Neurons & Nervous System
The two major divisions of the Nervous System.
Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System
The wrinkled outer area of the cerebrum.
Cerebral Cortex
Part of the nervous system that coordinates voluntary movement.
Somatic Nervous System
Initiates and regulates emotions such as fear and aggression through connections to higher order thinking areas such as cerebral cortex, as well as lower
order areas that control bodily functions.
Light from the environment enters the eye through the cornea and lens and is focused on the retina at the back of the eye.
Reception
Cells of the nervous system.
Neurons
Responsible for speech, abstract thought, planning and social skills.
Frontal Lobe
Where the Primary Motor Cortex is located.
Frontal Lobe
Steps in to make decisions during emotional periods and control/regulate emotions.
Prefrontal Cortex
Photoreceptors (rods and cones) in the retina convert light into nerve signals.
Transduction
The two major divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System.
Sympathetic Nervous System and Parasympathetic Nervous System.
Responsible for vision.
Occipital Lobe
Initiates voluntary movements by relaying information from the basal ganglia and cerebellum and activating selected muscles.
Primary Motor Cortex
Receives information from sensory structures in body and directs information to correct part of cerebrum for further processing.
Thalamus
Nerve signals travel via the optic nerve to the brain, passing through the thalamus (relay station), and to the primary visual cortex (occipital lobe) for initial processing.
Transmission
The two major divisions of the Peripheral Nervous System.
Somatic Nervous System and Autonomic Nervous System.
Processes auditory information (sensations received by the ears).
Temporal Lobe
Organises and sends movement instructions to the primary motor cortex to enable smooth, coordinated, and automatic muscle actions.
Allows information to be stored in long term memory. Memories travel through this before being sent
and stored elsewhere in the brain.
Hippocampus
The brain filters incoming information to prevent overload. Feature detectors (specialised neurons in the visual cortex) respond to specific features such as lines, shapes, movement and orientation.
Selection
The electrical signal that travels down a neuron.
Action Potential
Enables a person to perceive their own body, the space around them and the location of objects in their environment.
Parietal Lobe
Gathers and channels information from different brain regions to the primary motor cortex for the coordinated initiation of movement.
Basal Ganglia
Communicates with the Autonomic Nervous System to maintain homeostasis. Coordinates physiological reactions to emotions (e.g. fight/flight/freeze)
Hypothalamus
The brain assembles visual signals into a meaningful whole.
Organisation