Brain and Body Terms
Mental health isn't only in the head. This category covers the neuroscience and physiology behind what people feel: the stress response, the nervous system, and the chemistry that gets blamed for everything and explains less than the headlines claim. It connects the felt experience to what's actually happening in the body, and it clears up the oversimplifications, like the idea that one brain chemical equals one mood. Knowing the biology helps you read your own reactions with less fear. The body is part of the story, not the whole of it.
23 terms
Download the Brain and Body Terms cheat sheet (PDF)All brain and body terms terms
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Amygdala
The amygdala is a small region deep in the brain that helps detect threat and drive fear. It plays a central role in anxiety and the body's stress response.
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Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that runs automatically, controlling heart rate, breathing, digestion, and the stress response. It has two main branches, sympathetic and parasympathetic.
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Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the body's roughly 24-hour internal clock. It guides the sleep-wake cycle along with daily shifts in alertness, hormones, and body temperature.
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Cortisol
Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone. It is released through a system called the HPA axis, and staying elevated for too long can take a toll on health.
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Default Mode Network
The default mode network is a set of connected brain regions that becomes active when your mind is at rest and turned inward, such as during daydreaming or self-reflection.
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Dopamine
Dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain tied to motivation, reward, and movement. It's often called the pleasure chemical, but it has more to do with wanting and pursuing than with happiness itself.
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Fight-or-Flight
Fight-or-flight is the body's automatic survival response to a perceived threat. It floods the system with stress hormones to prepare a person to confront danger or escape it.
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GABA
GABA is the brain's main calming, or inhibitory, neurotransmitter. It slows nerve activity down, and it's the target of medications like benzodiazepines.
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Glutamate
Glutamate is the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, the chemical messenger that speeds up signaling between nerve cells. It plays a central role in learning and memory.
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Gut-Brain Axis
The gut-brain axis is the two-way communication system between your digestive tract and your brain. It links how you feel emotionally with what happens in your gut.
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Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a brain region central to forming and storing memories. It's sensitive to chronic stress and is often studied in connection with depression and PTSD.
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HPA Axis
The HPA axis is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system, the body's central stress response network. It controls the release of cortisol and helps the body react to stress.
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Hypervigilance
Hypervigilance is a state in which the nervous system stays on high alert for threats, even when the environment is safe. It's a core feature of trauma-related conditions and shows up in anxiety disorders.
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Limbic System
The limbic system is a group of connected brain structures involved in emotion, motivation, and memory. It includes regions like the amygdala and hippocampus that help process feelings and form memories.
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Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change itself in response to experience, learning, and practice. It is a big part of why therapy and new habits can work.
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Neurotransmitter
A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger that nerve cells use to send signals to one another. These molecules help control mood, thinking, movement, sleep, and much of what the brain and body do.
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Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is a chemical that works as both a neurotransmitter and a stress hormone. It plays a key role in alertness, attention, and the body's fight-or-flight response.
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Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a hormone and brain chemical involved in bonding, trust, and social connection. It also plays roles in childbirth and breastfeeding.
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Prefrontal Cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the front part of the brain behind the forehead. It supports planning, judgment, and impulse control, and it works closely with what psychologists call executive function.
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Reuptake
Reuptake is the process where the brain reabsorbs a neurotransmitter after it has done its job. Many antidepressants work by slowing this process down.
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Serotonin
Serotonin is a chemical messenger in the brain and body involved in mood, sleep, appetite, and digestion. It's often called the happiness chemical, but its real role is far more complex.
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Sympathetic Nervous System
The sympathetic nervous system is the part of the body's automatic wiring that ramps up energy and alertness, especially under stress. It drives the fight-or-flight response.
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Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is a long nerve that links the brain to many organs, including the heart and gut. It's a key part of the body's calming, rest-and-digest system.
Explore another category
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Symptoms
41 termsWhat people feel, notice, or experience that brings them to care.
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Conditions
55 termsDiagnoses, syndromes, and recognized clinical conditions.
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Medications
72 termsDrug classes and specific medications used in psychiatric care.
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Therapy Terms
24 termsThe language of psychotherapy, techniques, and modalities.
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Psychiatry Terms
30 termsClinical terms used in psychiatric practice.
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Psychology Terms
28 termsConcepts from psychological science.
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Everyday Language
29 termsWords people use casually that have specific clinical meanings.
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Research Terms
12 termsWords you'll see in psychiatric research and evidence reviews.
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