Brain Anatomy and Function

Question 1

brainstem

Answer 1

central trunk of the brain connecting to the spinal cord; consists of the medulla, pons, and midbrain, controlling mostly automatic functions

Question 2

medulla

Answer 2

contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers and therefore deals with the autonomic functions of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.

Question 3

thalamus

Answer 3

large mass of gray matter with several functions such as relaying of sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex, and the regulation of consciousness, sleep, and alertness

Question 4

hypothalamus

Answer 4

controls body temperature, hunger, important aspects of parenting and attachment behaviors, thirst, fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms

Question 5

limbic system

Answer 5

set of brain structures that includes the olfactory bulbs, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and amygdala

Question 6

hippocampus

Answer 6

important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, and in spatial memory that enables navigation

Question 7

olfactory bulbs

Answer 7

perceive information dealing with olfaction (smell)

Question 8

amygdala

Answer 8

primary role in the processing of memory, decision-making, and emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.

Question 9

cerebral cortex

Answer 9

two hemispheres are joined beneath the cortex by the corpus callosum. The cerebral cortex plays a key role in memory, attention, perception, awareness, thought, language, and consciousness

Question 10

reticular formation

Answer 10

the reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei that are located throughout the brainstem playing a crucial role in maintaining behavioral arousal and consciousness

Question 11

pons

Answer 11

deals primarily with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture

Question 12

cerebellum

Answer 12

plays an important role in motor control, and it may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language as well as in regulating fear and pleasure responses, but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established

Question 13

motor cortex

Answer 13

the motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements

Question 14

somatosensory cortex

Answer 14

middle of parietal lobe, deals with sensory information (soft, hot, cold, etc.)

Question 15

corpus callosum

Answer 15

white matter at the center of the brain connecting the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex

Question 16

frontal lobe

Answer 16

speaking, planning, logic, personality, abstract thinking, problem solving

Question 17

parietal lobe

Answer 17

sensory: touch and body position

Question 18

occipital lobe

Answer 18

vision

Question 19

temporal lobe

Answer 19

audition (hearing)