The Nervous System & Neurons
The part of the nervous system that includes the brain and spinal cord.
What is the Central Nervous System?
The lobe at the back of the brain responsible for vision.
What is the occipital lobe?
This neurotransmitter is associated with reward, motivation, and voluntary movement.
What is dopamine?
This structure converts short-term memories into long-term ones.
What is the hippocampus?
The process by which sensory stimuli are converted into signals the brain can interpret.
What is transduction?
The part of a neuron that receives messages from other neurons.
What are dendrites?
The lobe at the front important for decision-making, personality, and movement.
What is the frontal lobe?
Low levels of this neurotransmitter are linked to anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
What is serotonin?
This almond-shaped structure is involved in fear, aggression, and emotional memory.
What is the amygdala?
A decrease in sensitivity to a constant stimulus — like no longer noticing your own perfume.
What is sensory adaptation?
This division of the ANS prepares the body for action — dilating pupils, accelerating heartbeat.
What is the Sympathetic Division?
The lobe important for touch, sensory integration, and attention.
What is the parietal lobe?
This neurotransmitter inhibits action potentials and is associated with anxiety reduction.
What is GABA?
The brain's sensory gateway — relays all sensory info except smell.
What is the thalamus?
These retinal cells are responsible for color perception in bright light
What are cones?
When a neuron fires, the inside briefly becomes more positive than the outside. This is called...
What is an action potential?
The lobe important for auditory processing, memory, and face perception.
What is the temporal lobe?
Also known as noradrenaline, this neurotransmitter mediates arousal, vigilance, and the fight-or-flight response.
What is norepinephrine?
This structure regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and blood pressure.
What is the hypothalamus?
This property of a sound wave determines its pitch.
What is frequency?
The gap between neurons where chemical communication occurs.
What is a synapse?
Damage to this area in the left frontal lobe causes a person to understand language but be unable to produce it.
What is Broca's area?
These neurotransmitters reduce pain and create feelings of euphoria — released during exercise.
What are endorphins?
This structure at the back of the brainstem is essential for coordinated movement and balance.
What is the cerebellum?
According to this theory, larger nerve fibers can close a "gate" in the spinal cord and block pain signals.
What is Gate Control Theory?