5.5.6 the brain

Question 1

4 main parts of the brain

Answer 1

• cerebrum
• cerebellum
• hypothalamus & pituitary complex
• medulla oblongata

Question 2

describe the structure of the cerebrum

Answer 2

• 2 cerebral hemispheres connected by corpus callosum
• outermost layer = thin layer of nerve cell bodies called the ‘cerebral cortex’

Question 3

corpus callosum

Answer 3

major tracts of neurones connecting the 2 cerebral hemispheres

Question 4

role of cerebrum

Answer 4

controls ‘higher brain’ functions, eg:
- conscious thought
- conscious actions
- emotional responses
- intelligence, reasoning, judgement & decision making
- factual memory

Question 5

subdivisions of cerebral cortex

Answer 5

• sensory areas
• association areas
• motor areas

Question 6

describe the sensory areas

Answer 6

• receive action potentials from sensory receptors
• sizes of regions allocated to receive input from different receptors related sensitivity of area input received from

Question 7

describe association areas

Answer 7

• compare sensory inputs with previous experiences (schema)
• interpret what input means
• judge appropriate response

Question 8

describe motor areas

Answer 8

• send action potentials to various effectors (muscles/glands)
• size of region allocated to deal with different effectors related to complexity of movement needed in parts of body
• left side: control effectors on right (vice versa)