Neuroscience: Key Concepts and Brain Structures for Students

Neuron

Basic cell of the nervous system

Dendrites

Receive signals

Axon

Sends signals

Myelin Sheath

Speeds neural impulses

Synapse

Gap between neurons

Action Potential

Electrical impulse down axon

Resting Potential

-70 mV state

Depolarization

Charge becomes positive

Threshold

Minimum stimulus to fire

All-or-Nothing

Fires fully or not at all

Refractory Period

Reset time

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers

GABA

Inhibitory

Glutamate

Excitatory

Dopamine

Reward & movement

Serotonin

Mood & sleep

Acetylcholine

Memory & movement

Norepinephrine

Arousal

Endorphins

Pain relief

Agonist

Mimics NT

Antagonist

Blocks NT

Reuptake

Reabsorption of NT

Central Nervous System

Brain & spinal cord

Peripheral Nervous System

Rest of body

Somatic NS

Voluntary movement

Autonomic NS

Involuntary actions

Sympathetic NS

Fight or flight

Parasympathetic NS

Rest and digest

Reflex Arc

Fast spinal cord response

Glial Cells

Support neurons

Cerebellum

Balance & coordination

Medulla

Breathing & heart rate

Reticular Formation

Arousal

Cerebral Cortex

Higher thinking

Limbic System

Emotion & memory

Amygdala

Fear & emotion

Hippocampus

Memory

Hypothalamus

Homeostasis

Thalamus

Sensory relay

Frontal Lobe

Decision making

Parietal Lobe

Touch

Occipital Lobe

Vision

Temporal Lobe

Hearing

Motor Cortex

Movement

Somatosensory Cortex

Touch

Broca's Area

Speech production

Wernicke's Area

Language comprehension

Corpus Callosum

Connects hemispheres

Plasticity

Brain adapts

Depressants

Slow NS

Stimulants

Speed NS

Hallucinogens

Alter perception

Opioids

Pain relief

Tolerance

Need more drug

Addiction

Dependence

Withdrawal

Negative symptoms when stopping

Circadian Rhythm

24-hour cycle

REM Sleep

Dreaming stage

NREM

Deep sleep stages

Alpha Waves

Relaxed

Beta Waves

Awake

Delta Waves

Deep sleep

REM Rebound

Increased REM after deprivation

Insomnia

Trouble sleeping

Narcolepsy

Sudden REM sleep

Sleep Apnea

Breathing stops

Sleepwalking

Stage 3 sleep

Sensation

Detect stimuli

Perception

Interpret stimuli

Transduction

Convert signals

Absolute Threshold

50% detection

JND (Just Noticeable Difference)

Smallest detectable difference

Weber's Law

Constant proportion

Sensory Adaptation

Reduced sensitivity

Rods

Black/white vision

Cones

Color vision

Fovea

Sharp vision

Accommodation

Lens adjusts

Trichromatic Theory

RGB cones

Opponent Process

Color pairs

Place Theory

High pitch

Frequency Theory

Low pitch

Vestibular Sense

Balance

Kinesthetic Sense

Body position

Top-Down Processing

Expectations guide perception

Bottom-Up Processing

Sensory data builds perception

Schema

Mental framework

Perceptual Set

Expectation bias

Gestalt

Whole > parts

Closure

Fill gaps

Proximity

Group by closeness

Similarity

Group by likeness

Selective Attention

Focus on one thing

Inattentional Blindness

Miss obvious

Change Blindness

Miss changes

Algorithm

Step-by-step solution

Heuristic

Mental shortcut

Availability Heuristic

Based on memory

Representative Heuristic

Based on stereotype

Mental Set

Stuck in same strategy