Brain Vocab List

Nature

genes develop psychological traits and behavior

Nurture

Environment develop psychological traits and behavior

Evolutionary Perspective

a theoretical approach that analyzes human behavior, cognition, and physical traits through the lens of evolutionary biology and natural selection

Natural Selection

Inherited traits enabling an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations

Identical twins

Develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into two, genetically identical

Fraternal twins

Develop from separate fertilized eggs but share a fetal environment

Nervous System

Made up of neurons, or nerve cells, that communicate via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. 

Central Nervous System

The brain and spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System

Everything but the brain and spinal cord, connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body

Autonomic Nervous system

Controls the automatic functions of the body

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Automatically slows down the body after a stressful event, heart rate and breathing slow, digestion speeds up. Think parachute

Sympathetic Nervous System

Fight or flight response, automatically accelerates the body to get you ready for action

Somatic Nervous System

Controls voluntary muscle movement, uses motor neurons

Neurons

Over 100 billion, can receive electrical signals and transmit them. 200 miles per hour. Lose everyday. Can repair themselves

Cell body

The soma. Part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and the cell’s life support center.

Dendrites

Neurons bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages

Axon

Neuron extension that helps pass messages, “axons speak, dendrites listen”

Myelin sheath

Fatty tissue encasing the axon and enables greater transmission speed, laid down up to about age 25 enabling neural efficiency

Glial Cells

The most numerous brain cells, about 900 billion. Provide nutrients and insulate myelin. Guide neural connections. Clean waste after neurons send messages to one another. 

Reflex Arc

Neural pathway that controls a reflex

Reflexes

Automatic responses to stimuli, sensory neurons reach just the spinal cord and activate the motor neurons. 

Sensory Neurons

Takes information from the body to the brain and spinal cord for processing

Motor Neurons

Takes information from brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body

Interneurons

Neurons within the brain and spinal cord that process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

All-or-nothing response

Neuron either fire or don’t fire

Ions

Electrically charged atoms

Depolarization

This change in charge on the inside/outside channel difference causes the next section of the axon channels to open and then the next

Refractory Period

A brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired; subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon return to its resting state

Resting Potential

Outside of the axon are mostly positively charged ions (Na) and interior are mostly negatively charged ions (K). because of voltage change the resting state is called resting potential

Threshold

The level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Reuptake

The excess neurotransmitters finally drift away to be either broken down by enzymes or reabsorbed by the sending neuron

Multiple Sclerosis

Communication to muscles and brain region slows and results in diminished muscle control and sometimes impaired cognition.

Myasthenia Gravis

Causes muscles under your voluntary control to feel weak, possible paralysis and get tired quickly.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers that cross the synapse between neurons and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron

Excitatory Signals

Pushing the accelerator

Inhibitory Signals

Pushing the breaks

Action Potential

A neuron sends a message by firing an impulse, a brief electrical charge that fires down the axon.

Synapse

Junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron

Dopamine

Neurotransmitter dealing with voluntary motor movement and motivation

Serotonin

It is involved in regulating sleep, wakefulness and digestive system. Involved in mood control. 

Norepinephrine

Affects alertness, regulates physical and mental arousal. 

Glutamate

Excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, activates the nervous system and appears to be involved in learning and memory.

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter that slows down the activities of the neurons to prevent from getting over excited. meditation

Endorphins

Involved in perception of pleasure and pain. Replace pain with pleasure, released during exercise and excitement.

Substance P

Involved in pain perception and immune response. Mediates interactions between neurons and immune cells. Oversupply can lead to chronic pain.

Acetylcholine

Deals with motor movement, though, learning and memory

Hormones

Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands and travel through the bloodstream

Adrenaline

Increase heart rate, blood pressure and blood sugar, providing a surge of energy for flight or flight response

Leptin

Hunger suppressing

Ghrelin

Hunger arousing

Oxytocin

Aka “love drug” or “cuddle chemical”. Relationship building

Melatonin

Sleep inducing

Agonists

Activate the receptors and make the effects of the neurotransmitters stronger. Increases the flow of that particular neurotransmitter

Antagonists

Oppose the actions, fit the receptor site and block the NT from binding to the receptors. Decrease the flow of that particular neurotransmitter

Reuptake inhibitors

Block reuptake

Brain Stem

Begins where the spinal cord swells slightly after entering the skull. Controls the automatic survival functions.

Medulla Oblongata

Heart rate,  breathing, blood pressure. The Olympian wears a medal over her heart and lungs. 

Reticular Activating System

Part of the brain that affects alertness, consciousness and arousal/attention.

Cerebellum

located in the back of our head, coordinates muscle movements and balance. Balance a bell on the back of your head. 

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer of our brain. Made up of densely packed neurons called gray matter. A big Texas cowboy hat covers the outside of your head.

Right Hemisphere

the right half of the human brain's cerebrum, which controls movement on the left side of the body

Left Hemisphere

the left half of the human brain's cerebrum, which controls movement on the right side of the body

Limbic System

The emotional center of your brain controls emotions, drives, and memory formation. 

Thalamus

Receives sensory information and sends them to appropriate areas of the forebrain. Everything BUT smells. Hal & Amus are traffic cop directing signals.

Hypothalamus

Pea size in brain, body temperature, hunger, thirst, arousal. The llama gets hypothermia

Pituitary Gland

Directs other endocrine glands to release their hormones

Hippocampus

Memory processing, size and cuntion decrease as we get older. If you saw a hippo on campus you’d remember!!!!

Amygdala

Enables aggression and fear. Aggressive amy causes fear

Corpus Callosum

a large, thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Occipital Lobe

Contains visual cortex, handles visual input from eyes. 

Temporal Lobe

By your temples, process sound sensed by ears. 

Parietal Lobe

Processes sensory information for touch and body position. Think of piranha.

Somatosensory Cortex

Part of the brain in the parietal lobe that deals with touch sensations from the rest of the body

Frontal Lobe

Deals with planning, reasoning, motor skills, expressive language, maintaining emotional control and abstract thought. 

Prefrontal cortex

Executive functioning, decision making, problem solving, planning, reasoning, abstract thought.

Motor cortex

Part of the brain in the frontal lobe that tells my body how to move.

Split-brain

a neurological condition where the corpus callosum—the main bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain—is severed or severely damaged

Broca’s Area

Allows a person to speak smoothly and fluently

Wernicke’s Area

Interprets written or spoken speech

Aphasia

caused by damage to the parts of the brain that control speech and language comprehension

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

the biological arrangement where each side of the brain controls and processes sensory and motor signals from the opposite side of the body

Brain Plasticity (Neuroplasticity)

The brain's ability to change or rewire itself

Brain Lateralization

e tendency for certain cognitive processes, neural functions, and behaviors to be specialized to either the left or the right hemisphere of the brain

EEG

Noninvasive test that records the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface

fMRI

A measure of blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans to show brain function as well as structure.

Lesioning

Cutting into the brain and looking for change. Purposeful removal or destruction of some part of the brain