What is neuroscience?
Study of the brain and nervous system
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| What is neuroscience? | Study of the brain and nervous system |
| What is a neuron? | A nerve cell |
| What do neurons do? | Send information |
| Main parts of a neuron? | Dendrites, soma, axon |
| What do dendrites do? | Receive messages |
| What does the soma do? | Keeps the neuron alive |
| What does the axon do? | Sends messages |
| What is myelin? | Fatty coating that speeds signals |
| If myelin is damaged, what happens? | Messages slow down |
| What is an action potential? | Electrical signal in a neuron |
| What does “all-or-none” mean? | Fires fully or not at all |
| What is threshold? | Minimum needed to fire |
| What is a synapse? | Gap between neurons |
| What are neurotransmitters? | Chemical messengers |
| What are receptor sites? | Where neurotransmitters attach |
| What is reuptake? | Chemicals reabsorbed |
| What is an agonist? | Boosts neurotransmitters |
| What is an antagonist? | Blocks neurotransmitters |
| Acetylcholine (ACh) is for? | Muscle movement & memory |
| Low ACh is linked to? | Alzheimer’s |
| Dopamine is for? | Reward & movement |
| Too much dopamine = ? | Schizophrenia |
| Too little dopamine = ? | Parkinson’s |
| Serotonin controls? | Mood & sleep |
| Low serotonin = ? | Depression |
| GABA does what? | Calms the brain |
| Glutamate does what? | Excites the brain |
| Central nervous system (CNS)? | Brain & spinal cord |
| Peripheral nervous system (PNS)? | All other nerves |
| Somatic nervous system? | Voluntary actions |
| Autonomic nervous system? | Automatic actions |
| Sympathetic nervous system? | Fight or flight |
| Parasympathetic nervous system? | Rest and digest |
| What is the endocrine system? | Hormone system |
| How do hormones travel? | Through blood |
| Hormones vs neurotransmitters? | Hormones are slower |
| Pituitary gland? | Master gland |
| Adrenal glands release? | Stress hormones |
| Brainstem controls? | Survival functions |
| Medulla controls? | Breathing & heart rate |
| Pons controls? | Sleep & alertness |
| Cerebellum controls? | Balance & coordination |
| Thalamus does what? | Sensory relay |
| Hypothalamus controls? | Hunger, thirst, temperature |
| Limbic system controls? | Emotion & memory |
| Amygdala controls? | Fear |
| Hippocampus controls? | Memory |
| Cerebral cortex? | Outer brain layer |
| Frontal lobe does what? | Decision-making |
| Parietal lobe does what? | Touch |
| Temporal lobe does what? | Hearing |
| Occipital lobe does what? | Vision |
| EEG measures? | Brain electricity |
| CT scan shows? | Brain structure |
| MRI Shows? | Detailed structure |
| fMRI shows? | Brain activity |
| Neuroplasticity means? | Brain can change |
| Left hemisphere controls? | Language & logic |
| Right hemisphere controls? | Creativity |
| What are glial cells? | Neuron helpers |
| What do microglia do? | Clean up brain waste |
| What do astrocytes do? | Feed neurons & regulate signals |
| What do oligodendrocytes do? | Wrap myelin around axons in the CNS |
| What do Schwann cells do? | Wrap myelin around axons in the PNS |
| Sensory neurons do what? | Bring info IN |
| Sensory neurons are also called? | Afferent |
| Motor neurons do what? | Send commands OUT |
| Motor neurons are also called? | Efferent |
| Interneurons do what? | Connect neurons |
| What is resting potential? | −70 mV |
| Resting neuron is charged how? | Negative inside |
| Na⁺ mostly where? | Outside cell |
| K⁺ mostly where? | Inside cell |
| Depolarization means? | Cell gets positive |
| Repolarization means? | Cell resets |
| Hyperpolarization means? | Too negative |
| Refractory period means? | Can’t fire |
| What are nodes of Ranvier? | Gaps in myelin |
| Two ways neurotransmitters stop? | Reuptake or breakdown |
| Enzymatic deactivation means? | Neurotransmitter broken down |
| Competitive drugs bind where? | Same receptor |
| Noncompetitive drugs bind where? | Different site |
| What is the enteric nervous system? | Gut brain |
| ENS communicates with brain via? | Vagus nerve |
| ENS controls what? | Digestion |
| What cushions the brain? | CSF |
| What makes CSF? | Choroid plexus |
| CSF sits in what? | Ventricles |
| 3 brain coverings? | Dura, arachnoid, pia |
| Anterior / rostral means? | Front |
| Posterior / caudal means? | Back |
| Dorsal / superior means? | Top |
| Ventral / inferior means? | Bottom |
| Medial means | Bottom |
| Lateral means? | Toward side |
| Lesion method means? | Study damage |
| MRI shows? | Brain structure |
| PET shows? | Brain activity |
| EEG measures? | Electrical activity |
| fMRI measures? | Blood flow |
| TMS does what? | Temporarily disrupts brain |