Flashcards: Neurobiology

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is a neuropathological condition with severe neuronal cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus, specifically in the CA-1 (Cornu Ammonis area 1) and subiculum of the hippocampus.

The extrastriate cortex is the region of the occipital cortex of the mammalian brain located next to the primary visual cortex, which is also named striate cortex because of its striped appearance in the microscope.

The anterior commissure (also known as the precommissure) is a bundle of nerve fibers (white matter), connecting the two temporal lobes of the cerebral hemispheres across the midline, and placed in front of the columns of the fornix.

In mammalian brain anatomy, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the cerebral cortex which covers the front part of the frontal lobe.

In the anatomy of the brain of vertebrates, the forebrain or prosencephalon is the rostral-most (forward-most) portion of the brain.

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a term used to describe both embryonic and adult neural tissues in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS).

The rostral migratory stream (RMS) is a specialized migratory route found in the brain of some animals along which neuronal precursors that originated in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the brain migrate to reach the main olfactory bulb (OB).

The dural venous sinuses (also called dural sinuses, cerebral sinuses, or cranial sinuses) are venous channels found between layers of dura mater in the brain.

A neurogenic placode is an area of thickening of the epithelium in the embryonic head ectoderm layer that gives rise to neurons and other structures of the sensory nervous system.

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective permeability barrier that separates the circulating blood from the brain extracellular fluid in the central nervous system (CNS).

The medulla oblongata (or medulla) is located in the hindbrain, anterior to the cerebellum.

A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of axons (nerve fibers, the long and slender projections of neurons) in the peripheral nervous system.

Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep, REMS) is a unique phase of mammalian sleep characterized by random movement of the eyes, low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly.

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), also known as spinocerebellar atrophy or spinocerebellar degeneration, is a progressive, degenerative, genetic disease with multiple types, each of which could be considered a disease in its own right.

In the brain, the corpora quadrigemina (Latin for "quadruplet bodies") are the four colliculi—two inferior, two superior—located on the tectum of the dorsal aspect of the midbrain.

The human brain is the main organ of the human central nervous system.

The locus coeruleus (\-si-ˈrü-lē-əs\, also spelled locus caeruleus or locus ceruleus) is a nucleus in the pons (part of the brainstem) involved with physiological responses to stress and panic.

Nervous tissue or nerve tissue is the main tissue component of the two parts of the nervous system; the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system (CNS), and the branching peripheral nerves of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which regulates and controls bodily functions and activity.

Radial glial cells are bipolar-shaped cells that span the width of the cortex in the developing vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) and serve as primary progenitor cells capable of generating neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes.

The receptive field of an individual sensory neuron is the particular region of the sensory space (e.g., the body surface, or the visual field) in which a stimulus will trigger the firing of that neuron.

Glial cells, sometimes called neuroglia or simply glia (Greek γλία and γλοία "glue"; pronounced in English as either /ˈɡliːə/ or /ˈɡlaɪə/), are non-neuronal cells that maintain homeostasis, form myelin, and provide support and protection for neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

The visual cortex of the brain is a part of the cerebral cortex that plays an important role in processing visual information.

The brachial plexus is a network of nerves formed by the anterior rami of the lower four cervical nerves and first thoracic nerve (C5, C6, C7, C8, and T1).

Dura mater (UK /ˈdjʊərə ˈmeɪtər/ or US /ˈdʊərə ˈmætr/), or dura, is a thick membrane that is the outermost of the three layers of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord.

Lamellar corpuscles, or Pacinian corpuscles, are one of the four major types of mechanoreceptor.

The cervical plexus is a plexus of the anterior rami of the first four cervical spinal nerves which are located from C1 to C4 cervical segment in the neck.

Ependyma is the thin epithelial lining of the ventricular system of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord, made up of ependymal cells.

A neuromuscular junction (or myoneural junction) is a chemical synapse formed by the contact between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber.

The fourth ventricle is one of the four connected fluid-filled cavities within the human brain.

The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a protein dense specialization attached to the postsynaptic membrane.

The internal capsule is a white matter structure situated in the inferomedial part of each cerebral hemisphere of the brain.

The problem of mental causation is a conceptual issue in the philosophy of mind.

Tactile corpuscles (or Meissner's corpuscles) are a type of mechanoreceptor.

