Neuroscience Basics Quiz

Plasticity

• The brain's ability to change, particularly during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or creating new pathways based on experience.

Neuron

• A nerve cell, the fundamental unit of the nervous system.

Cell Body

• The part of a neuron containing the nucleus, which is the cell's control center.

Dendrites

• Branching extensions of a neuron that receive and integrate messages from other neurons.

Axon

• The extension of a neuron that transmits messages to other neurons or muscles and glands.

Action Potentials

• A brief electrical charge that travels down an axon, representing a nerve impulse.

Glial Cells

• Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; additionally, they play a role in learning, thinking, and memory.

Synapses

• The junctions between neurons where messages pass from one neuron to another. The gap between neurons is called the synaptic gap or cleft.

Neurotransmitters

• Chemicals released by neurons that cross the synaptic gap to carry messages to other neurons, muscles, or glands.

All-or-None Law

• A neuron's response to a stimulus is either to fire fully or not at all.

Threshold

• The level of stimulation needed to trigger a neural impulse.

Refractory Period

• A brief resting period after a neuron fires during which it cannot fire again.

Nervous System

• The body's speedy communication network, encompassing all the nerve cells (neurons) in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Peripheral Nervous System

• The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

Central Nervous System

• The brain and the spinal cord.

Endocrine System

• The body’s “slow” chemical communication system, made up of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Hormones

• Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands that affect various tissues.

Limbic System

• A collection of neural structures located deep within the brain, associating with emotions and drives (e.g., amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus).

Frontal Lobes

• The portion of the cerebral cortex located behind the forehead, involved in speaking, muscle movements, planning, and judgment.

Parietal Lobes

• Sections of the cortex above the ears that receive sensory input for touch and body position.

Occipital Lobes

• The back of the head; receiving visual information.

Temporal Lobes

• Located above the ears, they include areas that receive auditory information

Motor Cortex

• Directs voluntary movements.

Somatosensory Cortex

• Registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

Association Areas

• Areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved in higher mental functions like learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking.

Corpus Callosum

• A large band of neural fibers that connects the two brain hemispheres and facilitates communication between them.

Neurogenesis

• The forming of new neurons.

Consciousness

• Our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment.

Selective Attention

• Focusing our conscious awareness on a particular stimulus.

Inattentional and Change Blindness

• Failing to notice changes in the environment; a form of inattentional blindness, caused by selective attention.