Brain areas

Question 1

Corpus Callosum

Answer 1

> White matter (myelinated axons)
Connects 2 hemispheres
allows co-ordination of actions

Question 2

Internal Capsule

Answer 2

> White matter (myelinated axons)

> Contains ascending + descending pathways to cortex

Question 3

Basal Ganglia

Answer 3

> Grey Matter (un-myelinated cell bodies)
Group of nuclei deep in white matter of frontal lobes
- Corpus Striatum (caudate nucleus, putamen, global pallidus)
- Subthalamic Nuclei
- Substantia Nigra

> Involved in: Motor selection (link with thalamus to co-ordinate movement)
: Habit learning

Question 4

Frontal Lobe

Answer 4

> Pre-motor area: Motor planning + initiation
Primary Motor area: Motor initiation + control
Broca’s area (L. hemisphere): thought to speech
(with primary motor area): movement for speech
+ Behaviour
+ Emotion/personality
+ memory

> Damage:

• Apraxia (difficulty with motor planning)
• Expressive dysphasia
• Personality changes

Question 5

Parietal Lobe

Answer 5

> Sensorimotor cortex: interpretation of sensory input
Body + Spatial awareness

> Damage:

• altered sensation
• proprioceptive difficulty
• depth perception difficulty

Question 6

Temporal Lobe

Answer 6

> Primary auditory area - Interpretation of speech (pitch/rhythm etc.)
Wernicke’s area - sound to thought (what sound is + what it means)
+ Memory of sound

> Damage:

• Receptive Dysphasia
• Altered sound interpretation

Question 7

Occipital lobe

Answer 7

> Interpretation of visual input (intensity/colour/movement/shape)

> Damage
- altered interpretation of visual input

Question 8

Brainstem

Answer 8

> Midbrain
> Pons
> Medulla 
- control centre for heart/lungs
- Pathways cross here 
- Cranial nerves

Question 9

Diencephalon

Answer 9

> Thalamus
- Sensory Relay Station
Hypothalamus
- Regulates Homeostasis (influences ANS + pituitary gland)
- e.g temperature/fluid balance/blood pressure

Question 10

Limbic system

Answer 10

> Underside of cerebrum 
> Cingulate gyrus 
- near corpus callosum 
- Controls; emotional response to pain
                :  Regulates aggression
                : smells + sights link to memory 
> Hippocampus 
- deep in temporal lobe
- memory of people/places/events
> Amygdala 
- near hippocampus 
- emotional control - particularly anger
> Mamillary Bodies

Question 11

Cerebellum

Answer 11

> Autonomic response with pons
Co- ordination with motor areas
Balance
* Linked to brainstem via 3 peduncles