the busy, branching extensions of a neuron that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

Post Office

myelin

the extension of a neuron, ending in branching terminal fibers, through which messages pass to other meurons or to muscles or glands

Wires

Neuron

a layer of faty tissue segmentally encasing thefibers of many neurons

shield

action potential

a neural impulse

Computer command

Axon

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

Synapse

the junction obetween the axon tip of the seding neuron and the dentrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

Mailman to mailbox

chemical messengers that transverse the synaptic gaps between neurons

synapse

"morphine within" - natural, opiatelike neurotransmitter linked to pain control and to pleasure.

adreniline

the body's speedy, electrochemial communication system. 

Central Nervous System

the brain and spinal cord

Command Tower

Peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

Telephone poles

nerves

neural "cables" containing many axons

Wires

Sensory neurons

Neurons that caryy incoming info from the snse receptors

Recon Squad

interneurons

CNS neurons that internally communicate

gossip 

motor neurons

neurons that carry outgoing info from CNS

Mailman

Nerves

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

consol

voluntary

the part of the peripheral nervous system control the glands and the muscles of internal organs

motherboard

sympathetic

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, obilizing its energy in stressful situations

superman

parasympathtic

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

hypothermia

autonomic

a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus

knee jerk

autonomic

interconnected neural cells

school education

electroencephlaogram

tissue destruction

EEG

electroencephalogram

 a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representaion of a slice through the body

lesion

a visual dsplay of brain activity

thermal

MRI

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio wavs to produce computer-generated images

PET Scan

the oldest part and central core of the brain.

Medulla

the base of the brainstem

reticular formation

the bran's sensory switchboard, located on the top of the brainstem

cerebellum

the "little brain" attacked to the rear of the brainstem

PONS

a doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres

food & sex

amygdala

thwo almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion

limbic system

a neural structure lying below the thalamus

eating and drinking

thalamus

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres

control and information-processing center

lobes

cells in the nercous system that suport, nourish and protect neurons

cerebral cortex

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead

thinking

parietal lobes

the portino of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear

spacial navigation and processing

occipital

the portion of the creral cortex lying at the back of the head

visual information

temporal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears

audio information

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that control voluntary movements

somatic

sensory cortex

the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body sensasion

sensory neurons

areas of the crebral cortex that are no involved in prmary motor or sensory functions

higher mental functions ( learning and speaking )

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area or to Wernicle's area

Broca's Area

controls language expresssion

muscle movements in speech.

Wernickle's Area

controls language reception

Language comprehention

Aphasia

the brain's capacity for modification as evident in brainreorganization following damage and in experiments on the eects of experience on brian development

corpus callousum

the larg band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying message sbetween them

internet

split brain

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them.

Corpus Callosum