peripheral nervous system
(PNS) transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body and is divided into 2 subcomponents, the somatic system and the automatic system
somatic nervous system
consists of nerves that receive sensory input from the body and control skeletal muscles, which are responsible for voluntary and reflective movement
autonomic nervous system
the portion of the peripheral nervous system responsible for regulating the activity of organs and glands
sympathetic nervous system
responsible for increasing physiological arousal to prepare the body for action
parasympathetic nervous system
helps maintain homeostatic balance in the presence of change; helps the body to return to a baseline, nonemergency state
central nervous system
(CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord. behavior, personality, memories, and conscious awareness all emanate from here
hind-brain
consists of structures that are critical to controlling basic, life-sustaining processes
brain stem
consists of the medulla and the pons
medulla
regulates breathing, heart rate, etc.
reticular formation
consists of several clusters of cells within the brain stem that send signals upward into the cortex to influence attention and alertness
cerebellum
lobe-like structure of the brain that is involved in the details of movement, maintaining balance, and learning new motor skills.
midbrain
resides just above the hindbrain and consists of structures that function in relaying messages between sensory and motor areas and also nerve cells that project to motivational systems of the brain
forebrain
the most visibly obvious region of the brain, consists of multiple interconnected structures that are critical to such complex processes as emotions, memory, thinking, and reasoning
basal ganglia
involved in facilitating planned movements, skill learning, and are also integrated with the brain's reward system.
limbic system
an integrated network involved in emotion and memory
amygdala
facilitates memory formation for emotional events, mediates fear responses, and appears to play a role in recognizing and interpreting emotional stimuli, including facial expressions
hippocampus
critical for learning and memory particularly the formation of new memories
thalamus
involved in relaying sensory info to different regions of the brain
cerebral cortex
the convoluted, wrinkled outer layer of the brain that is involved in multiple higher functions, such as thought, language, and personality
corpus callosum
a collection of neutral fibers connecting the two hemispheres
frontal lobes
planning, decision making, emotions, language and voluntary movement; guide and reflect on thoughts
primary motor cortex
involved in voluntary movement; thick band of neurons in back of frontal lobes
parietal lobes
located behind the frontal lobes, are involved in our experiences of touch and bodily awareness
somatosensory cortex
a band of densely packed nerve cells that register touch sensations
occipital lobes
located at the rear of the brain, where visual info is processed
temporal lobes
located at sides of brain near ears and are involved in hearing, memory, language, and some higher-level aspects of vision such as object and face recognition
EEG
measures patterns of brain activity with the use of multiple electrodes attached to scalp
PET
a low level of radioactive glucose is injected into blood, and its movement to regions of the brain are engaged in a particular task is measured
MRI
designed to acquire highly detailed images of brain anatomy via exposure to a strong magnetic field
Functional MRI
measures changes in blood flow throughout brain
MEG
measures magnetic fields created by the electrical activity of nerve cells in brain
lesioning
researchers intentionally damage an area in brain
TMS
a procedure in which an electromagnetic pulse is delivered to a targeted region of brain