Brain and Behavior

reticular formation

a long, narrow network of neurons in the brainstem that runs through the medulla and pons

frontal lobe

part of the cerebral cortex; plays an important role in our sense of taste, judgement, planning, organizing, decision-making, controlling emotions, and personality

medulla

area of brainstem that controls heart rate and breathing

thalamus

Acts as a relay station filtering information between the brain and body. Except for olfaction [sense of smell], every sensory system has a [location in the thalamus] that receives, processes, and sends information to the cerebral cortex.

parietal lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex that allows us to feel sensations on our skin and know the position of our body.

temporal lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex that play a role in “auditory perception, speech, and complex visual perceptions.”

pons

A structure in the brainstem that helps control the movements of the body, playing a particularly important role in balance and walking.

cerebral cortex

The outer, bark-like layer of our brain that plays an important role in higher cognitive functions, such as planning, perception, and language.

brainstem

The most autonomous and innermost region of the brain, serving basic life functions like physiological arousal and breathing.

somatosensory cortex

The area at the front of the parietal lobes responsible for our sense of touch.

occipital lobe

Part of the cerebral cortex; important for vision, including detecting color, shapes, and motion, as well as reading.

hippocampus

A limbic system brain structure important in storing information in long-term memory about what, when, and where something happened.

limbic system

A brain area located between the brain stem and the two cerebral hemispheres that governs emotion and memory.

cerebellum

Two wrinkled ovals located behind the brain stem that function to coordinate voluntary movement and balance.

motor cortex

Area at the back of the frontal lobes responsible for voluntary muscle movement.

neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage.

corpus callosum

The region that connects the two halves of the brain and supports communication between the hemispheres.

neural networks

Groups of neurons that connect regions of the brain.

brain lateralization

The idea that the left and the right hemispheres of the brain are specialized to perform different functions.

neurogenesis

forming of new neurons

stem cells

Undifferentiated cells that have the “potential to develop into any of the three major cell types of the brain:

neurons

astrocytes: nourish and protect neurons

oligodendrocytes: surround axons and enable them to conduct signals efficiently

amygdala

Plays important roles in aggression and in regulating our experience of emotions, particularly fear and anxiety.

hypothalamus

A brain structure that performs a variety of functions, including the regulation of body temperature, hunger, sleep/wake cycles, and sexual behavior, as well as linking the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

somatic

sensory and motor neurons that innervate the sense organs and skeletal muscles (voluntary movement)

autonomic

regulates internal organ activity (sympathetic and parasympathetic systems)

sympathetic

mobilizes the body’s energy and resources during times of stress and arousal; fight or flight

parasympathetic

conservation of the body’s energy and relaxed resources during relaxed states; rest and digest