Brain Functions

Question 1

Forebrain

Answer 1

• Thalamus
• Hypothalamus
• Cerebral Cortex

Question 2

FOREBRAIN: Thalamus

Answer 2

• Relay station for all sensory pathways
  (except smell)
• Receives impulses from whole body, then sends to cortex

Question 3

FOREBRAIN: Hypothalamus

Answer 3

• Highest centre of integration for body processes
• Regulates:
  
  • Metabolism, Temperature, Water
    Balance, Sweating, Blood pressure,
    Sleeping & Appetite.

Question 4

FOREBRAIN: Cerebral Cortex

Answer 4

• Controls many cognitive functions, like:
  
  • Thinking, Planning and Integration of
    sensations
• Located towards top & front of brain
• Largest & most complex part of brain

Question 5

Hindbrain

Answer 5

• Located at base of brain, serves as neural relay station and responsible for control of survival functions such as:
  
  • Heart rate, Breathing, Sleeping, Reflex
    Actions (coughing, swallowing, vomiting)
• Consists of Pons, Medulla Oblongata &
  Cerebellum

Question 6

HINDBRAIN: Pons

Answer 6

• Connects cerebellum with spinal cord and
  motor areas of cortex

Question 7

HINDBRAIN: Medulla (Oblangata)

Answer 7

• Main line of traffic for nerves ascending
  from spinal cord and descending from
  higher centres of brain
• At base, fibres may cross over to other side

Question 8

HINDBRAIN: Functions of Medulla (Oblangata)

Answer 8

• Contains nuclei which:
  
  • Maintain regular rhythms of heartbeat,
    Control Diaphragm, Constrict or Dilate
    blood vessels, control swallowing

Question 9

HINDBRAIN: Cerebellum

Answer 9

• 2 deeply folded hemispheres with a grey
  exterior and interior of white tracts
• Responsible for smooth coordination of
  complex movements

Question 10

HINDBRAIN: Functions of Cerebellum

Answer 10

• Receives sensory input from balance
  centres of ears, muscles, tendons, joints
• Info received relates to balance, posture,
  equilibrium

Question 11

Midbrain

Answer 11

• Controls motor reactions and involved in
  many reflex responses,
• Connected to Hindbrain and Forebrain by
  reticular formation

Question 12

MIDBRAIN: Functions of Reticular Formation

Answer 12

• Sits on top of brainstem and under the
  cerebral hemispheres
• Connects Midbrain to both the Forebrain
  and Hindbrain

Question 13

Brocas Area

Answer 13

• Located in left frontal lobe of brain
• Controls muscles responsible for production of articulate speech

Question 14

Brocas Aphasia

Answer 14

• Damage to Brocas Area
• Person would struggle to form words but could still comprehend speech

Question 15

Wernickes Area

Answer 15

• Located in rear section of left temporal lobe
• Responsible primarily for language comprehension and formulation of meaningful sentences

Question 16

Wernickes Aphasia

Answer 16

• Damage to Wernickes Area
• Person would be unable to understand language and formulate coherent, meaningful speech

Question 17

Frontal Lobe

Answer 17

• Concerned with higher mental abilities
• Controls voluntary movement
• Thinking and decision making

Question 18

FRONTAL LOBE: Primary motor cortex

Answer 18

• Strip of tissue at rear of frontal lobe
• Controls skeletal muscles and thus voluntary movement

Question 19

Parietal Lobe

Answer 19

• Receives and processes sensory input such as touch, pressure, heat, cold, and pain

Question 20

PARIETAL LOBE: Primary Sensory Cortex

Answer 20

• Processes somatic sensations; detects touch and proprioception from sensory receptors

Question 21

Occipital Lobe

Answer 21

• This lobe processes visual stimuli

Question 22

OCCIPITAL LOBE: Primary Visual Cortex

Answer 22

• Controls visual functions of eyes: involved in both visual perception and colour recognition

Question 23

Temporal Lobe

Answer 23

• Processes auditory information, produces speech (Wernickes) and encodes memory

Question 24

TEMPORAL LOBE: Primary Auditory Cortex

Answer 24

• Perceives auditory stimuli and processes it through ears

Question 25

Action Potential

Answer 25

A rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane in a neuron