parietal lobes
portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position
occipital lobe
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from visual fields
temporal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear
amygdala
two lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to experiencing emotion
pituitary gland
the endocrine's system's most influential gland; regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
hypothalamus
a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, body temp, drinking), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward
hippocampus
neural center located in limbic system; helps process for storage explicit (conscious) memories of facts and events
thalamus
brain's sensory control center, located at top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla; processes senses before sent to cerebral cortex for interpretation
corpus callosum
large band of neural fibers connecting 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
cerebellum
"little brain" rear of brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory; motor functions and body position; implicit memory
pons
controls sleep and helps coordinate movement
medulla
base of brainstem; where spine enters brain; controls heartbeat and breathing
cerebral cortex
divided into 4 regions called lobes; intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres and outermost layer of brain; body's ultimate control and information processing center
sensory cortex
registers information from the skin senses/pressure and body movement
motor cortex
controls voluntary movements
association areas
areas of cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking
reticular formation
nerve network that travels through the brainstem, into thalamus; controls arousal and filters incoming sensory stimuli
broca's area
language is produced in a fluent way
wernicke's area
makes sure language makes sense
adrenal gland
releases hormones that are present in the "fight or flight" response (epinephrine and nonepinephrine)
prefrontal cortex
the “higher” brain directs thought processes and acts as the brain's central executive
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
parts of the NS excluding the brain and spinal cord
autonomic NS
involuntary bodily functions and movement; part of peripheral NS
somatic NS
voluntary movement; relays information to central nervous system; part of peripheral NS
all-or-none
stimulus must trigger the action potential past its threshold (to an adequate amount), but does not increase the intensity of the response (flush the toilet)
Dendrites
Receive incoming signal
Soma
Cell body (includes nucleus)
Axon
AP travels down this
Myelin Sheath
speeds up signal down axon
Terminals
release NTs – send signal onto next neuron (lowkey look like dendrites, but at the other end of the cell)