2.3 The brain

Question 1

medulla

Answer 1

A brain stem structure involved in many essential body functions, such as heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure, digestion, and swallowing.

Question 2

pons

Answer 2

A brain stem structure that serves as a bridge between the cerebellum and the rest of the brain and is involved in sleep and dreaming.

Question 2

cerebellum

Answer 2

A part of the brain involved in the coordination of our movements, sense of balance, and motor learning.

Question 3

reticular formation

Answer 3

A network of neurons running up the center of the brain stem that is responsible for our different levels of arousal and consciousness

Question 4

limbic system

Answer 4

A group of brain structures (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala) that play an important role in our survival, memory, and emotions.

Question 4

thalamus

Answer 4

A part of the brain that serves as a relay station for incoming sensory information.

Question 5

basal ganglia

Answer 5

A part of the brain that is involved in the initiation and execution of movements.

Question 6

hypothalamus

Answer 6

A part of the brain that is involved in regulating basic drives such as eating, drinking, and having sex. It also directs the endocrine glandular system through its control of the pituitary gland and the autonomic nervous system to maintain the body’s internal environment.

Question 7

hippocampus

Answer 7

A part of the brain involved in the formation of memories.

Question 8

amygdala

Answer 8

A part of the brain that is involved in emotions by influencing aggression, anger, and fear and by providing the emotional element of our memories and the interpretation of emotional expressions in others.

Question 9

cerebral cortex

Answer 9

The layers of interconnected cells covering the brain’s two hemispheres. This is the control and information-processing center for the nervous system; it is where perception, memory, language, decision making, and all other higher-level cognitive processing occur.

Question 10

corpus callosum

Answer 10

The bridge of neurons that connects the two cerebral hemispheres.

Question 11

frontal lobe

Answer 11

The area in each cerebral hemisphere in front of the central fissure and above the lateral fissure. The motor cortex is in this lobe.

Question 12

parietal lobe

Answer 12

The area in each cerebral hemisphere in back of the central fissure and above the lateral fissure. The somatosensory cortex is in this lobe.

Question 13

occipital lobe

Answer 13

The area located in the lower back of each cerebral hemisphere. The primary visual cortex is in this lobe.

Question 14

temporal lobe

Answer 14

The area in each cerebral hemisphere located beneath the lateral fissure. The primary auditory cortex is in this lobe.

Question 15

motor cortex

Answer 15

The strip of cortex in each cerebral hemisphere in the frontal lobe directly in front of the central fissure, which allows us to move different parts of our body.

Question 16

somatosensory cortex

Answer 16

The strip of cortex in each cerebral hemisphere in the parietal lobe directly in back of the central fissure, which allows us to sense pressure, temperature, and pain in different parts of our body as well as the

Question 17

association cortex

Answer 17

All of the cerebral cortex except those areas devoted to primary sensory processing or motor processing. This is where all the higher- level cognitive processing that requires the association (integration) of information, such as perception and language, occurs.

Question 18

Broca’s area

Answer 18

An area in the cerebral cortex responsible for fluent speech production. It is in the left frontal lobe of the majority of people, regardless of handedness.

Question 18

Wernicke’s area

Answer 18

An area in the cerebral cortex responsible for comprehension of speech and text. It is in the left temporal lobe of the majority of people, regardless of handedness.

Question 19

consciousness

Answer 19

An individual’s subjective awareness of their inner thinking and feeling and their external environment.

Question 20

REM
(rapid eye movement)
sleep

Answer 20

The stage of sleep that is characterized by rapid eye movements and brain wave patterns that resemble those for an awake state and in which most dreaming occurs. REM sleep is sometimes referred to as paradoxical sleep because the bodily muscles are immobilized but much of the brain is highly active.