Brain Functions

Question 1

What are the lobes of the brain?

Answer 1

Frontal
Parietal
Occipital
Temporal

Question 2

What is the function of the frontal lobe?

Answer 2

Voluntary movement of opposite side of the body

Frontal lobe of dominant hemisphere controls speech (Broca’s area) & writing
(if right handed, then left hemisphere is dominant etc.)

Intellectual functioning, thought processes, reasoning & memory
Eg. Problem solving, motor function, judgement, impulse control, language

Question 3

What is the function of the parietal lobe?

Answer 3

Somatosensory
Dominant lobe (usually left) perception & interpretation of sensory info, language and maths

Non dominant (usually right) visuospatial formation

Question 4

What is the function of the occipital lobe?

Answer 4

Understanding visual images and meaning of written words

Contains primary visual & visual association cortex

Question 5

What is the function of the temporal lobe?

Answer 5

Understanding the spoken word (wernicke’s - understanding), sounds as well as memory amd emotion

Question 6

What does the temporal lobe contain?

Answer 6

Primary auditary cortex
Hippocampus
Amygdala
Wernicke’s area

Question 7

What is underlying the cortex?

Answer 7

White matter

Question 8

Where are grey matter structues found?

Answer 8

Deep in the white matter and surrounded ventricles

Question 9

Is grey/white matter on the outside/inside?

Answer 9

Grey matter - outside

White matter - inside

Question 10

What do grey matter structures include?

Answer 10

Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Basal ganglia

Question 11

What are the 3 cranial meninges?

Answer 11

Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater

Question 12

What are the coverings of the brain from skin to white matter?

Answer 12

Skin
Bone (skull)
Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Trabeculae and subarachnoid space
Pia mater 
Cerebral cortex (grey matter)
White matter

Question 13

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 13

Relay centre direction inputs to cortical areas

Question 14

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 14

Links endocrine system to brain & involved in homeostasis

Question 15

What does the basal ganglia consist of?

Functions?

Answer 15

Caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus

Motor control, cognition and non motor behavior

Question 16

Caudate + putamen =

Globus + putamen =

Answer 16

Striatum

Lentiform nucleus

Question 17

What does the cerebellum do?

Answer 17

Co ordinate movement and balance

Voluntary movement, balance, equilibrium, and muscle tone

Question 18

What does the cerebellum lie over?

Answer 18

Dorsal surface of the brain stem

Question 19

The cerebellum is attached to the brain stem by?

Answer 19

3 peduncles

Question 20

What are the 3 peduncles and what part of the brain stem are they attached to?

Answer 20

Superior - midbrain
Middle - pons
Inferior- medulla

Question 21

Cerebellum injuries result in slow and uncoordinated movement such as?

Answer 21

Loss of motor control, asynergia
Movement tremors, intention tremor
Weak muscle, hypotonia
Abnormal eye movements, nystagmus

Question 22

What are the functions of the brain stem?

Answer 22

Special sense, sensory and motor for head and neck (cranial nerves), autonomic regulation, regulates consciousness, pathway between brain and spinal cord

Question 23

What are the main components of the basal ganglia?

Answer 23

Dorsal striatum - caudate nucleus and putamen
Ventral striatum - nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercle
Globus pallidus - internal and external segment
Ventral pallidum
Substantia nigra
Subthalamic nucleus

Question 24

What is the hippocampus important for?

Answer 24

Episodic memory
Construction of mental images
Short term memory
Spatial memory and navigation