Brain Facts 2018 chapter 1 vocab

Cerebrum

Largest part of the human brain

Corpus Callosum

Largest nerve bundle connecting both hemispheres

Cerebral Cortex

Folded outer surface of the brain

Frontal Lobes

Front part of the brain, does planning and choices

Parietal lobes

Top of brain, process sensory information related to touch and taste

Parietal Lobes

Top part of brain, processes sensory information related to taste and touch

Occipital Lobes

Back of brain, process vision, reocognizes color and shapes

Temporal Lobes

Sides of brain, visual processing and interpret auditory information

Hippocamus

Curved structure inside brain, long term memory

Amygdala

Tucked inside brain, Memory and emotion

Limbic System

Deep structures inside brain, emotion plus motivation

Thalamus

Main station for sensory processing

Hypothalamus

Sends hormonal signals to body via pituitory gland

Pituitory gland

Releases hormones

forebrain

region which includes cortex, limbic system, and thalamus

Lancelet/Amphioxus

A creature with very simple nerve cord “brain”

Midbrain

middle bulges of early brain, handles reflex processing

hindbrain

Back bulge gave rise to cerebellum

Olfactory Bulbs

Expanded parts of forebrain, detect smell

Cerebellum

Back brain structure evolved to control escape and spacing

Nerve Tracts

Giant bundle of nerve fibers connecting distant brain regions

Anterior Commisure

nerve tract connecting left and right cerebral hemispheres

Neural network

group of nerve tracts connecting multiple brain regions

Photoreceptors

light sensitive cells in retina

Optic nerve

Nerve bundle carrying visual signals away from eye

Optic tract

pathway visual signals take after optic nerve to hit the thalamus

Primary visual cortex

area in occipital lobe that processes basic visual features

Two parallel processing streams

dual pathways in the brain that process different parts of vision simultaneously

Thalamocortical loop

a two way circuit connecting the thalamus and cortex

EEG

A machine/test used to detect electrical activity in the brain.

Brain Waves

Rhythmic, oscillating electrical patterns produced by firing neurons.

Hertz (Hz)

A unit measuring wave frequency (1 Hz = 1 cycle per second).

Alpha Waves

Relaxed brain waves (8–13 Hz) found when eyes are closed.

Beta Waves

Faster, active brain waves (14–30 Hz) found during mental processing.

Theta Waves

Drowsy brain waves (4–7 Hz) typical of light sleep.

Delta Waves

Deep sleep brain waves (under 3.5 Hz); very slow and strong

Microvolts (µV)

The tiny unit of electrical voltage used to measure brain waves.

Spinal Tracts

Chains of neurons passing signals between brainstem and spinal cord.

Basal Ganglia

Deep structures that provide feedback to control and smooth out movement.

Reflex Loops

Fast, local circuits that cause action before the brain even processes thought.

Subcortical Regions

Any brain structures hidden underneath the outer cerebral cortex.

Neural Circuits

Interconnected neurons that transform inputs into brain output patterns.

Columns

Vertical stacks of neurons in the cortex that form single communication chains.

Microprocessor

A computing chip (textbook uses this to describe how a single neuron sums up signals).