Neuroscience Vocabulary Flashcards

This collection of flashcards includes key vocabulary terms and definitions related to neuroscience, sensory processing, and neurological disorders.

Decussation

The crossing of nerve fibers from one side of the brain or spinal cord to the other, often associated with motor or sensory pathways.

Pinna

The outer part of the ear that collects sound waves and directs them into the ear canal.

Cochlea

A spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into neural signals.

Malleus

The first of the three ossicles in the middle ear, connecting to the eardrum and transmitting vibrations to the incus.

Stapes

The third ossicle in the middle ear that transmits vibrations from the incus to the oval window of the cochlea.

Incus

The second ossicle in the middle ear that transmits vibrations from the malleus to the stapes.

Mechanoreceptor

A sensory receptor that responds to mechanical pressure or distortion, such as touch or sound.

Organ of Corti

A structure in the cochlea containing hair cells that detect sound vibrations and convert them into electrical signals.

Tectorial Membrane

A membrane in the cochlea that interacts with the stereocilia of hair cells to aid in hearing.

Stereocilia

Hair-like projections on hair cells in the cochlea that bend in response to sound waves, generating neural signals.

Tip Links

Tiny protein filaments that connect stereocilia, allowing them to act in concert during sound transduction.

Tonotopic

Referring to the organization of auditory pathways or structures in a way that corresponds to different sound frequencies.

Conduction Deafness

Hearing loss caused by a problem in the outer or middle ear, preventing sound from reaching the inner ear.

Sensorineural Deafness

Hearing loss caused by damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve.

Wernicke’s Aphasia

A type of aphasia characterized by fluent but nonsensical speech and difficulty understanding language, due to damage to ___ area in the brain.

Broca’s Aphasia

A type of aphasia characterized by difficulty speaking, with speech being slow and effortful, due to damage to ___ area in the frontal lobe.

Sound Shadow

The reduction in sound intensity on the opposite side of the head from where a sound source is located, used for sound localization.

Echolocation

The ability to detect objects and their distances by emitting sound waves and analyzing the reflected sound.

Dermatomes

Areas of the skin innervated by sensory nerves from a single spinal nerve root.

Homunculus

A distorted representation of the human body on the brain, showing the relative amount of cortical area dedicated to each part of the body.

Lateral Corticospinal Tract

A pathway in the brain and spinal cord that transmits motor commands to voluntary muscles, particularly on the opposite side of the body.

Anterior Corticospinal Tract

A motor pathway that controls voluntary movements of the axial (trunk) muscles.

Basal Ganglia

A group of structures deep in the brain involved in coordinating movement and motor control.

Hypokinetic Movements

Movements that are reduced in amplitude or range, such as those seen in Parkinson’s disease.

Hyperkinetic Movements

Excessive or involuntary movements, such as tremors or tics, seen in disorders like Huntington’s disease.

Transduction

The process of converting a physical stimulus (like sound or light) into an electrical signal that can be processed by the nervous system.

Spinothalamic Tract

A sensory pathway that transmits pain and temperature sensations to the brain.

Medial Lemniscus Tract

A sensory pathway that transmits touch and proprioception signals to the brain.

Glabrous Skin

Skin that is smooth and lacks hair, such as on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Hapsis

The sensation of touch, including pressure and texture.

Nocioception

The process of detecting pain stimuli, usually from tissue damage.

Pain Gate

The theory that non-painful stimuli can block or 'gate' the perception of pain through interactions in the spinal cord.

Periaqueductal Gray Matter (PAG)

A region in the brainstem involved in the modulation of pain and defensive behaviors.

Proprioception

The sense of the position and movement of the body and its parts.

Aphagia

The inability or difficulty in swallowing.

Homeostasis

The regulation of internal body conditions to maintain stability.

Hyperphagia

Excessive eating, often due to damage to the hypothalamus.

Innate Releasing Mechanism (IRM)

A neural mechanism that triggers automatic, instinctive behaviors in response to specific stimuli.

Learned Taste Aversion

The conditioned response of avoiding a food or drink after a negative experience associated with it.

Nonregulatory Behavior

Behavior driven by basic drives not directly related to homeostasis, such as social or recreational activities.

Regulatory Behavior

Behavior that helps maintain homeostasis, such as eating and drinking.

Hypovolemic Thirst

Thirst caused by a decrease in blood volume.

Osmotic Thirst

Thirst caused by an increase in the concentration of solutes in the blood.