AP200 brain Flashcards
What are the primary functions of the brain?
Registers sensation, analyzes them, makes decisions, initiates actions, site for intellect, emotions, behavior, and memory.
What is the largest portion of the brain?
Cerebrum
What is the outer gray matter of the cerebrum called?
Cerebral cortex
What are the paired lobes of the cerebrum?
- Frontal lobes
- Parietal lobes
- Temporal lobes
- Occipital lobes
What functions are associated with the frontal lobes?
Thinking, reasoning, personality, intelligence, judgment, language.
What is the function of the posterior part of the frontal lobe?
Motor cortex
What are the main functions of the parietal lobes?
Language and somatosensory processing.
What is the primary function of the temporal lobes?
Hearing, language, and smell.
What role do the occipital lobes play?
Interpretation of visual stimuli.
What are the three functional areas of the cerebral cortex?
- Sensory areas
- Motor areas
- Association areas
What is the inner white matter of the cerebrum composed of?
Groups of myelinated axons called tracts.
What does the corpus callosum do?
Communicates between left and right hemispheres.
What is the role of the basal ganglia?
Control of large, automatic muscle movements and muscle tone.
What disease is associated with the loss of function in the basal ganglia?
Parkinson’s disease.
What is the limbic system often referred to as?
Emotional brain: pain pleasure anger
What is the function of the amygdala?
Important in emotional responses to stimuli like fear.
What role does the hippocampus play in the brain?
Creation of new memories.
What is the primary function of the thalamus?
Major relay station for most sensory impulses to the cerebral cortex.
What are the two parts of the pituitary gland?
- Anterior pituitary
- Posterior pituitary
What functions does the hypothalamus regulate?
- Hormone secretion
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Sexual response
- Pleasure
- Body temperature
What is the main function of the cerebellum?
Unconscious regulation of balance and coordination of movements.
What does the cerebellum evaluate?
How well movements initiated by the motor cortex are carried out.
What three regions make up the brainstem?
- Medulla oblongata
- Pons
- Midbrain
What are the subconscious activities controlled by the medulla oblongata?
- Respiration
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
What is the role of the reticular activating center?
Wakes up the cerebrum each morning.
What are the main functions of the spinal cord?
- Integrates simple responses to certain stimuli (reflexes)
- Relays information to and from the brain
What are the two types of matter in the spinal cord?
- Outer white matter
- Inner gray matter
What type of information does the white matter of the spinal cord contain?
Myelinated axon tracts that ascend with sensory information or descend with motor information.
Where do synapses occur in the spinal cord?
In the gray matter.
