Brain Facts: Neuroscience Basics, Brain Structure, and Function

Comprehensive fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering brain energy statistics, disease impact, anatomical landmarks and lobes, evolutionary features, neural circuits, EEG brain wave frequencies, and cellular neuroscience.

The human brain runs on only __________ of electricity, which is enough to power an LED light bulb.

$$25\,watts$$

There are nearly __________ different types of neurons in the human brain.

$$10,000$$

The United Nations estimates that neurological and psychiatric conditions afflict __________ in four people worldwide.

$$1$$

Neurological and psychiatric conditions leach an estimated __________ from the U.S. economy alone each year.

$$\$1.5\,trillion$$

In the 1950s and '60s, neuroscience research led to the development of __________, a medication that helped millions of patients manage symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

L-dopa

In the 1990s, research yielded a class of drugs called __________, such as Prozac, to treat depression.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

A __________ is a model of the developing human brain that scientists use in a petri dish to study how new cells are born.

neural rosette

In the center of a neural rosette are __________ cells, which divide to create new neurons and glia.

precursor

The largest part of the human brain is the __________.

cerebrum

The cerebral hemispheres are connected by a large bridge bundle of nerve fibers called the __________.

corpus callosum

The deeply folded layer of nerve tissue on the surface of the cerebrum is called the __________.

cerebral cortex

The __________ lobes sit at the front of the brain and coordinate voluntary movements, speech, memory, emotion, higher cognitive skills, and personality.

frontal

Located at the top of the brain behind the frontal lobes, the __________ lobes integrate sensory signals from the skin and process taste.

parietal

House at the back of the brain, the __________ lobes process visual information and recognize colors and shapes.

occipital

The __________ lobes lie on the sides of the brain, interpret auditory information, and contain structures critical for memory and emotion.

temporal

The curved structure beneath the cerebral cortex that encodes new memories is the __________.

hippocampus

The deep structure within each temporal lobe that integrates memory and emotion is the __________.

amygdala

In the limbic system, the __________ integrates sensory information and relays it to other parts of the brain.

thalamus

The limbic structure that sends hormonal signals to the rest of the body through the pituitary gland is the __________.

hypothalamus

Tucked underneath the occipital lobe, the __________ is the second-largest part of the brain by volume and contains over half its neurons.

cerebellum

Located below the cerebellum, the __________ influences breathing and posture.

pons

The hindbrain structure containing neural networks that help control basic functions like swallowing, heart rate, and breathing is the __________.

medulla

Together, the midbrain, pons, and medulla make up the __________.

brainstem

The earliest vertebrates had a brain similar to that of the modern lancelet __________.

Amphioxus

Distinct bundles formed by region-spanning nerve fibers are called __________.

nerve tracts

A group of nerve tracts connecting a series of regions in the brain is called a __________.

neural network

A two-way circuit connecting the thalamus with parts of the cortex and back is known as a __________.

thalamocortical loop

Alpha waves originate mainly in the parietal and occipital lobes when relaxed and are characterized by frequencies between __________ and __________.

$8\,Hz$; $13\,Hz$

Faster than alpha waves, beta waves are produced during task concentration and range in frequency from __________ to __________.

$14\,Hz$; $30\,Hz$

Theta waves, typical of sleep, range in frequency from __________ to __________.

$4\,Hz$; $7\,Hz$

Delta waves occur during deep sleep and have frequencies less than __________.

$$3.5\,Hz$$

When measured with electrodes on the scalp, alpha and delta waves typically have amplitudes in the range of __________ to __________.

$20\,\mu V$; $200\,\mu V$

Beta and theta wave scalp measurements typically show lower amplitudes ranging from __________ to __________.

$5\,\mu V$; $10\,\mu V$

About __________ percent of the neurons in your brain are excitatory.

$$80\%$$

In many parts of the cerebral cortex, the most common type of excitatory neuron is the __________, named for its cone-shaped cell body.

pyramidal cell

In a __________ circuit, inhibitory interneurons cause excitatory signals in one column to simultaneously suppress activity in adjacent columns.

feed-forward inhibitory

The cell body of a neuron, containing its nucleus and cytoplasm, is also referred to as the __________.

soma