Last Minute Lecture

Crucial Brain Structures & Neuron Tricks — Neuroscience for Dummies Chapter 18 Summary In Chapter 18 of Neuroscience for Dummies (3rd Edition) , we take a tour of ten essential brain structures and explore ten fascinating adaptations that neurons use to overcome biological limitations. This chapter offers a clear breakdown of how various regions of the brain work together to regulate perception, memory, emotion, and language. You'll also learn about the special "tricks" neurons use—like synaptic plasticity and action potential tuning—that make fast, complex communication across brain systems possible. Top Ten Brain Structures Explained Chapter 18 focuses on the brain’s architecture and the role of key areas in human behavior: Neocortex: Supports higher cognition, decision-making, and abstract reasoning Hippocampus: Crucial for long-term memory storage and spatial navigation Amygdala: Processes fear, emotional learning, and reward evaluation T...

How the Brain Plans Movement — Neuroscience for Dummies Chapter 10 Summary: Action, Free Will & Motor Disorders Welcome back to Last Minute Lecture , where we decode complex neuroscience chapter by chapter. In Chapter 10 of Neuroscience for Dummies (3rd Edition) , we explore how the brain plans and initiates movement, the systems involved in action selection, and the emerging neuroscience behind free will. This chapter also introduces mirror neurons, specialized cells like von Economo neurons, and neurological disorders that disrupt voluntary movement such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease. Planning Movement: Prefrontal Cortex to Muscles Voluntary movement begins in the prefrontal cortex , where goals are set and strategies are developed. These signals are then routed through the motor cortex and shaped by subcortical systems like the basal ganglia and cerebellum . The brain must convert abstract plans (e.g., “reach for the glass”) into a precise sequence of muscl...