The corpuscles of Herbst or Herbst corpuscles are nerve-endings similar to the Pacinian corpuscle, found in the mucous membrane of the tongue, in pits on the beak and in other parts of the bodies of birds.

Eph receptors (Ephs, after erythropoietin-producing human hepatocellular receptors) are a group of receptors that are activated in response to binding Eph receptor-interacting proteins (Ephrins).

An axon (from Greek ἄξων áxōn, axis), is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that typically conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body.

The diencephalon is part of the prosencephalon (forebrain), which develops from the foremost primary cerebral vesicle.

Neural crest cells are a temporary group of cells unique to vertebrates that arise from the embryonic ectoderm cell layer, and in turn give rise to a diverse cell lineage—including melanocytes, craniofacial cartilage and bone, smooth muscle, peripheral and enteric neurons and glia.

The nucleus accumbens (NAc or NAcc), also known as the accumbens nucleus or as the nucleus accumbens septi (Latin for nucleus adjacent to the septum) is a region in the basal forebrain rostral to the preoptic area of the hypothalamus.

Schwann cells (TA: Gliocytus periphericus) (named after physiologist Theodor Schwann) or neurolemmocytes are the principal glia of the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column.

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity or neural plasticity, is an umbrella term that describes lasting change to the brain throughout an individual's life course.

The glia limitans, or the glial limiting membrane, is a thin barrier of astrocyte foot processes associated with the parenchymal basal lamina surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

The lateral ventricles are part of the ventricular system of the brain.

In the human brain, the solitary nucleus (nucleus of the solitary tract, nucleus solitarius, nucleus tractus solitarius, nucleus tractus solitarii, NTS) is a series of purely sensorynuclei (clusters of nerve cell bodies) forming a vertical column of grey matter embedded in the medulla oblongata.

The arachnoid mater is one of the three meninges, the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

Oligodendrocytes (from Greek, meaning cells with a few branches), or oligodendroglia (Greek, few tree glue), are a type of neuroglia.

The third ventricle (ventriculus tertius) is one of four connected fluid-filled cavities comprising the ventricular system within the mammalian brain.

The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is a prefrontal cortex region in the frontal lobes in the brain which is involved in the cognitive processing of decision-making.

Glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), also known as N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamate peptidase I (NAALADase I), NAAG peptidase, or prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the FOLH1 (folate hydrolase 1) gene.

Muscle spindles are sensory receptors within the belly of a muscle that primarily detect changes in the length of this muscle.

The Bulbous corpuscle or Ruffini ending or Ruffini corpuscle is a slowly adapting mechanoreceptor found in the cutaneous tissue of humans.

Neurulation refers to the folding process in vertebrate embryos, which includes the transformation of the neural plate into the neural tube.

The name granule cell has been used by anatomists for a number of different types of neuron whose only common feature is that they all have very small cell bodies.

In the developing chordate (including vertebrates), the neural tube is the embryo's precursor to the central nervous system, which comprises the brain and spinal cord.

In the central nervous system, the subarachnoid space (subarachnoid cavity) is the anatomic space between the arachnoid mater and the pia mater.

A nerve fiber is a threadlike extension of a nerve cell and consists of an axon and (in some cases) a myelin sheath.

In neuroanatomy, a cistern (Latin: "box") is any opening in the subarachnoid space of the brain created by a separation of the arachnoid and pia mater.

Upper motor neurons are motor neurons that originate either in the motor region of the cerebral cortex or in the brain stem and carry motor information down to the lower motor neurons.

The Golgi organ (also called Golgi tendon organ, GTO, tendon organ, neurotendinous organ or neurotendinous spindle) is a proprioceptive sensory receptor organ that senses changes in muscle tension.

The islands of Calleja (IC, ISC, or IClj) are a group of neural granule cells located within the ventral striatum in the brains of most animals.

The active zone or synaptic active zone is a term first used by Couteaux and Pecot-Dechavassinein in 1970 to define the site of neurotransmitter release.

The Pontine micturition center (PMC, also known as Barrington's nucleus) is a collection of neuronal cell bodies located in the rostral pons in the brainstem involved in the supraspinal regulation of micturition.

The size of the brain is a frequent topic of study within the fields of anatomy and evolution.

Neuroregeneration refers to the regrowth or repair of nervous tissues, cells or cell products.