Flashcards Neuroscience and Nervous System

Receptor cells

Specialized cells embedded in sensory organs that detect physical energy (light, sound, pressure) and convert it into neural signals.

Sensory Nerves

Nerves that carry incoming sensory information from the body's tissues and sensory receptors inward to the brain and spinal cord (afferent).

Motor nerves

Nerves that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands to produce movement (efferent).

Peripheral nervous system

The network of all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Somatic Nervous System

The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles.

Autonomic Nervous System

The division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary, automatic body functions (like heart rate, digestion, and breathing).

Sympathetic Division of Autonomic NS

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes body energy during stress or danger.

Parasympathetic Division of Autonomic NS

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body and conserves energy after a stressful event.

Brainstem

The oldest central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; controls basic life-sustaining functions.

Medulla

The base of the brainstem that automatically controls heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing.

Thalamus

The brain's sensory control center; relays sensory information (except smell) to the proper areas of the cerebral cortex.

Cerebellum

The "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem that coordinates voluntary movement, balance, and procedural memory.

Limbic System

A doughnut-shaped neural system below the cerebral hemispheres associated with emotions, drives, and memory formation.

Hypothalamus

A structure below the thalamus that maintains homeostasis by regulating body temperature, hunger, thirst, and controlling the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

Hippocampus

A neural center in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for long-term storage.

Amygdala

Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system linked directly to intense emotions, particularly fear and aggression.

Cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; responsible for high-level thinking, processing, and control.

Corpus Callosum

A large band of axon fibers connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres, allowing them to communicate.

Frontal Lobes

The region at the front of the cortex involved in speaking, muscle movements, decision-making, judgment, and impulse control.

Parietal Lobes

The region at the top-rear of the cortex that receives sensory input for touch, temperature, body position, and spatial awareness.

Occipital Lobes

The region at the back of the head that includes areas receiving and processing visual information from the eyes.

Temporal Lobes

The region above the ears that includes auditory areas, receiving and processing sound information primarily from the opposite ear.

fMRI

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; measures brain activity by tracking changes in blood oxygen flow to specific active brain regions in real time.

EEG

Electroencephalogram; amplifies and records the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface via electrodes on the scalp.

PET

Positron Emission Tomography; a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task.