Cognitive Neuroscience
4 main regions of the brain:
1. Cerebrum
- Controls higher functions (learning, reasoning, speech) and senses
2. Cerebellum
- Responsible for coordinating muscle movement
3. Brainstem
- Control vital bodily functions (cardiac activity, respiration, digestion, sleep)
4. Diencephalon
- Help govern sensations, weight regulation, energy, and instinctual behaviors
Blood-brain barrier
o Only allows specific chemicals to enter from the body’s bloodstream into the brain
Neuronal structure and function
• Neurons
- Transmit electrical signals from one location to another in the nervous system
o Soma – contains the nucleus of the cell (center portion; performs metabolic and
reproductive functions), responsible for the life of the neuron and connects to
dendrites and axon; integrates information
o Dendrites – branchlike structures that receive the information from other neurons
• Axon – a long, thin tube that extends (or splits) from the soma and responds to other
information, when appropriate, by transmitting an electrochemical signal to other neurons
o Myelin sheath – fatty substance that surrounds some of the axons of the nervous
system which also accounts for some whiteness of the white matter of the brain
o Nodes of Ranvier – small gaps in the myelin coating along the axon that increase
conduction speed even more
• Terminal buttons – small knobs at the end of the axon that directly touch the dendrites of
the next neuron
• Synapse – a very small gap/juncture between the terminal buttons of one or more neurons
and the dendrites
• Neurotransmitters – chemical messengers for transmission of information across the
synaptic gap to the receiving dendrites of the next neuron
o Chemical messengers:
▪ Monoamine neurotransmitters (synthesized through enzymatic actions,
protein: acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin)
▪ Amino-acid neurotransmitters (amino acid in our diet, gamma-aminobutyric
acid/GABA)
▪ Neuropeptides (peptide chains, molecules made from parts of two or more
amino acids)
o Acetylcholine (Ach)
4 main regions of the brain:
1. Cerebrum
- Controls higher functions (learning, reasoning, speech) and senses
2. Cerebellum
- Responsible for coordinating muscle movement
3. Brainstem
- Control vital bodily functions (cardiac activity, respiration, digestion, sleep)
4. Diencephalon
- Help govern sensations, weight regulation, energy, and instinctual behaviors
Blood-brain barrier
o Only allows specific chemicals to enter from the body’s bloodstream into the brain
Neuronal structure and function
• Neurons
- Transmit electrical signals from one location to another in the nervous system
o Soma – contains the nucleus of the cell (center portion; performs metabolic and
reproductive functions), responsible for the life of the neuron and connects to
dendrites and axon; integrates information
o Dendrites – branchlike structures that receive the information from other neurons
• Axon – a long, thin tube that extends (or splits) from the soma and responds to other
information, when appropriate, by transmitting an electrochemical signal to other neurons
o Myelin sheath – fatty substance that surrounds some of the axons of the nervous
system which also accounts for some whiteness of the white matter of the brain
o Nodes of Ranvier – small gaps in the myelin coating along the axon that increase
conduction speed even more
• Terminal buttons – small knobs at the end of the axon that directly touch the dendrites of
the next neuron
• Synapse – a very small gap/juncture between the terminal buttons of one or more neurons
and the dendrites
• Neurotransmitters – chemical messengers for transmission of information across the
synaptic gap to the receiving dendrites of the next neuron
o Chemical messengers:
▪ Monoamine neurotransmitters (synthesized through enzymatic actions,
protein: acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin)
▪ Amino-acid neurotransmitters (amino acid in our diet, gamma-aminobutyric
acid/GABA)
▪ Neuropeptides (peptide chains, molecules made from parts of two or more
amino acids)
o Acetylcholine (Ach)
