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| a hindbrain structure that extends directly from the spinal cord; regulates breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure |
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| inborn and involuntary behaviors - such as coughing, swallow, sneezing, or vomiting - that are elicited by very specific stimuli |
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| a hindbrain structure that serves as a bridge between lower brain regions and higher midbrain and forebrain activity |
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| a hindbrain structure involved in body movement, balance, coordination, fine-tuning motor skills, and cognitive activities such as learning a new language |
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| a network of nerve fibers that runs up through both the hindbrain and the midbrain; is crucial to waking up and falling asleep; important for vigilance |
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| a forebrain structure receives information from the senses and relays it to the cerebral cortex for processing |
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| a limbic structure; the master regulator of almost all major drives and motives we have, such as hunger, thirst, temperature, and sexual behavior; also controls the pituitary gland |
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| a limbic structure that wraps itself around the thalamus; plays a vital role in learning and memory |
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| small, almond-shaped structure located directly in front of the hippocampus; has connections with many important brain regions and is important for processing emotional information, especially that related to fear |
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| beltlike structure in the middle of the brain that plays an important role in attentions and cognitive control |
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| a collection of structures surrounding the thalamus involved in voluntary motor control |
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| each of the large halves of the brain that are covered with convolutions, or folds |
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| thin outer later of the cerebrum, in which much of human though, planning, perception, and consciousness takes place |
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| small structure inside the cerebrum that plays an important role in the perception of bodily sensations, emotional states, empathy, and addictive behavior |
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| nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain |
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| deficit in the ability to speak or comprehend language |
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| area in the left frontal lobe responsibile for the ability to produce speech |
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| the master endocrine gland of the body that controls the release of hormones from glands throughout the body |
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| endocrine structures that release hormones important in regulating the stress response and emotions |
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| chemicals releasesd from the adrenal glands that function as hormones and as neurotransmitters to control ANS activation; include the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinepherine, and epinephrine |
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| stress hormone produced by the body to ensure that the body gets enough fuel during emotional arousal and stress |
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| the cells that process and transmit information throughout the nervous system |
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| GABA (gamma-aminobutyric adcid) |
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| major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain that tells postsynaptic neurons NOT to fire; it slows CNS activity and is necessary to regulate and control neural activity |
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| a way of removing excess neurotransmitters from the synapse in which enzymes specific for that neurotransmitter bind with the neurotransmitter and destroy it |
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| a neurotransmitter that controls muscle movement and plays a role in mental processes such as learning, memory, attention, sleeping, and dreaming |
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| fingerlike projections from a neuron's soma that receives incoming messages from other neurons |
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| the impulse of positive charge that runs down an axon |
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| a neurotransmitter release in response to behaviors that feel good or are rewarding to the person or animal; also involved in voluntary motor control |
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| central nervous system (CNS) |
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| part of nervous system that comprises the brain and spinal cord |
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| sympathetic nervous system |
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| branch of autonomic nervous system that activates bodily systems in time of emergency |
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| a neurotransmitter with wide-ranging effects: involved in dreaming and in controlling emotional states, especially anger, anxiety, and depression |
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| long projection that extends from a neuron's soma; it transmits electrical impulses toward the adjacent neuron and stimulates the release of neurotransmitters (action potential) |
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| aka adrenaline, a neurotransmitter that arouses bodily systems |
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| small changes in membrane potential that by themselves are insufficient to trgger and action potential |
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| peripheral nervous system (PNS) |
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| part of nervous system that comprises all nerve cells in the body outside the central nervous system; comprised of autonomic and somatic nervous systems |
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| nerve cells that are active when we observe others performing an action as well as when we are performing the same action |
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| the idea that once the threshold has been crossed, either an action potential fires or it does not |
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| the span of time, after an action potential has been generated, when the neuron is returning to its resting state and the neuron cannot generate an action potential |
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| neurons that communicate only with other neurons |
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| autonomic nervous system (ANS) |
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| all the nerves of the PNS that serve the involuntary systems of the body, such as the internal organs and glands |
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| central nervous system cells that provide structural support, promote efficient communications between neurons and serve as scavengers, removing cellular debris |
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| the fatty substance wrapped around some axons, which insulates the axon, making the nerve impulse travel more efficiently |
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| the junction between an axon and the adjacent neuron, where information is transmitted from one neuron to another |
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| chemicals that transmit information between neurons |
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| the cell body of the neuron |
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| a neurotransmitter that activates the sympathetic response to stress, increasing heart rate, rate of respiration, and blood pressure in support of rapid action |
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| parasympathetic nervous system |
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| the branch of the autonomic nervous system that usually relaxes or returns the body to a less active, restful state |
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| the difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of the axon when the neuron is at rest |
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| a way of removing excess neurotransmitters from the synapse, in which excess neurotransmitter is returned to the sending, or presynaptic, neuron for storage in vesicles and future use |
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| nerve cells that receive incoming sensory information from the sense organs (eye, ear, skin, tongue, nose) |
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| nerves cells in the PNS that transmits sensory information to the brain and spinal cord and from the brain and spinal cord to the skeletal muscles |
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| tiny sacs in the terminal buttons that contain neurotransmitters |
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| little knobs at the end of the axon that contain tiny sacs of neurotransmitters |
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| chemically charged particles that predominate in bodily fluids; found both inside and outside cells |
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| an area deep in the left temporal lobe responsible for the ability to speak in meaningful sentences and to comprehend the meaning of speech |
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| the brain's ability to adopt new functions, reorganize itself, or make new neural connections throughout life, as a function of experience |
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| the development of new neurons |
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| the formation of entirely new synapses or connections with other neurons |
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| the growth and formation of new dendrites |
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| reduce the likelihood of an action potential in a neighboring neuron |
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| make it more likely that neighboring neurons will fire |
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| a way if removing excess neurotransmitters from the synapse in which enzymes specific for that neurotransmitter bind with the neurotransmitter and destroy it |
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| a major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain that increases the likelihood that a postsynaptic neuron will fire; important in learning, memory, neural processing, and brain development |
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| nerve cells that carry commands for movement from the brain to the muscles of the body |
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| a method for measuring brain activity in which the electrical activity of the brain is recorded from electrodes placed on a person's scalp |
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| a specific technique that extracts electrical activity from raw EEG data to measure cognitive processes |
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| magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) |
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| brain imaging technique that uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the structure of the brain and other soft tissues |
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| brain imaging technique that uses magnetic fields to produce detailed images of the brain and other soft tissues |
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| positron emission tomography (PET) |
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| brain imaging technique that measures blood flow to active areas in the brain |
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| sits in the neck region and releases hormones that control the rate of metabolism |
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| releases hormones, including insulin that play a vital role in regulating blood sugar levels |
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| the process by which the body converts nutritional substance into energy |
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| chemicals, secreted by glands, that travel in the bloodstream and carry messages to tissues and organs all over the body |
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