(Week 1) The Brain and Behavior

Behavioral Neuroscience

The study of the brain's role in behavior, expanded significantly in the past three decades.

Emergence

The phenomenon when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as seen in the brain-mind relationship.

Medulla

The part of the hindbrain that controls breathing, heart rate, and blood circulation.

Pons

Brain structure that controls attentiveness and sleep timing; damage can induce a sleep-like state.

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movements, balance, and may also play roles in emotions and time judgment.

Forebrain

Contains key structures including the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex.

Thalamus

Involved in sleep wakefulness and relaying motor and sensory signals to the cortex.

Hypothalamus

Controls motivated behaviors like hunger and regulates bodily rhythms.

Amygdala

Involved in emotional responses, particularly related to fear and threat assessment.

Hippocampus

Plays a vital role in learning, memory, and spatial orientation.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain, crucial for thought, perception, language, and emotion.

Corpus Callosum

A thick band of fibers connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres, allowing communication.

Motor Homunculus

A representation of the body parts next to the corresponding motor projection area in the brain.

Neurons

The communication cells in the brain and spinal cord responsible for receiving and transmitting signals.

Glia

Supportive cells in the nervous system, previously thought to only hold neurons in place and provide nourishment.

Action Potential

An electrical signal generated by a neuron when it is stimulated, fundamental to neural communication.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals released by neurons that transmit signals across the synaptic cleft to other neurons.

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

Substances that increase the likelihood of a neuron firing, such as dopamine and glutamate.

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

Substances that decrease the likelihood of a neuron firing, such as GABA and serotonin.

Agonists

Chemicals that enhance a neurotransmitter's activity, sometimes mimicking the neurotransmitter.

Antagonists

Chemicals that inhibit a neurotransmitter's activity by blocking receptors or speeding up reuptake.

Degeneracy

The principle that many combinations of neurons can create similar mental states or outcomes.

Neuro Seduction

The tendency to believe dubious neuroscience claims due to their presentation.

Synaptic Reuptake

The process by which neurotransmitter molecules are recycled back into the presynaptic neuron after action.