neuroscience - Concepts

Explore concepts tagged with "neuroscience"

Total concepts: 21

Concepts

Amygdala - The brain's emotional processing center, responsible for detecting threats and triggering fear responses.
Autonomic Nervous System - The nervous system division controlling involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion.
Cingulate Cortex - A brain region involved in emotion, decision-making, and cognitive control.
Circadian Rhythm - The body's internal 24-hour clock that regulates sleep-wake cycles and numerous physiological processes.
Cortisol - The primary stress hormone that regulates the body's fight-or-flight response and various metabolic processes.
Default Mode Network - A brain network active during rest and mind-wandering, associated with self-reflection and creativity.
Dopamine - A neurotransmitter that sets the threshold for motivation and goal pursuit, acting as a limited currency for action.
Habit Loop - The neurological loop of cue, routine, and reward that underlies all habit formation.
Hippocampus - The brain region essential for forming new memories and spatial navigation.
Hypothalamus - A brain region that regulates hormones, body temperature, hunger, and other vital functions.
Interoception - The sense of the internal state of the body, including signals like hunger, temperature, and heart rate.
Limbic System - The brain's emotional processing center, responsible for emotions, memories, and arousal.
Mirror Neurons - Neurons that fire both when performing an action and when observing someone else perform the same action.
Nervous System Regulation - The ability to shift between activation and calm states, maintaining balance in the autonomic nervous system.
Neuroplasticity - The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.
Prefrontal Cortex - The brain region responsible for executive functions like planning, decision-making, and impulse control.
Serotonin - A neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, appetite, and feelings of well-being and contentment.
Sleep Architecture - The structure and pattern of sleep stages that cycle throughout the night, each serving distinct functions.
Stress Response - The body's automatic physiological and psychological reaction to perceived threats or demands.
Vagus Nerve - The longest cranial nerve connecting the brain to major organs, key to the relaxation response.
Window of Tolerance - The optimal zone of nervous system arousal where we can function effectively and cope with stress.

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