• a brief change in electrical voltage that occurs between the inside and outside of an axon when a neuron is stimulated
• describe myelinated & unmyelinated

• order from central nervous system to internal organs
• enables us to move & cause glands to contract & secrete sustances

handles the central nervous system's input and output

contains all portions of the nervous system outside the brain & spinal chord

automatic reactions independent of the brain 

require no conscious effort

extension of the brain 

protected by spinal column made up of bones

aka skeletal nervous system

permits voluntary action

involuntary function (blood vessels, glands & internal organs)

consists of sympathetic nervous system & parasympathetic nervous system

DOES NOT STOP THE BODY

slows things down or keeps them running smoothly

enables the body to conserve & store energy

a chemical substance that is released by transmitting neurons at the synapse and that alters the activity of a receiving neuron

exist in the brain, spinal chord, peripheral nerves and certain glands

affect mood, memory and well being

a voltage shift in a positive manner 

means the probability the neuron will fire will increase

voltage shift in the negative manner

means the probability the neurons will fire decreases

secreted by the pineal gland deep within the brain

helps regulate daily rhythms and promotes sleep

secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain

enhances uterine contractions during childbirth and facilitates the ejection of milk during nursing; 

produced by the adrenal glands above the kidneys

involved in emotion, stress, and enhances memory

example: cortisol- increases blood sugar levels and boost energy

activated by the sympathetic nervous system

a brain wave recording machine

not very precise because it reflects the activity of many cells at once

delivers a large current through a wire coil placed on a person's head 

produces a magnetic field 40,000 times greater than the earth's natural magnetic field

MRI (magnetic resonance image scan)

functional MRI

allow the exploration of the brain without chemicals 

an ultra fast version of MRI that can capture brain changes many times a second as a person performs a task 

a dense network of neurons which extends above the brain stem into the center of the brain and has connection with areas that are higher up, screens incoming and arouses the higher centers when something happens that demands their attention

without RAS we could not be alert or even conscious

lies beneath the thalamus

associated with the survival of species;regulates body temperatures by triggering sweating or shivering

controls the complex operations of the autonomic system

sends messages to pituitary gland 

hangs down near the hypothalamus

often called the master gland

a group of brain areas involved in emotional reaction and motivated behavior 

includes hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus

compares sensory information with what the brain has learned to expect about the world

called the gateway to memory 

when expectations are met it tells the RAS to calm down

information is stored in the cerebral cortex

cerebrum

cerebral hemispheres

corpus callosum

where the higher forms of thinking takes place

the division of the cerebrum connected by a large band of fiber

the bundle of fibers connecting the two hemispheres

cerebral cortex

gray matter

white matter

a collection of several thin layer of cells covering the cerebrum

largely responsible for higher mental functions

the grayish tissue produced by cell bodies in the cortex as well as other parts of the brain

long myelin covered axons found in parts of the brain and rest of the nervous sytems 

located at the lower part of the brain

contains the visual cortex where visual signals are processed

located at the top of the brain

contains the somatosensory cortex

receives information about pressure, pain, touch and temperature from all over the body

also involved in attention and mental operations

located at the sides of the brain above the ears and behind the temples

involved in memory, perception and emotion

contains the auditory cortex

contained withing the temporal lobes 

involved in language comprehension 

located toward the front of the brain under the skull in the area of the forehead 

contains the motor cortex

active during short- term memory tasks

 involved in emotion and in the ability to make plans, think creatively and take initiative and personality

contained in the left frontal lobe

handles speech production

areas in the cortex that when stimulated would produce no obvious response or sensation 

do not respond because they are involved in higher mental processes

the most forward part of the frontal lobes and accounts for 29% of the cortex in humans

involved in personality