Actually a Rather Pleasant Experience

Acetylcholine - The neurotransmitter involved in regulating muscles, memory, mood, sleep, and organs (like the heart).

Amygdala - An almond-shaped cluster of small structures near the limbic region. The amygdala plays a key role in regulating emotions like anger, fear, love, and sadness.

Axon - The extended part of a neuron that carries an impulse towards the synapse and transmits the message to other neurons.

Brainstem - Oldest part of the brain. The Brain Stem regulates things like heart rate, breathing, swallowing, digestion, blinking, and more.

Cerebellum - Located in the back of the brain, your cerebellum is a busy switching station. It receives messages from most of the muscles and joints in your body. It communicates with the other parts of the brain, and then sends messages about movement and balance back to your body. It's also very active in learned skills, such as riding a bike.

Cerebral Cortex - The Cerebral Cortex is the largest part of your brain. It does a lot of brain work, like thinking, decisions, and creativity. It's responsible for thinking and learning as well as the five senses, memory and emotion. It covers much of the rest of your brain like a thinking cap.

Corpus Callosum - A bridge of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the Cerebral Cortex.

Dendrite - A branch-like part of a neuron that receives impulses and information from other neurons.

Hemispheres - The two halves of the Cerebral Cortex. These hemispheres are separate but connected. The left side of your brain connects to the right side of your body, while the right brain connects to the left side. In most people, the left brain handles words and logic, and the right brain is better at art, music, and intuition. The two hemispheres are connected by the Corpus Callosum.

Hippocampus - Structure in the limbic region that helps to store and process memories, and then helps to find them when you want to remember something. It can also affect emotions.

Hypothalamus - A thumb sized region deep in the middle of the brain that monitors the body's internal functions and helps regulate things like hunger, thirst, body temperature, and hormones.

Limbic Region - The limbic area of your brain has many parts. They are important to your memory, emotions, smell, and hunger. They also help determine how you respond to danger.

Lobes - The four areas of the Cerebral Cortex. The frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe all work together, but each of them also does special things.
- Frontal: thought, decision, feeling, moving
- Temporal: hearing, speaking, learning
- Parietal: touch, language, moving
- Occipital: vision

Medulla Oblongata - A part of the brainstem that regulates breathing, heartbeat, and blood flow.

Neuron Parts - A neuron has three main parts. The nucleus is the center of the cell. The axon sends messages to other neurons. The dendrites receive messages from other neurons.

Neurotransmitters - Neurotransmitters are the messengers that travel between one brain cell and another. They are chemical signals that neurons use to talk to each other, which is what makes your brain work. They help determine how you feel, think, and act.

Nucleus - A term used two ways in brain studies: 1) as the central part of a neuron or other types of cells where genetic information is stored and put into action; 2) a cluster of neurons within a discrete location in the brain, like the locus coeruleus.

Sulcus - A deep crease between the ridges of your cerebral cortex. The large channel separating your frontal and parietal lobes is called the Central Sulcus.

Synapse - The connection between brain cells. The synapse is a tiny space where two neurons meet and messages are communicated by way of neurotransmitters.

Thalamus - Rounded structure in the middle region of the brain that relays sensory signals to the Cerebral Cortex. Only a very small part of the thalamus is in any way related to the limbic structure set.