cerebral cortex

gray matter

Brain's cognitive tissue

• frontal lobeBrain's decision-making center
• parietal lobeCortical region for sensation
• occipital lobePosterior brain vision area
• temporal lobeBrain section for hearing

gyri · sulci · Brodmann areas · white matter · laminae · fissures · hemispheres · insula

neurons

Signal-transmitting brain cells

• synapsesNeuron-to-neuron transmission points
• neurotransmittersChemical neural messengers
• neuroplasticityBrain's self-rewiring ability
• electroencephalographyCerebral activity measurement technique

fMRI · neuroimaging · brainwaves · interneurons · neural networks · oscillations

reasoning

Drawing logical conclusions

• thinkingMental reasoning process
• abstractionDistilling to essential qualities
• judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
• comprehensionMental understanding of meaning

problem-solving · decision-making · planning · executive function · intellect · logic · analysis · conceptualization

somatosensory

Relating to bodily sensation

• perceptionMental interpretation of stimuli
• touchPerceiving through physical contact
• visionAbility to see
• hearingPerceiving sound waves

olfaction · taste · visual processing · receptors · sensation · stimuli · proprioception · homunculus

awareness

State of perceiving reality

• wakefulnessState of being conscious
• alertnessActive mental awareness
• attentionFocused mental awareness
• self-awarenessInsight into one's psyche

sentience · arousal · perception · integration · binding · subjective experience · qualia

encoding

Converting data to format

• retrievalAct of getting back
• consolidationCombining into unified whole
• working memoryTemporary cognitive holding space
• spatial memoryRecollection of layouts and positions

recognition · recall · memory traces · engrams