Another name for the cell body of a neuron.

Natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure.

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

The “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.

Naturally or experimentally caused destructions of brain tissue.

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; increases transmission speed of neural impulses.

Neurotransmitter linked to mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear.

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

The brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience.

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

Neurotransmitter linked to muscle action, learning, and memory.

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscles movements and in making plans and judgments.

The endocrine system’s most influential gland, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

A series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the brain/body.

The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.

Inhibitory neurotransmitter that most closely resembles the effects alcohol has on the nervous system.

Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

The brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain’s surface; these waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy.

Chemicals that pass across the synaptic gap and increase the probability that the next neuron in the chain will fire.

An area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Controls language expression; an area in the left frontal lobe that directs the muscles movements involved in speech.

Someone with a damaged corpus callosum stares at the hyphen as the word HE-ART flashes in front of him. When asked which word he had seen, this is his verbal reply.