The Brain’s Structures:

Brainstem: central trunk of the brain connecting to the spinal cord; consists of the medulla, pons, and midbrain, controlling mostly automatic functions

Medulla: contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers and therefore deals with the autonomic functions of breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure

Thalamus: large mass of gray matter with several functions such as relaying of sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness

Hypothalamus: controls body temperature, hunger, important aspects of parenting and attachment behaviors, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms

Limbic System: set of brain structures that includes the olfactory bulbs, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and amygdala

Hippocampus: important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation

Olfactory Bulbs: perceive information dealing with olfaction (smell)

Amygdala: primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions

Cerebral Cortex: two hemispheres are joined beneath the cortex by the corpus callosum; plays a key role in memory, attention, perception, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness

Reticular Formation: a set of interconnected nuclei that are located throughout the brainstem playing a crucial role in maintaining behavioral arousal and consciousness

Pons: deals primarily with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture

Cerebellum: plays an important role in motor control, and it may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language as well as in regulating fear and pleasure responses

Motor Cortex: the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements

Somatosensory Cortex: middle of parietal lobe, deals with sensory information (soft, hot, cold, etc.)

Corpus Callosum: white matter at the center of the brain connecting the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex

Frontal Lobe: lobe dealing with speaking, planning, logic, personality, abstract thinking, problem solving

Parietal Lobe: lobe dealing with sensory: touch and body position

Occipital Lobe: lobe dealing with vision

Temporal Lobe: lobe dealing with audition (hearing)

Nervous Systems, Neurons, and Neuroimaging:

Central Nervous System: nervous system that runs through the spine and neck, relaying all messages to the brain

Peripheral Nervous System: nervous system that covers the rest of your body beyond the spine to the extremities of your body and its tissues

Somatic Nervous System: nervous system, in two parts, that controls voluntary movement and sensory neurons

Autonomic Nervous System: nervous system that maintains heartbeat, breathing, and organs

Sympathetic Nervous System: nervous system that increases heart rate, breathing, and glucose levels

Parasympathetic Nervous System: nervous system that decreases heart rate, breathing, and glucose levels

Neurons: official name for nerve cells

Dendrite: the part of the nerve cell that receives signals

Axon: the part of the nerve cell that sends signals

Soma: the part of the nerve cell that contains the nucleus, ribosomes, mitochondria, etc.

Synapses: the part of the nerve cell that transfers neurochemicals to the next neuron

Reuptake: the part of neurotransmission at the synapse that sends neurochemicals back to the original neuron after activating receptors

Sodium (Na+) ion: the primary ion outside the axon’s membrane that provides a polarized positive charge

Potassium (K+) ion: the primary ion inside the axon’s membrane that, along with proteins, provide a polarized negative charge

Neurochemicals: the name for chemicals that cause us to feel happy, sad, alert, etc.

Sodium-Potassium Pump: the mechanism that re-polarizes axons by moving ions outside the membrane once the charge has evened

Electroencephalogram (EEG): type of scan that targets the electrical waves in one’s brain, down to a specific stimulus

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan: type of scan that uses x-rays to reveal brain damage

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan: type of scan that shows brain consumption of chemical fuel, such as glucose

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scan: type of scan that puts one’s head in a strong magnetic field that aligns spinning electrons of brain molecules, then disorients them with a radio wave; when they return to normal, it gives a detailed picture of the soft tissues

The Endocrine System:

Endocrine System: system that uses the bloodstream and hormones to send messages

Pituitary Gland: the master gland that controls growth and other organs

Thyroid: organ that controls metabolism

Pancreas: organ that manages blood sugar and insulin

Ovaries: organ responsible for sex hormones in women

Testes: organ responsible for sex hormones in men

Adrenal Gland: organ that releases adrenaline in fight or flight situations