(BBB) the Brain

Question 1

Central Nervous System (CNS)

Answer 1

Involves the brain - complex behaviours and experiences
and the spinal cord - reflexes.
Both are made of both gray matter (nerve cell bodies) and white matter (axons, nerve cell ‘tails’)

Question 2

Cortex - outer layer of the brain

Answer 2

Gyrus (gryri) - folds of the cortex
Sulcus (sulci) - grooves of the cortex
Fissures - deep grooves of the cortex

Question 3

Landmarks and lobes

‘continents’ of the brain

Answer 3

Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital.
Frontal lobe is in front of the central sulcus, forehead.
Parietal lobe is behind the central sulcus, top back of the head.
Temporal lobe is around the ears, lower/back of the head.
Occipital love is at the base of the skull.

Question 4

Corpus callosum

Answer 4

a tract of fibres in the white matter of the brain that connects the two hemispheres of the brain.

Question 5

Dorsal/ventral
refers to the

Answer 5

top/bottom of the brain

Question 6

Superior/inferior
refers to

Answer 6

top/bottom of the brain

Question 7

Anterior/posterior
refers to

Answer 7

front/back of the brain

Question 8

Rostral/Caudal
refers to

Answer 8

front/back of the brain

often used in animal neuronatomy

Question 9

Coronal cross section

Answer 9

Cross section vertically across the hemispheres.

Question 10

Sagittal cross section

Answer 10

Cross section vertically in the direction of dividing the hemispheres.

Question 11

Horizontal (axial) cross section

Answer 11

Cross section horizontally

Question 12

Ventricles

Answer 12

4 chambers deep in the brain filled with cerebro-spinal fluid (scf) and act as shock absorbers.

Question 13

Meninges - three additional layers between the skull and the brain

Answer 13

Outermost layer - Dura mater
Middle layer - Arachnoid membrane
innermost layer - pia matter

you can find the same meninges in the spinal chord.

Question 14

Blood vessels - key for bringing nourishment to the brain.

Answer 14

The brain is enveloped in blood vessels. when people suffer a stroke, the blood vessel vursts and stops the blood supply to a certain part of the brain, and the the neural cells in that region of the brain would gradually die.

Question 15

Three key areas of the brain

Answer 15

forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain

Question 16

Hindbrain: vital bodily functions

Answer 16

consists of the cerebellum, pons, and medulla. some of the key functions of these areas are breathing, heart rate, motor control.

Question 17

Midbrain: smaller area that connects the hindbrain to the forebrain.

Answer 17

2 key regions -
Colliculi (sensory relay stations): superior colliculi (vision) & inferior colliculi (audition)
Substantia Nigra (motor control)

Question 18

The forebrain consists of

Answer 18

Diencephalon and telencephalon
both of these then consist of various other components.

Question 19

Diencephalon
has two key structures, deep inside the brain

Answer 19

Thalamus: sensory switchboard - directing sensory information to different areas of the cortex
Hypothalamus: hormone control, sexual behaviour, hunger, thirst.

Question 20

Telencephalon
3 key components

Answer 20

Basal ganglia: consists of the Putamen, Globus pallidus, and caudate. key role of Basal ganglia is voluntary motor control, learning and memory (particularly for things like playing an instrument and riding a bike). Some disorders like parkinsons are also related to this area of the brain.
Limbic system: 3 main structures; cingulate cortex, amygdala (both responsible for our emotional life) and the hippocampus (memory, very active during sleep especially when learning new vocabulary).
**Cortex **:

Question 21

Occipital cortex

Answer 21

Primary Visual cortex/system

Question 22

Parietal lobe/cortex

Answer 22

• attention
• spatial perception
• number processing

mental rotation (Kosslyn et al., 1998), visual neglect: stroke in parieto-temporal region. (McFie & Zangwill, 1960)

Question 23

Temporal Lobe

Answer 23

• auditory cortex (hearing)
• language (Wernicke’s area)
• memory (hippocampus)

Question 24

Frontal Lobe

This is the area of the brain that develops well into our 20s

Answer 24

• attention
• planning
• decision making
• emotion regulation
• language (Broca’s area)

Planning; emotion regulation: Phineas Gage 1848