Neuroscience Review: Cellular Terms, Macro Structures, and Landmarks

Vocabulary practice flashcards defining key cellular neuroscience concepts, macroscopic brain structures, major cortical lobes, anatomical landmarks, and directional terms.

Dendrite

Branch-like cellular extensions of a neuron that receive chemical and electrical signals from other neurons and conduct them toward the cell body.

Soma (cell body)

The core part of a neuron containing the nucleus and major organelles, responsible for maintaining cell health and integrating incoming electrical signals.

Axon

A long, slender nerve fiber extending from the soma that propagates electrical impulses (action potentials) away from the cell body toward target cells.

Synapse

The specialized junction where a terminal of an axon communicates with a receptor site on another neuron, muscle, or gland cell via chemical or electrical transmission.

Action potential

A rapid, temporary electrical impulse that travels along the membrane of an axon, driven by voltage-gated ion channels, to transmit information.

Neurotransmitter

A chemical messenger released by an axon terminal into the synaptic cleft to bind to receptor sites on a target cell and alter its electrical state.

Myelin

A fatty, insulating substance forming a sheath around axons that accelerates the speed and efficiency of electrical signal transmission.

Synaptic pruning

The developmental process by which extra, inactive, or non-functional synapses are systematically eliminated to optimize neural network efficiency.

Gyri

The elevated ridges or outward convolutions on the surface of the cerebral cortex.

Sulci

The shallow grooves or depressions that furrow the surface of the brain, separating adjacent gyri.

White matter

Brain tissue primarily composed of bundles of myelinated axons that connect various grey matter regions and carry nerve signals between them.

Grey matter

Brain tissue consisting predominantly of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, synapses, and unmyelinated axons, functioning as the primary site of information processing.

Ventricles

An interconnected system of four cavities within the brain filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), providing cushioning and metabolic support.

Frontal lobe

Location: Anterior portion of the cerebral cortex, extending back to the central sulcus. General function: Higher executive functions, decision-making, planning, problem-solving, personality, and voluntary motor control.

Parietal lobe

Location: Positioned posterior to the central sulcus and superior to the lateral fissure. General function: Processing somatosensory information (touch, temperature, pain) and spatial perception.

Temporal lobe

Location: Positioned inferior to the lateral sulcus and anterior to the occipital lobe. General function: Auditory processing, language comprehension, and long-term memory formation.

Occipital lobe

Location: The rearmost (posterior) region of the cerebral cortex. General function: Primary and secondary visual processing, including shape, color, and motion recognition.

Central sulcus / Rolandic fissure

A major continuous groove running transversely across the lateral surface of each hemisphere, dividing the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe.

Sylvian fissure / lateral sulcus

A prominent lateral groove that separates the temporal lobe inferiorly from the overlying frontal and parietal lobes.

Precentral gyrus

Location: Situated in the posterior frontal lobe, directly anterior to the central sulcus. Function: Primary motor cortex, directly initiating and controlling voluntary motor movements.

Postcentral gyrus

Location: Situated in the anterior parietal lobe, directly posterior to the central sulcus. Function: Primary somatosensory cortex, receiving and interpreting tactile, proprioceptive, and pain inputs from the body.

Broca's area

Location: Situated within the inferior frontal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere (typically the left). Function: Motor speech programming, speech production, and grammatical language processing.

Wernicke's area

Location: Situated in the posterior superior temporal gyrus of the dominant hemisphere (typically the left). Function: Processing and comprehension of spoken and written language.

Brodmann's areas

A systematic map of the cerebral cortex dividing it into numbered regions defined strictly by their cytoarchitecture (cellular structure, composition, and histological layering).

Inferior / Superior

Directional anatomical terms: 'Inferior' denotes a position located below, downward, or toward the base; 'Superior' denotes a position located above, upward, or toward the crown of the head.