What is GABA?
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What is GABA? | Main inhibitory NT. |
What is dopamine? | Motor function and reward. |
What is serotonin? | Mood and temperature regulation, aggression, sleep-wake cycles. |
What are endorphins? | Pain reduction. |
What is anadamide? | Pain reduction, increase in appetite. |
What is norepinephrine? | Brain arousal and other functions like mood, hunger and sleep. |
What is an agonist? | Increases receptor site activity. |
What is an antagonist? | Decreases receptor site activity. |
What is neural plasticity? | Ability of NS to change. |
What are the four primary ways in which the network of neurons in the brain change over the course of development? | Growth of dendrites and axons |
What are stem cells? | Cell that have the ability to differentiate into any cell type. |
What is neurogenesis? | Creation of new neurons in the adult brain. |
What is the CNS? | Central nervous system, composed of brain and spinal cord. |
What is the PNS? | Peripheral nervous system. Divided into the somatic and autonomic. Autonomic comprises motor cortex which innervates skeletal muscle. The somatic is divided into parsympathetic and sympathetic systems. Both act on cardiac, smooth and exocrine and endocrine glands. |
What are the divisions of the CNS? | Cerebral cortex, Basal Ganglia, Limbic system, cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord. |
What are the brain and spinal cord protected by? | The meninges. |
What are the cerebral ventricles? | Fluid filled pockets that extend through the brain and spinal cord. CSF runs through these providing nutrients and cushioning us against injury. |
What is the CSF? | Cerebrospinal fluid. A clear liquid that serves as the CNS' shock absorber. |
What is the cerebral cortex? | Part of the cerebrum of forebrain, which is the most highly developed area of the human brain. Gives us our advanced intellectual abilities (thinking, memory, etc,..) The cerebrum consists of two cerebral hemispheres. Contains four lobes. |
What is the corpus callosum? | Huge band of fibres connecting the cerebral hemispheres. Allows them to communicate. |
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex? | Frontal lobes, parietal lobes, occipital lobes, temporal lobes. |
What are the frontal lobes? | Lies in the forward part of the cerebral cortex. Assist in motor function, language and memory. Contains the motor cortex which lies next to the central sulcus, contains the prefrontal cortex (frontal part of this lobe), contains Broca's area, important for language production. |
What is the central sulcus? | Separates the frontal lobe from the rest of the cortex. |
What is the parietal lobe? | The upper middle part of the cerebral cortex, behind frontal lobe. Contains somatosensory cortex. Parietal lobe communicates visual and touch information, helps keep track of objects. |
What is the temporal lobe? | Prime site of hearing, understanding language and storing memories of past. |