3.2 Our Brains Control Our Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior Flashcards
cerebral cortex
Humans have a very large and highly developed outer layer that provide more advanced functions— for instance, better memory, more sophisticated social interactions, and the ability to experience emotions.
brain stem
- the oldest and innermost region of the brain
- controls the most basic functions of life, including breathing, attention, and motor responses
medulla
the area of the brain stem that controls heart rate and breathing
pons
a structure in the brain stem that helps control the movements of the body, playing a particularly important role in balance and walking
reticular formation
Running through the medulla and the pons is a long, narrow network of neurons
thalamus
the egg-shaped structure above the brain stem that applies still more filtering to the sensory information that is coming up from the spinal cord and through the reticular formation, and it relays some of these remaining signals to the higher brain levels
limbic system
a brain area, located between the brain stem and the two cerebral hemispheres, that governs emotion and memory. It includes the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus.
amygdala
consists of two almond-shaped‖ clusters (amygdala comes from the Latin word for “ almond”) and is primarily responsible for regulating our perceptions of, and reactions to, aggression and fear
hypothalamus
a brain structure that contains a number of small areas that perform a variety of functions, including the important role of linking the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
hippocampus
consists of two “horns” that curve back from the amygdala. The hippocampus is important in storing information in long-term memory
cerebral cortex
- the outer bark-like layer of our brain that allows us to so successfully use language, acquire complex skills, create tools, and live in social groups
- divided into two hemispheres, and each hemisphere is divided into four lobes, each separated by folds known as fissures
corticalization
the folding of the cerebral cortex
glial cells (glia)
cells that surround and link to the neurons, protecting them, providing them with nutrients, and absorbing unused neurotransmitters
frontal lobe
responsible primarily for thinking, planning, memory, and judgment
parietal lobe
extends from the middle to the back of the skull and which is responsible primarily for processing information about touch
occipital lobe
at the very back of the skull, which processes visual information
temporal lobe
responsible primarily for hearing and language
contralateral control
the brain is wired such that in most cases the left hemisphere receives sensations from and controls the right side of the body, and vice versa
motor cortex
the part of the cortex that controls and executes movements of the body by sending signals to the cerebellum and the spinal cord
somatosensory cortex
an area just behind and parallel to the motor cortex at the back of the frontal lobe, receives information from the skin’s sensory receptors and the movements of different body parts
visual cortex
the area located in the occipital lobe (at the very back of the brain) that processes visual information
auditory cortex
responsible for hearing and language
association areas
sensory and motor information is combined and associated with our stored knowledge
Neuroplasticity
refers to the brain’s ability to change its structure and function in response to experience or damage
neurogenesis
the forming of new neurons
brain lateralization
the idea that the left and the right hemispheres of the brain are specialized to perform different functions
corpus callosum
the region that normally connects the two halves of the brain and supports communication between the
hemispheres
