Neuroscience Lecture Notes: Neurotransmitters, Brain Structures, and the Nervous System

VOCABULARY flashcards covering key terms from the neuroscience lecture notes.

Parkinson's

Neurodegenerative disorder with motor symptoms linked to dopamine dysfunction.

Schizophrenia

Psychiatric disorder involving disruptions in thought, perception, and emotion.

Endorphins

Endogenous opioids that relieve pain and can produce euphoria during intense exercise.

Synaptic cleft

The gap between neurons where neurotransmitters travel to signal the next neuron.

Neurotransmitter

Chemical messenger that transmits signals across synapses.

Reuptake

Process by which neurotransmitters are transported back into the releasing neuron, reducing cleft levels.

Agonist

Substance that increases neurotransmitter activity by promoting receptor activation.

Antagonist

Substance that decreases neurotransmitter activity by blocking receptors or release.

Acetylcholine

Neurotransmitter involved in learning/memory and muscle activation; can be blocked by botulinum.

Interneurons

Neurons that connect other neurons; the majority of brain neurons.

Sensory neurons

Neurons that carry information from senses to the central nervous system.

Motor neurons

Neurons that convey signals from the CNS to muscles to produce movement.

Central nervous system (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord; the body's main control system.

Peripheral nervous system (PNS)

Nerves outside the CNS; connects CNS to the body; includes somatic and autonomic.

Somatic nervous system

Part of the PNS; voluntary control of senses and movements.

Autonomic nervous system

Part of the PNS; involuntary control; splits into sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Sympathetic

Arousing, fight-or-flight system; raises heart rate, dilates pupils, slows digestion.

Parasympathetic

Calming, rest-and-digest system; slows heart rate, stimulates digestion.

Reticular formation

Midbrain network that connects brain regions and regulates wakefulness/attention.

Hindbrain

Oldest brain region (reptilian brain) with medulla, pons, cerebellum.

Medulla

Controls heart rate and breathing; essential for life support.

Pons

Regulates wakefulness and sleep; part of hindbrain.

Cerebellum

Coordinates movement and balance; essential for motor control.

Thalamus

Relay station for sensory information and regulation of wakefulness.

Hypothalamus

Regulates drives (hunger, thirst, temperature, reproduction) and pituitary signaling.

Pituitary gland

Endocrine gland regulated by hypothalamus; releases hormones into bloodstream.

Limbic system

Emotion processing and memory system; includes amygdala and hippocampus.

Amygdala

Emotion processing center; involved in fear and anger responses.

Hippocampus

Memory formation and storage; seahorse-shaped structure.

Cerebral cortex

Thin outer brain layer with four lobes and two hemispheres; higher-order functions.

Occipital lobe

Vision processing region at the back of the brain.

Parietal lobe

Language and touch processing; somatosensory integration.

Temporal lobe

Hearing, memory, and emotion processing; language areas reside here.

Frontal lobe

Executive functions: planning, decision-making, movement, personality.

Broca's and Wernicke's areas

Language production and language comprehension in the left hemisphere; damage affects speech and understanding.

Lateralization

Functional specialization of brain hemispheres (e.g., left for language, right for space).