Brain Flashcards
Frontal Lobe
Responsible for reasoning, problem-solving, emotions, and voluntary movements.
Parietal Lobe
Processes sensory information like touch, temperature, and pain.
Occipital Lobe
Controls vision and visual processing.
Temporal Lobe
Involved in hearing, memory, and language comprehension.
Cerebellum
Coordinates balance, posture, and fine motor movements.
Brainstem
Controls automatic functions like breathing, heart rate, and digestion.
Hypothalamus
Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and controls the endocrine system.
Amygdala
Processes emotions, especially fear and pleasure.
Hippocampus
Essential for memory formation and spatial navigation.
Pituitary Gland
The “master gland” of the endocrine system; controls hormone production and regulates growth, metabolism, and stress responses.
Corpus Callosum
Connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing communication between them.
Broca’s Area
Located in the frontal lobe; responsible for speech production.
Wernicke’s Area
Located in the temporal lobe; involved in language comprehension.
Motor Cortex
Located in the frontal lobe; controls voluntary muscle movements.
Gray Matter
Contains neuron cell bodies, dendrites, and synapses; responsible for processing and interpreting information.
unmyelinated
White Matter
Made up of myelinated axons that connect different brain regions and facilitate communication.
Right Hemisphere
Controls the left side of the body; responsible for spatial awareness, creativity, intuition, and visual processing.
Left Hemisphere
Controls the right side of the body; dominant for language, logic, mathematics, and analytical thinking.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp; useful for detecting seizures and sleep disorders.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to create detailed images of brain structures; helpful for detecting tumors, strokes, and brain abnormalities.
Functional MRI (fMRI)
Measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow; used to study brain function and cognitive processes.
Computed Tomography (CT or CAT Scan)
Uses X-rays to create cross-sectional images of the brain; useful for detecting brain injuries, bleeding, and tumors.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan)
Uses a radioactive tracer to measure brain metabolism and activity; often used in research and to detect conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
