PSY 209 Central Nervous System and Brain Anatomy Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering central nervous system structures, neuron anatomy, glial cell types, anatomical directions, brain lobes, and cortical cell types based on lecture notes.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The division of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord, responsible for coordinating and influencing activity of the whole body.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

All other parts of the nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord.

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB)

A protective barrier encasing the brain that makes it more difficult to move substances into the brain than into other organs.

Neuron

A brain cell containing dendrites, a cell body, nucleus, axon, myelin sheath, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier, and axon terminals.

Glial Cells

Cells meaning "glue" in Greek that support neuron functions, communicate with each other and neurons, and alter neuron structure and excitability.

Astrocyte

Star-like glial cells that make contact between neurons and capillaries to regulate blood flow and play an important role in determining how neurons communicate.

Microglia

A type of glial cell that engulfs and destroys debris in the brain.

Oligodentrocyte

A type of glial cell that makes up the myelin sheath and myelinates axons in the central nervous system (CNS).

Schwann Cell

A type of glial cell that myelinates axons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

Gyri and Sulci

The ridges and furrows of tissue in the brain; more evolutionarily advanced species possess more of them.

Corpus Callosum

A structure consisting of 200 million axons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres.

Horizontal Plane

A two-dimensional slice view of the brain taken from the top view.

Sagittal Plane

A two-dimensional slice view of the brain, a vertical slice that runs from the front to the back of the brain

Coronal Plane

A two-dimensional slice view of the brain, a vertical slice showing the brain from the front or back

Brain Directional Terms

Anatomical terms used to describe positions on the brain, including superior-dorsal, inferior-ventral, anterior/rostral, and posterior/caudal.

Frontal Lobe

The lobe located at the front of the brain that controls decision making, attention, personality, and executive function (planning, goals, strategies, problem solving).

Temporal Lobe

The cerebral lobe involved in learning, memory, and emotion.

Parietal Lobe

The cerebral lobe that receives sensory information.

Occipital Lobe

The lobe located at the back of the brain that handles visual processing.

Forebrain

The largest and most evolutionarily advanced subdivision of the brain, comprising the telencephalon (basal ganglia, cortex, limbic system) and diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus).

Hindbrain

A subdivision of the brain sometimes called the "reptilian brain," which includes the cerebellum, pons, and medulla (myelencephalon).

Projection Neurons

Pyramidal-shaped neurons located in layer III or V of the cortex that project information from the cortex to other regions and across layers to allow coordination between brain regions.

Homology

The principle that the same brain structures exist across all species, allowing research questions to be asked at different levels.

Von Economo Neurons (VENs)

A special type of bipolar neuron in the cortex present in significantly higher numbers in humans than in all other species, playing a complex role in episodic thinking, complex thinking, and ASD.

anterior

nearer the front, especially situated in the front of the brain (frontal cortex area). opposite of posterior

posterior

further back in position; of or nearer the rear or hind end. opposite of anterior

Dorsal

Nearest the top, also called superior. Opposite of ventral.

Ventral

Nearest the bottom, also called inferior. Opposite of dorsal.

Lateral

Anatomical term for sides

Medial

Anatomical term for center