Read the words and discuss what you think they might mean before revealing the definition.
- Adrenocorticotrophin – Hormone released from the anterior pituitary gland in response to corticotrophin releasing hormone (CnRH) and vasopressin (ADH); stimulates adrenal glands to secrete cortisol.
- Autonomic – The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls automatic functions of the body by the antagonistic activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
- Broca – This area of the brain has motor control over speech and deals with grammar.
- Cerebellum – Part of the hindbrain that coordinates the precision and timing in muscular activity, contributing to equilibrium and posture and to learning motor skills.
- Cerebrum – Two hemispheres responsible for integrating sensory functions and initiating voluntary motor functions. It is the source of intellectual function in humans, where it is more developed than in other animals.
- Corpus callosum – Area of white matter through which nerve fibres connect the two hemispheres of the cerebrum.
- Dominance – Ranking system in an animal society.
- Epigenetic – Relating to gene expression which is altered by the modification of DNA and histones, but not the nucleotide sequence.
- Eusocial – Description of animal colonies showing division of labour, overlapping generations and care of the brood.
- Fluorodeoxyglucose – Glucose radioactively labelled with 18F; used in PET scanning to detect areas of glucose metabolism.
- Frontal – Lobe of the cerebrum including Broca's area and sites of reasoning, planning, emotions and problem solving.
- Habituation – Behaviour in which stimuli are ignored because they are not followed by either reward or punishment.
- Haemorrhagic – Stroke caused by bleeding into the brain or the space around it.
- Hierarchy – Social system in which an animal is submissive to those in higher ranks but dominant over those in lower ranks.
- Hippocampus – Part of the forebrain that interacts with the cerebrum, contributing to learning, reasoning, personality and memory.
- Homunculus – Drawing of the relationship between the complexity of innervation of different parts of the body and the areas and positions in the cerebral cortex that represent them.
- Hypothalamus – Part of the forebrain that controls general functions e.g. body temperature, blood solute concentration, hunger, thirst, sleep. It is the main controlling region of autonomic nervous system and links the brain to the endocrine system, through the pituitary gland.
- Imprinting – Attachment of young to the first larger, moving object they see, smell, touch or hear - usually the mother.
- Ischaemic – Stroke resulting when blood supply to part of the brain is blocked e.g. by a blood clot.
- Kinesis – Movement of a whole organism, but not in a particular direction in relation to the stimulus.
- Lateralisation – The predominant use of one hemisphere of the brain, rather than both, in relation to a particular function.
- Medulla oblongata – Part of the hindbrain that connects higher levels of the brain to the spinal cord and controls involuntary, autonomic functions.
- Meninges – Three membranes, the pia mater, arachnoid mater and dura mater that line the skull and vertebral canal, surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
- Neuroplasticity – The ability of the brain to modify its own structure and function following changes within the body or in the external environment.
- Neurotransmitter – Molecule released in response to an action potential reaching end of a nerve fibre; it diffuses across a synapse and initiates a new action potential in a neurone or muscle fibre.
- Occipital – Lobe of the cerebrum that contains the primary visual cortex and is associated with vision.
- Operant – Type of conditioning involving the association between a particular behaviour and a reward or punishment.
- Parasympathetic – Part of autonomic nervous system using acetylcholine; many of its effects are inhibitory e.g. decreased blood pressure and heart rate.
- Parietal – Lobe of cerebrum associated with taste and visuo-spatial processing; includes the somatosensory cortex.
- Pituitary – The major endocrine gland associated with growth and development and the functioning of the other endocrine glands, by secreting hormones including those controlling osmoregulation, primary and secondary sexual characteristics.
- Reflex – A rapid, automatic, protective response to a given stimulus, improving an organism’s chance of survival.
- Sympathetic – Part of the autonomic nervous system using noradrenaline; many of its effects are stimulatory e.g. increased blood pressure and heart rate.
- Synapse – Junction between nerve fibres or a nerve fibre and muscle fibre, across which a neurotransmitter diffuses, to establish a new action potential.
- Taxis – Movement of a whole organism towards a positive stimulus and away for a negative stimulus.
- Temporal – Lobe of the cerebrum including Wernicke's area; has roles in learning, memory, generating a sense of sound and processing complex stimuli e.g. faces.
- Territorial – Behaviour in which an animal consistently defends an area against other members of the species.
- Thalamus – Part of the forebrain that acts as a relay centre, sending and receiving impulses to and from the cerebrum.
- Ventricle – Four connected cavities in the brain, into which cerebrospinal fluid is secreted.
- Wernicke – This area of the brain controls the comprehension of written and spoken language.