Biology and Behaviour Flashcards
Hindbrain
Contains cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and reticular formation. Controls balance, motor coordination, breathing, digestion, and general arousal processes such as sleeping and waking
midbrain
contains inferior and superior colliculi
forebrain
contains thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, and cerebral cortex
Thalamus
Relay station for sensory information, for all senses except smell
Hypothalamus
Maintains homeostais and integrates with the endocrine system through the hyophyseal portal system that connects it to the anterior pituitary; regulates hunger and thirst, emotion, and sexual behaviour.
Basal ganglia
Smoothen movements and maintains postural stability
Limbic System
Contains septal nuclei, amygdala, and hippocampus, controls emotion and memory
Four lobes of cerebral cortex
frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal
Frontal Lobe
Controls executive function, impulse control, long-term planning, motor function, and speech production
Parietal Lobe
Controls sensations of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain; spatial processing; orientation; and manipulation
Occipital Lobe
Controls visual processing
Temporal Lobe
Controls sound processing, speech perception, memory, and emotion
Acetylcholine
Voluntary muscle control, parasympathetic nervous system, attention, alertness
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine
Fight-or-flight responses, wakefulness, alertness
Dopamine
Smooth movements, postural stability
Serotonin
Mood, sleep, eating, dreaming
GABA and Glycine
Brain “stabilization”
Glutamate
Brain excitation
Endorphins
Natural painkillers
Meninges
Thick sheath of connective tissue that covers and protects the brain, keeping it anchored within the skull and resorbing cerebrospinal fluid.
What are the three layers of the meninges?
From outer to inner: The dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater
Where is cerebrospinal fluid produced?
By specialized cells that line the ventricles (internal cavities) of the brain
What are the subdivisions of the embryonic brain?
Prosencephalon (forebrain) which contains the telencephalon and diencephalon, the mesencephalon (midbrain), rhombencephalon (hindbrain), and spinal cord
The rhombencephalon splits into what 2 parts during embryonic development
Myelencephalon and metencephalon
Myelencephalon
Becomes the medulla oblongata
Metencephalon
Becomes the pons and cerebellum
Medulla oblongata
Lower brain structure responsible for regulating vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
Pons
Lies above medulla and contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and medulla
Cerebellum
Helps maintain posture and balance and coordinates body movements
Midbrain
Receives sensory and motor information from the rest of the body; associated with involuntary reflex responses triggered by visual or auditory stimuli; contains inferior and superior colliculi
Superior colliculus
Receives visual sensory input
Inferior colliculus
Receives sensory information from the auditory system; has a role in reflexive reactions to sudden loud noises
Forebrain function
Associated with complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioural processes
What 2 structures does the prosencephalon differentiate into during prenatal development
Telencephalon and diencephalon
Telencephalon
forms cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and limbic system
Diencephalon
Forms thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary gland, and pineal gland
Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF)
A noninvasive brain mapping procedure which detects broad patterns of neural activity based on increased blood flow to different parts of the brain
Computed Tomography (CT)
Multiple X-rays are taken at different angles and processed by a computer to cross-sectional slice images of the tissue
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan
A radioactive sugar is injected and absorbed into the body, and its dispersion and uptake throughout the target tissue is imaged
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Uses to a magnetic field to interact with hydrogen and map out hydrogen dense regions of the body
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Uses same basic technique as MRI, but specifically measures changes associated with blood flow
Parts of the hypothalamus
Lateral, ventromedial, and anterior hypothalamus
Lateral Hypothalamus (LH)
Has special receptors thought to detect when the body needs more food or fluids
(when LH is destroyed, one Lacks Hunger)
Ventromedial Hypothalamus (VMH)
“Satiety center”, provides signals to stop eating
when VMH is destroyed, one is Very Much Hungry
Anterior Hypothalamus
Controls sexual behaviour, and also regulates sleep and body temperature.
Damage here usually leads to permanent inhibition of sexual activity
What is one illness associated with destruction of portions of the Basal Ganglia
Parkinson’s Disease
Septal nuclei
Contains one of the primary pleasure centers in the brain
Amygdala
Structure that plays an important role in defensive and aggressive behaviours, including fear and rage
Hippocampus
Plays a vital role in learning and memory processes; helps consolidate information to form long-term memories, and can redistribute remote memories to the cerebral cortex
Fornix
A long projection through which the hippocampus communicates with other portions of the limbic system
Gyri
Bumps on the brain
Sulci
Folds on the brain
What 2 regions does the frontal lobe consist of
Prefrontal and motor cortex
Prefrontal cortex
Manages executive function by supervising and directing the operations of other brain regions
Association area
An area that integrates input from diverse brain regions (e.g. prefrontal cortex)
Projection areas
Perform more rudimentary or simple perceptual and motor tasks
Primary motor cortex
Located on the precentral gyrus and initiates voluntary motor movements by sending neural impulses down the spinal cord toward the muscles
Where is the somatosensory cortex located
Parietal lobe
Function of Somatosensory cortex
Destination for all incoming sensory signals for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain.
Dominant hemisphere
Usually the left hemisphere; primarily analytic in function; e.g. language, logic, math skills, complex voluntary movement, language production and comprehension
Nondominant hemisphere
Usually the right hemisphere; associated with intuition, creativity, music cognition, emotions, and spatial processing
Catecholamines
Norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine; all play important roles in the experience of emotions
