Week 1 – Brains (PSY224 Behavioural & Cognitive Neuroscience)

Vocabulary flashcards covering major anatomical structures, directions, systems, and functional areas from Week 1 ‘Brains’ lecture notes.

Neuron

Electrically excitable cell of the nervous system; the human brain contains about 86 billion of them.

Meninges

Three protective connective-tissue layers (dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater) that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Dura mater

Outermost, tough meningeal layer lying just beneath the skull.

Arachnoid mater

Middle meningeal layer; web-like and separated from pia by the sub-arachnoid space.

Pia mater

Delicate innermost meningeal layer that closely follows brain surface and blood vessels.

Gyri

Raised ridges or folds of cortical tissue that increase surface area.

Sulci

Shallow grooves between gyri; together with gyri create cortical folding.

Grey matter

Cortical and subcortical regions rich in neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and synapses.

White matter

Myelinated axon tracts that connect different brain regions.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

Clear fluid produced by the choroid plexus; cushions brain, delivers nutrients, removes waste.

Choroid plexus

Specialized tissue within ventricles that produces cerebrospinal fluid.

Blood–brain barrier (BBB)

Selective barrier formed by tight junctions in brain capillaries that protects neural tissue from harmful substances.

Dorsal

Anatomical direction meaning toward the back or top of the brain.

Ventral

Anatomical direction meaning toward the belly or bottom of the brain.

Anterior (Rostral)

Toward the front or nose end of the nervous system.

Posterior (Caudal)

Toward the back or tail end of the nervous system.

Medial

Toward the midline of the body or brain.

Lateral

Away from the midline; toward the sides.

Frontal (Coronal) plane

Anatomical slice running ear-to-ear, dividing front and back portions.

Horizontal plane

Slice parallel to the ground, separating superior and inferior parts.

Sagittal plane

Vertical slice dividing left and right halves; midsagittal is exactly midline.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

All nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord; connects CNS to organs and muscles.

Somatic nervous system

PNS subdivision for sensory input and voluntary motor control; includes most cranial and spinal nerves.

Autonomic nervous system

PNS subdivision controlling involuntary functions of internal organs.

Sympathetic division

Autonomic branch mediating “fight or flight” responses (e.g., increased heart rate).

Parasympathetic division

Autonomic branch mediating “rest and digest” functions (e.g., lowered heart rate).

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Brain and spinal cord; main processing centre protected by BBB and CSF.

Tract

Bundle of axons within the CNS (analogous to “nerve” in the PNS).

Cerebral cortex

Outer layer of the forebrain; ~16 billion neurons and ~1.5 m² surface area.

Frontal lobe

Cortical lobe for decision-making, planning, behaviour, and voluntary movement.

Parietal lobe

Processes touch, spatial attention, and integration of sensory information.

Temporal lobe

Involved in hearing, language, and aspects of memory.

Occipital lobe

Primary visual processing centre of the brain.

Cerebellum

“Little brain” that coordinates movement, balance, posture, and motor learning.

Primary motor cortex

Precentral gyrus area that issues commands for voluntary movement.

Primary somatosensory cortex

Postcentral gyrus area that receives tactile and proprioceptive information.

Broca’s area

Frontal-lobe region crucial for speech production.

Wernicke’s area

Temporal-parietal region essential for understanding spoken language.

Basal ganglia

Subcortical nuclei that gate voluntary movements, contribute to decision making and reward systems.

Limbic system

Collective term for interconnected structures (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus) involved in memory, emotion, motivation.

Hippocampus

Limbic structure critical for forming new memories and capable of adult neurogenesis.

Amygdala

Almond-shaped limbic nucleus processing fear, anxiety, and emotional memories.

Thalamus

Diencephalic relay station that channels sensory inputs to the cortex and influences sleep and consciousness.

Hypothalamus

Regulates homeostasis, stress responses, and controls the pituitary gland.

Tectum

Dorsal midbrain region containing superior and inferior colliculi.

Tegmentum

Ventral midbrain region containing nuclei such as the red nucleus and substantia nigra.

Superior colliculus

Tectal structure involved in visual-motor reflexes and orienting movements.

Inferior colliculus

Tectal structure involved in auditory processing and reflexes.

Red nucleus

Tegmentum nucleus contributing to motor coordination.

Substantia nigra

Dopamine-producing tegmental nucleus; degeneration leads to Parkinson’s disease.

Pons

Metencephalic structure regulating sleep, arousal, and relaying signals for movement; origin of several cranial nerves.

Medulla oblongata

Myelencephalic structure controlling vital autonomic functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Purkinje cell

Large, branched cerebellar neuron that integrates inputs for motor coordination.

Betz cell

Giant pyramidal neuron in layer V of primary motor cortex projecting to spinal cord.

Cortical layers (I–VI)

Six histological strata of the cerebral cortex, each with characteristic cell types and connections.