed by this almond-shaped brain structure, your fear center.
What is the Amygdala?
Relaxing on the couch, Alex's brain is consolidating the day's memories. A hypothetical neuron that fires only to a very specific concept, like a famous celebrity, is called this.
What is a Grandmother Cell?
The smell of breakfast cooking wafts upstairs. Smell is one of these types of senses, because it detects chemical molecules.
What are the Chemical Senses?
Alex needs to remember the building where his exam is, holding it in this temporary mental scratchpad.
What is Working Memory?
Reflecting on the day's stress, Alex's brain may produce this "brain fertilizer" to help maintain and repair neural connections.
What is BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor)?
Walking downstairs, Alex doesn't fall over thanks to these structures in the inner ear that sense gravity and linear movement.
What are the Otolith Organs?
For class Alex attends, there is a guest lecture on a specific movement disorder which is caused by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons.
What is Parkinson's Disease?
As Alex is finishing up his homework for the day he learns about a sleep disorder that involves sudden muscle collapse, called cataplexy.
What is Narcolepsy?
On the drive to work, Alex sees a blurry animal and swerves. The brain's 'what' pathway identified it as a cat, while this 'where/how' pathway guided the steering wheel turn.
What is the Dorsal Stream?
During lunch, this type of involuntary muscle in the stomach and intestines begins churning the food.
What is Smooth Muscle?
Finally, Alex enters this subjective state of awareness, which includes both waking consciousness and dreaming.
What is Consciousness?