| Term | Definition |
| neuroanatomy | the study of the parts and functions of neurons |
| neuron | individual nerve cell |
| dendrites | rootlike parts that stretch out from the cell body that make synaptic connections with other neurons |
| soma | also known as the cell body; contains the nucleus and has a -70 charge. |
| axon | wirelike structure that extends from the soma and ends at the terminal buttons |
| myelin sheath | a fatty covering around the axon that speeds neural impulses. |
| terminal buttons | the branched end of an axon that contains neurotransmitters inside the vesicles. |
| neurotransmitters | chemicals located in vesicles that enable neurons to communicate. |
| synapse | the space between the terminal buttons of one neuron and the dendrites of another neuron |
| receptor sites | puzzle like pieces located on the ends of dendrites that neurotransmitters fit into to cause a change in the membrane of the neuron. |
| threshold | when enough neurotransmitters are received to open the selectively permeable membrane of a neuron. |
| action potential | a change in charge that causes the electric message to fire |
| all or none principle | a neuron either fires completely or it does not fire at all. |
| neural firing | when a nerve impulse is sent out from a cell body and reaches a certain threshold, the action potential will fire and send the signal down the axon. |
| excitatory neurotransmitters | neurotransmitters that excite the next cell into firing |
| inhibitory neurotransmitters | neurotransmitters that inhibit or stop the next cell from firing |
| acetylcholine | neurotransmitter that serves the function of muscle memory and memory. deficit results in Alzheimer's |
| dopamine | neurotransmitter that serves the function of mood and muscle memory. deficit results in Parkinson's and excess results in schizophrenia |
| endorphins | neurotransmitter that serves the function of alleviating pain. really addictive. |
| serotonin | neurotransmitter that serves the function of mood control, deficit results in clinical depression. |
| GABA | neurotransmitter that serves the function of sleep control. deficit results in sleep problems. this neurotransmitter begins to inhibit after 5 hours of not being exposed to light. |
| Glutamate | neurotransmitter that serves the functions of being excitatory and learning. deficits can result in migraines and seizures. |
| Oxytocin | neurotransmitter that serves the function of nurturing a newborn, and mother's love. deficit can result in post-partum depression when the levels of this are low or nonexistent. |
| Norepinephrine | neurotransmitter that serves the function of energy and alertness. deficit can result in depression. |
| afferent (sensory) neurons | neurons that receive information from the senses and deliver information to the brain. |
| efferent (motor) neurons | neurons that take information from the brain to other parts of the body to make the body move. |
| central nervous system | system consists of all the nerves housed in bone including the skull and vertebrae. |
| spinal cord | long bundle of nerves that extend from the brain through the spinal column of bone. |
| peripheral nervous system | system consists of all the nerves in the rest of the body excluding those contained in bones. |
| somatic nervous system | system that controls all voluntary muscle movements and receives impulses from the motor cortex. |
| autonomic nervous system | system that controls all automatic functions such as the heart, lungs, organs, glands and reflects these functions in times of fight or flight |
| sympathetic nervous system | system that mobilizes our body to respond to stress, is the alert system of the body and can accelerate some automatic functions and reserve others. |
| parasympathetic nervous system | system that slows down the sympathetic n.s. and the body after a stress response. |
| accidents | events that weren't meant to reveal information about how the brain works. example: Phineas Gage's event. |
| lesions | removal or destruction of the brain when necessary. example: frontal lobotomies. |
| EEG | scan that detects brain waves in different stages of consciousness mostly used in sleep research to learn more about the stages of sleeping and dreaming. |
| CAT | a sophisticated X-ray that creates a 3D image of the brain to get more insight on only the structure of the brain. example: look for a tumor |
| MRI | similar to a CAT scan but develops more detailed images of the brain with magnetic fields to determine things such as density and location of brain material. |
| PET | scan that lets people see what areas of the brain are active during certain tasks and measures how much of a chemical (neurotransmitter) is being used in a specific part of brain. |
| fMRI | a scan that combines elements of a MRI and a PET scan and can tie brain structure and brain activity together. |
| Hindbrain | part of the brain located on the top of the spinal cord and controls the basic biological functions and is the life support system |
| Medulla | part of hindbrain that controls blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. |
| Pons | part of the hindbrain that connects the hindbrain with the mid and forebrain and controls facial expressions. |
| Cerebellum | part of the hindbrain that means "little brain" and coordinates habitual muscle movements. |
| Midbrain | the smallest of the parts of brain that coordinates simple movements with sensory information. |
| Reticular formation | part of the midbrain that controls body arousal and ability to focus. without it functioning we would fall into a deep coma |
| Forebrain | the part of the brain that controls thought and reason and makes humans "human" |
| Thalamus | part of the forebrain responsible for receiving sensory information and sending it to the appropriate areas of the brain. |
| Hypothalamus | part of the forebrain responsible for controlling body temp, libido, hunger, thirst, and the endocrine system. |
| Amygdala | part of the forebrain connected to the hippocampus. responsible for experiences of emotion |
| Hippocampus | part of the forebrain connected with the amygdala that is vital to our memory system by processing memories first before they enter the cerebral cortex |
| Limbic system | part of the brain involved with our behavioral and emotional responses, most are needed for survival such as feeding, reproduction, caring for young, and fight or flight responses. |
| Cerebral cortex | the gray wrinkled surface that is super thin and made up of densely packed neurons. |
| Hemispheres | the two divisions of the cerebral cortex containing the left and right. |
| Left hemisphere | hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for controlling motor functions of the right side of the body and believed to be used for logic and sequential thinking. |
| Right hemisphere | hemisphere of the cerebral cortex responsible for controlling motor functions of the left side of body and believed to be for spacial and creative tasks. |
| Hemispheric specialization | specialization in the functions of each hemisphere. |
| corpus callosum | the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex and allows each hemisphere to send signals and communicate with the other. |
| lobes | a collection of different areas and specific cortices. |
| association area | any area of the cerebral cortex that is not associated with receiving sensory information and controlling motor movements |
| frontal lobes | consists of the prefrontal cortex that directs thought processes such as emotional control, and contains Broca's area. |
| broca's area | part of the frontal lobe that controls the muscles involved in producing language or speech |
| wernicke's area | part of the temporal lobe that interprets written and spoken speech. problems with this area can affect the ability to understand language and syntax. |
| motor cortex | located in the frontal lobe and sends signals to muscles by controlling voluntary movements. |
| parietal lobes | lobe located on top of brain behind the frontal lobe that contains the sensory cortex |
| sensory cortex | cortex that receives sensations from the rest of the body. |
| occipital lobes | lobe located at the back of the brain which is responsible for interpreting messages from the retinas of our eyes. contains the visual cortex. |
| temporal lobes | lobe located on the sides of the brain that receive impulses that are interpreted by the auditory cortices. contains the wernicke's area. |
| brain plasticity | the ability of neurons to adapt and take over other functions if another area is damaged. younger brains are more likely to compensate damage. |
| endocrine system | system of glands that secrete hormones and is controlled by the hypothalamus. |
| adrenal glands | glands that secrete adrenaline. |
| monozygotic twins | identical twins that developed from one fertilized egg and have the same genetic DNA |
