Unit 1 Key Terms

Question 1

Central nervous system

Answer 1

made up of the brain and spinal cord, controlling most of the body’s functions (ex. Thoughts, senses, movement)

Question 2

Peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

made up of all the nerves connecting to the spinal cord, transferring information to and from the central nervous

Question 3

Neuron

Answer 3

nerve cells from the nervous system that transmit signals throughout the body

Question 4

Dendrite

Answer 4

tendrils stemming from the cell body that receive impulses from other neurons

Question 5

Axon

Answer 5

a long fiber that carries impulses from the cell body to the axon terminal (ex. a cable connecting to an outlet to charge your computer)

Question 6

Cell body

Answer 6

the main part of a neuron that carries the nucleus and connects the dendrites to other parts of the cell for transmissions

Question 7

Myelin Sheath

Answer 7

a fatty tissue layer that covers and insulates the axon and speeds up impulse transmissions (ex. A blanket, basically)

Question 8

Glial Cells

Answer 8

cells that make up the myelin sheath and also supply neurons with nutrients, aid in neural connections, and help with various mental processes (ex. Memory, learning)

Question 9

Endocrine system

Answer 9

Controls, creates, and monitors hormones

Question 10

Adrenal Gland

Answer 10

Located on top of the kidneys and releases hormones that increase heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar to provide a surge of energy.

Question 11

Pituitary Gland

Answer 11

a pea-sized structure located in the brain’s core where the hypothalamus controls it. It secretes many hormones that contribute to growth and development.

Question 12

Brain

Answer 12

An organ that controls the entire body. The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. It is basically the command center for the center body.

Question 13

Brain stem

Answer 13

The connecting point between the brain and the spinal cord. It is what relays information between the brain and the spinal cord. It is like playing telephone with the two.

Question 14

Medulla

Answer 14

Part of the adrenal gland. The base of the brainstem which controls involuntary processes like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. Involuntary processes are things that you do without thinking about them.

Question 15

Thalamus

Answer 15

a structure in the brain that is located above the brainstem. Its main job is to send movement and sensory information to the cerebral cortex.

Question 16

hypothalamus

Answer 16

the part of the brain that sends hormones to help keep your body in homeostasis (in an equal balance). (controlling thirst, hunger, heart rate, mood, and body temperature).

Question 17

Reticular formation

Answer 17

a system of nerves that move throughout the brainstem and into the thalamus. The job of this part of the brain is to filter information and control awareness

Question 18

Cerebellum

Answer 18

the term means “little brain” in latin and it is located at the back of the brainstem. It controls posture, balance, movement, memory, and learning. (ex. Picking up a pencil)

Question 19

Amygdala

Answer 19

an almond-shaped structure in the brain that tells your body how to react when you see something. It deals with emotions, motivation, and fear (Ex. Poor little albert ☹️)

Question 20

Hippocampus

Answer 20

A structure in the brain that looks like a seahorse and processes memories. It helps with remembering things and awareness of your environment. (Ex. a cab driver memorizing routes)

Question 21

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 21

The part of the brain that contains the major information/processing controls (Memory, thought, language, emotion, personality, decisions, learning, etc.) (Ex. The ability to identify objects based on touch only)

Question 22

Synapse

Answer 22

The connecting point between neurons. It helps the neurons pass signals to each other. It is like the chain-link between neurons

Question 23

Neuroplasticity

Answer 23

The brain’s ability to change and grow based on experiences. Damage to the brain can help reorganize and reconstruct the brain. If it did not have the ability to change then it would not be able to learn. Neuroplasticity is what helps rebuild the brain like a continuous construction site

Question 24

Frontal

Answer 24

the largest part of the brain and cerebral cortex
many responsibilities such as behavioral traits that consider how unique a person can be, like decision making, personality, and even motor control.
responsible for making senses of varieties of information about the memories, environment, and emotions, and it uses these traits to make decisions

Question 25

Temporal

Answer 25

Processes audio, sounds, etc.
holds all the emotions, memories and language comprehension
contains the hippocampus, the Wernicke’s area, and the primary auditory cortex.
The information throughout the brain is passed through through the entorhinal cortex which leads into the hippocampus creating all the memories.
able to link words, spoken or written, which is also a “hotspot” for epilepsy

Question 26

Occipital

Answer 26

responsible for visual signals. This information is visual and it arrives from the retina via the thalamus.
informs on what and how we are seeing things.
It tells us where a boomerang is, and how we look and react when it comes back to us

Question 27

Parietal

Answer 27

part of your brain that interprets your five senses.
processes things you touch and also takes information from your other senses to interpret what you are feeling.
helps you identify where you are in comparison to other things around you that your senses are picking up

Question 28

The Limbic System

Answer 28

made up of the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus.
works to control your memories, behavior, motivation, and emotions.
works with other parts of your brain to process information

Question 29

Declarative/Explicit Memory

Answer 29

has to do with remembering things such as names, places, events, facts, dates, etc. that you have experienced.
This type of memory is a part of long term memory and these memories are saved when consciously thought about and “declared.”
- broken down into two categories; episodic or semantic memory

Question 30

Nondeclarative/Implicit Memory

Answer 30

a part of your long term memory.
deals with being able to remember information or events without knowledge or awareness.
This type of memory uses no effort since it is you doing something without even thinking about it.
An example of this would be how to pick up a spoon or how to ride a bike

Question 31

Episodic Memory

Answer 31

aa part of your long term declarative memory
has to do with remembering your own personal experiences. (It’s like “episodes” of your story)

Question 32

Semantic Memory

Answer 32

long-term memory that recalls words, numbers, or concepts

Question 33

Flashbulb Memory

Answer 33

an emotionally significant memory that might be historic or notable

Question 34

Working/Short Term memory

Answer 34

the temporary/short term storage of information

Question 35

Priming/Priming Effect

Answer 35

positive or negative effect of a priming stimulus on the processing of a target stimulus

Question 36

Classical Conditioning

Answer 36

An automatic response being paired with specific stimuli. A learning process of involuntary behaviors

Question 37

Primacy/Recency Effect

Answer 37

the remembrance of items at the beginning of a list

Question 38

Memory Retrieval

Answer 38

recalling or remembering of information; the recovery of stored information

Question 39

Memory Interference

Answer 39

an explanation for forgetting long-term memory. When some info makes it hard to remember similar information

Question 40

Broca’s area

Answer 40

• located in the left frontal lobe
• controls expressive language function
• damage to this area can result in issues with the production of speech

Question 41

Wernicke’s area

Answer 41

• located in the left temporal lobe
• controls language reception
• damage to this area can result in problems with language comprehension

Question 42

traumatic brain injury (TBI)

Answer 42

usually caused by a violent blow or jolt to the head or body. Symptoms can range from mild, moderate, to traumatic