Brain Anatomy

Question 1

What are the three regions of the brain called?

Answer 1

the forebrain
the midbrain
the hindbrain

Question 2

Where is the hindbrain located?

Answer 2

next to the spinal cord

Question 3

What connects the spinal cord to the rest of the brain?

Answer 3

the hindbrain

Question 4

What parts of the brain make up the hindbrain?

Answer 4

medulla
cerebellum
pons

Question 5

What is medulla responsible for?

Answer 5

maintaining automatic functions such as:
heartbeat
breathing
swallowing
digestion
coughing
maintenance of blood pressure

Question 6

What is the cerebellum associated with?

Answer 6

coordination, balance and movement

Question 7

How does the cerebellum allow an animal to maintain their balance without having to consciously think about it?

Answer 7

cerebellum is responsible for all the automatic processes that allow an animal to balance

Question 8

What is the function of the pons?

Answer 8

acts as a bridge for signals to travel to and from the hindbrain to the rest of the brain

Question 9

What part of the brain makes up the midbrain?

Answer 9

the reticular formation

Question 10

What is the reticular formation?

Answer 10

a complex network of neurons that runs through the medulla and pons of the hindbrain and up into the midbrain and forebrain

Question 11

What is the overall role of the reticular formation?

Answer 11

to receive and transmit information between the brain and the body

Question 12

What are the two categories that the information that the reticular formation transmits and receives called?

Answer 12

sensory information
motor information

Question 13

In order for an animal to sleep, what needs to happen?

Answer 13

the processing of sensory information through the reticular formation needs to slow down

less sensory information passing through the reticular formation allows less motor information to pass through too

this allows muscles to relax

Question 14

How is information transmitted?

Answer 14

as electrical signals from neuron to neuron using neurotransmitters and neuroreceptors

Question 15

How does a loud noise wake an animal up?

Answer 15

if a loud noise is heard than the sensory information fires up through the reticular formation and motor information passes back through it to the animal’s muscles opening their eyes and tensing their muscles in response

Question 16

What are low levels of activity in the RF associated with?

Answer 16

sleep
unconsciousness
comas

Question 17

What parts of the brain make up the forebain?

Answer 17

thalamus
hypothalamus
cerebral cortex
limbic system

Question 18

What is the main function of the thalamus?

Answer 18

sending sensory information from anywhere in the body to the cerebral cortex where it is processed and interpreted

Question 19

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 19

links the central nervous system to the endocrine system

Question 20

What is the hypothalamus responsible for?

Answer 20

homeostasis of a number of bodily functions

Question 21

How is the hypothalamus responsible for homeostasis of a number of bodily functions?

Answer 21

releases hormones which stimulate the pituitary gland which then goes on to produce more hormones which are sent around the body

Question 22

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 22

the outer layer of the brain where higher-level processing takes place

Question 23

What is the cerebral cortex responsible for?

Answer 23

processing and retrieving memories

problem solving

sensory processing

the planning and carrying out of all voluntary movements

Question 24

What does the limbic system refer to?

Answer 24

a number of different structures in the brain

Question 25

What are the different structures in the limbic system responsible for?

Answer 25

an animal’s emotions and their response to those feelings

Question 26

What are the most important parts of the brain that contribute to the limbic system?

Answer 26

thalamus
amygdala
hippocampus
hypothalamus

Question 27

How does the thalamus contribute to the limbic system?

Answer 27

all emotions are a response to some sensory information which is transmitted in the thalamus

Question 28

How does the amygdala contribute to the limbic system?

Answer 28

it processes information to attach an emotional meaning to

Question 29

How does the hippocampus contribute to the limbic system?

Answer 29

where new events are processed and stored as long-term memories

an emotional response to an event partly draws on past experience of similar events

Question 30

How does the hypothalamus contribute to the limbic system?

Answer 30

it controls the body’s physical response via hormones